Rich in WY
New Member
I am looking for a .570 round ball mold, anyone have any for sale or know where one might be available. That size seems a little hard to come by.
.570 round ball mold
- Thread starter Rich in WY
- Start date
Glaciers
Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
Titan has LEE 2 cavity molds in stock in.575. Have no idea if you can use that diameter.
www.titanreloading.com
LEE DC MOLD 575 BALL
LEE DOUBLE CAVITY MOLD 575 BALL Lee Double Cavity Bullet Mold produces a .575 diameter Ball. Round Ball Molds have tangential cut off which eliminates the objectional nib at the sprue. Lee mold blocks are machined from aluminum blocks because of its exceptional molding qualities. Aluminum molds...
www.titanreloading.com
richhodg66
Well-Known Member
May I ask what your plan is?
I bought a box of commercial ones with plans to try as a round ball in a 20 gauge shot wad in a rifled barrel, but haven't gotten to it yet. A .60 is too big for a shot wad and too small to be a full diameter one.
I bought a box of commercial ones with plans to try as a round ball in a 20 gauge shot wad in a rifled barrel, but haven't gotten to it yet. A .60 is too big for a shot wad and too small to be a full diameter one.
Rich in WY
New Member
I have a Sante Fe Hawken, that we rebarreled with a 58 caliber Sharon barrel. I thought that a .570 ball would be the best size for it. I do have a lyman .562 mold and will try some of those first.
richhodg66
Well-Known Member
I must admit to not having done much with patched round ball in muzzle loaders, I've mostly used conicals. Can a diameter that's less than ideal be compenstated with a different thickness of patch easily enough? Guess I should learn a bit more about the internal ballistics of muzzle loaders.
Ian
Notorious member
Generally the ball is ten thousandths smaller than the bore diameter and the patch about twice that much thick, but groove depth and each barrel's particular likes determines what works best via result on target. If the rifle has very shallow grooves and fast twist (like 1 in 48") like those intended to be loaded with conical bullets, it might prefer a larger ball and thinner patch than a barrel with deep grooves. I'd start at .575 for the RB and a .015 patch. .562 might work with thick cotton twill (denim), whatever it takes to make the ball an extremely tight fit.
Every Sharon barrel I've slugged (maybe a dozen) has been right on the money (.58 measuring .580"). In those barrels I've gone with a ball .005" under nominal bore diameter, with an oiled patch running from about .017"-.019" thick. Your barrel should be a 1:72 twist, so it is probably going to give best accuracy with what are often considered "warmer" charges, around 1,800 fps.
In a .58, that combination would probably be a nominal .575" ball with a pocket drill patch lubed with neatsfoot oil or olive oil. ToTW has the Lee .575 moulds in stock. JoAnn's Fabric has pocket drill in bulk https://www.joann.com/jo-ann-stores-unbleached-drill-fabric/683532.html
If you decide to try the .562" balls, 10 ounce denim usually runs around .025-6", 7 ounce denim usually about .019-20".
In a .58, that combination would probably be a nominal .575" ball with a pocket drill patch lubed with neatsfoot oil or olive oil. ToTW has the Lee .575 moulds in stock. JoAnn's Fabric has pocket drill in bulk https://www.joann.com/jo-ann-stores-unbleached-drill-fabric/683532.html
If you decide to try the .562" balls, 10 ounce denim usually runs around .025-6", 7 ounce denim usually about .019-20".
Rich in WY
New Member
I did see that the Lee .575 molds were available. I think I will get one and try that too. Trying to get this rifle ready for an elk hunt this fall.
I do have a few other rifles with Sharon barrels, they are my favorite barrels, wish they were still made.