WANTED Wanted .550 round ball mould for 56 Cal SB

[Cobra6]

Does anyone out there have a .550 dia round bullet mold for sale? Need one for my 56 Cal SB Hawken.

Thanks

 

[Grimord]

Best bet is to get one from Jeff Tanner. That is where I got mine cause the T/C ones are few and far between, and if found cost more than a Tanner mold.

 

[mooman76]

I believe Jeff Tanner past a few months ago.

 

[FishDFly]

His son is running the company and still making molds.

 

[Cobra6]

Thanks for the reply mooman and Grimord. If I Google Jeff Tanner will he show up? I'll give it a try.

Cobra6

 

[mooman76]

His son is running the company and still making molds.

That's good to know.

Thanks

 

[Cobra6]

OK guys........ tell me if I'm going to blow myself up. I did some research today on how to get around this .550 dia bullet mould. If I can find the mould great, but what is the work-around if I cannot find the mould? I remember that shotgun gages can be worked out to a specific diameter in inches. On line I found out that a 28 gage shotgun round "lead ball" and used as a slug has a diameter of .545 to .550. If I could find a 28 gage round ball mould....why wouldn't that work with a patch? Do I have an ingenious for the obvious?


Cobra 6

 

[Notchy Bob]

A round lead ball that weighs exactly 1/28th of a pound will be.550" in diameter. A 28 gauge bore will also measure.550". Your .56 smoothbore is .010" larger than a true 28 gauge, although shotguns are sometimes "backbored" to a slightly larger diameter and your .56 may well be within accepted parameters for a backbored 28 gauge... I don't know.

In any event, I don't think you are likely to find a 28 gauge round ball mould, listed as such. However, Moose Moulds will make a top-quality .550" round ball mould for you with wood handles and a sprue cutoff plate, I think in single or double cavity. I bought one of their single cavity .550" moulds and found it was very well made. Not cheap, though... I think it was right at $100. They are good folks to deal with, too. Cordial, efficient, and no nonsense.

You can Google "moose moulds" to find their website. They have a few other atypical and "normal" roundball sizes, also.

I have no personal experience with Tanner Moulds or Larry Callahan, but I understand they both make round ball moulds in virtually any size, and I've never heard anything bad about either of them.

There was a recent thread on the ALR forum about a new outfit that makes gang moulds. I'm pretty sure they offer one in .550". I'll try to look up the link when I get on my computer (using the iPhone right now), or you can go to the ALR forum and search for "gang moulds."

One other option is to just buy pre-cast .550" balls from Track of the Wolf. They usually have them in stock. I think their balls are cast by Rush Creek.

Good luck with all of this! Be safe and have fun.

Notchy Bob

 

[Kansas Kid]

I think I have an old tanner mold in the garage, you would need Lyman small mold handles to fit them. If your interested PM me 20 dollars plus shipping.

 

[Cobra6]

Notchy Bob......Thanks for all the information and references on the .550 mould. I'll definitely check out "moose moulds and "gang moulds" mentioned above. I could buy pre-cast .550 balls but [for me] half the fun in ML shooting is making the ammo. I would gladly pay about $100 for a moose mould with handles.
Kansas Kid....... I'm coming your way, would be nice if you found that .550 mould from Tanner. Very interested, see you on PM.


Cobra 6

 

[Grimord]

A Jeff Tanner single ball mold will run you about $45. they are quality brass molds that use small Lyman type handles.

 

[495roundball]

I have a Lyman 28 gauge RB Mold. $35.00 shipped

 

[Kansas Kid]

Ok I found it, here’s a picture of it to see if you want it or not. No big deal one way or the other.

 

[Cobra6]

Thanks for the reply roundball. Kansas Kid just sold me a Tanner in .550. Just out of curiosity do you know the 0.00 diameter of the mould for the 28 gage. I ask because I just had a barn find the weekend. I found a Wesley Richards double barreled shotgun for $140.00. It's in bad shape [mostly dirt and grime] but all the parts are there excepting the ramrod. Two small dents in the left barrel. The muzzles measure (L) 0.683 and (R) 0.673. Any ideas on the gage?

Cobra 6

 

[Cobra6]

Search for the .550 bullet mould is now closed. Thanks all!

Cobra 6

 

[nightwolf1974]

This may too late to help, BUT when I had a T/C .56 cal. Smoothbore Renegade, I shot a .530 Rb w/ 2x .010" patches and it shot fine. I could hit a 1 gallon milk jug at 100yds. easily off the bench. Just my 2₵