bornintheussr
45 Cal.
It looks like ball would go down nice and tight without a patch. Can I do it?
Would it be safe to use .451 ball in 45 cal (.440) Kentucky pistol?
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64Springer
75 Cal.
If you can ram a ball down that bore, the gun powder will push it back out.
Grease the ball and have at it.
Grease the ball and have at it.
Well .....IF you can get it down the barrel snug against a sufficient powder charge, it will come back out. Might not be spherical anymore, will certainly have more recoil, and might even hit downrange. There are better options.
Comfortably_Numb
The Evil Mike Brooks
Don't do it. You're asking for a stuck ball
I wouldn't try it.
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The bore should be about .45, and use a .440 patched ball
After the first shot you'd be fighting a bare ball down a fouled bore
After the first shot you'd be fighting a bare ball down a fouled bore
It works surprisingly well in my Douglas 45 cal barrel. I have used it for a quick second shot. The accuracy may be more than you expected. I doubt that the naysayers have given it a try.
bornintheussr
45 Cal.
how many grains you would suggest using?
In my .45 cal Ky pistol I use 20 grn of 3F. Shoots well with a .440 prb.
I use 60 gr. in my rifle but that's a little heavy for a pistol. Probably 20 gr. Mushka uses would work. I haven't tried a .451 ball in a clean bore. I carry a couple of balls in my pocket to use for a quick reload when hunting. I shot one bare ball load on paper the other day while I was checking my sights and at 50 yd. it went plenty close enough to the group for what I need.
Stick with whatever the manufacturer or maker recommends. This being said in my own .45 caliber rifles, depending on the gun, I shoot .440, .445 and .451 patched roundballs. The .440 in my Thompson Center guns, (Hawken, Seneca and Cherokee), .445 in a GRRW Little Leman and either .445 or .451 in a Beaver Lodge sporting a Green Mountain barrel.
When I load a single shot muzzleloading pistol I don't want a patch and ball combo that is so tight it's difficult to load. I want a combo I can load without having to rest the grip on a hard surface because I'm concerned if I have to apply a lot of pressure, force, to load the grip might crack or break. If you start pounding an oversized ball down the bore it is entirely possible you could break the stock.
When I load a single shot muzzleloading pistol I don't want a patch and ball combo that is so tight it's difficult to load. I want a combo I can load without having to rest the grip on a hard surface because I'm concerned if I have to apply a lot of pressure, force, to load the grip might crack or break. If you start pounding an oversized ball down the bore it is entirely possible you could break the stock.
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smoothshooter
50 Cal.
Safety is not an issue, but that ball is to big. You will have a heck of a time getting it started down the bore.
Get a smaller size, like a .433” or a little larger.
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The OP says he wants to try a bare ball. That will load very easily unless he has a barrel that's way tighter than a normal .45.
When I built my 45 rifle in 1980 I ordered a 445 mold from Lee. I had a devil of a time loading it even with a thin patch. At that time I didn't own a caliper or a mike. Fast forward 35 years and when I did mike the balls I found out that they were 451. The mold had been stamped wrong. Now I shoot a 440 and life is much easier.
Cruzatte
50 Cal.
You're going to force a .451" ball down a .440" hole, right? Good luck with that!
bornintheussr
45 Cal.
thread the barrel man!
how did I forget that? lol
64Springer
75 Cal.
Needs a 20 rounder underneath.
