kingsax26
45 Cal.
Bryon said:
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New rifle impossible to load
- Thread starter kingsax26
- Start date
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Bryon said:
I started making MLs in the 1960s and own my own shop too. I make custom guns and have since the late 1960s I just never saw a good reason to join a guild. After some urging I did join the MT Historical Gunmakers Guild, however.
I also shoot MLs competitively.
That the majority of gunsmiths may not know siccum about BP guns was my point.
Now had you stated you had asked an experienced ML gunsmith I would not have bothered trying to help you. But I do wonder how it is if you went to him with the problem that you found it necessary to come here to resolve it.
I also assume that since you came here for advice AFTER talking to him you probably did not listen very well to what he told you, or you asked the wrong questions.
Dan
kingsax26
45 Cal.
I would ahve have to disagree with your hypothesis kind sir. I ahve learned in my span of years that its always best to gather as much information regarding whatever it is that you wat to know . I asked him what the bore diameter was and he told me . I did not specifiy as to how i wanted it measured...as i didnt know there was a difference. Also I always come back to this forum as the members are very well informed and I try to apply what advice they have to offer as best I can. and i ahve yet to be steered wrong! As for the listening ....well im a firm believer in the old belief that you learn more when you close your mouth and open your ears... also ...If a doctor told you that you only had months to live ...would you get a second opinion? I dont put all of my apples into one basket...theres nothing wrong with asking more than once as it is a fool who follows blindly in the advice of another....regardless of who they are
My only front stuffer is a 50 cal hawken cheapy and I use a home-poured.49 cal ball. The first patch I ever used was cloth. Some old sheet or rag. After 2 shots it was impossible to load.
So I switched to paper. Plain old Sunday newspaper. A century's worth of wadding for 3 bucks. Now I can shoot all day with no problem.
So I switched to paper. Plain old Sunday newspaper. A century's worth of wadding for 3 bucks. Now I can shoot all day with no problem.
Soft lead is very forgiving. The ball is bore sized as soon as it is seated below the muzzle. For years we used .457 balls in our target rifles with Douglas barrels. The patching wad denim. This was a target/range only load and required a small brass hammer and short-short starter. But, it was an accurate load. I once saw Webb Terry show up at one of our weekend get togethers with a lever operated loading device. He put a grossly oversized ball into a .38 cal. target barrel with it. The NMLRA gave him legal clearance to use it in matches because, technically, he was loading a roundball. But Webb never used it figuring he was really shooting a bullet from a target grade slug gun barrel. The point is "impossible" is not possible using soft lead. If the OP finds it "impossible" to load his rifle, other factors not yet discussed are involved.
Snakebite
45 Cal.
Bryon said:
Maybe I missed something, but you're saying the bore measured .455-.456 and the balls are .455 which are the same as the bore. I think you need .445 balls, not .455. My .54 likes .535 balls and my .40 likes .390 balls. Like I say, I may have missed something as I just kind of skimmed the posts.
Going back and looking at the posts, I see Cap Smacker saw the same thing.
I was going to say he has big balls, but my wife said I shouldn't. :grin:
The initial post said,
"I took my new rifle to the range and attempted to load a .440 ball..."
For a .45 caliber gun, that should work nicely with a .015- .018 thick patch.
"I took my new rifle to the range and attempted to load a .440 ball..."
For a .45 caliber gun, that should work nicely with a .015- .018 thick patch.
kingsax26
45 Cal.
Well to assuage everyone's fears.....I'm eating my humble pie. I figured out why I couldn't load a ball.... when I went to the range I grabbed a spar short starter... Well um... Err... Ahhhh. It was kinda to large for the barrel.... It's a .490 diameter starter in .455 bore..... doesn't work so well... so after I got picked on at the range by NY bp club.... I grabbed the right starter and smooth as gLASS
Glad to hear you got things working. 
More than a few times when I was at the range I've grabbed the wrong box of roundballs and tried to stick a .490 ball down a .45 caliber barrel. :rotf:
In fact I seem to remember one time that I took my .45 and .50 cal rifles to the range only to find that I had packed the .490 and .535 diameter balls.
The .50 got a workout but I didn't even have to clean the .45 when I got home. :grin:
More than a few times when I was at the range I've grabbed the wrong box of roundballs and tried to stick a .490 ball down a .45 caliber barrel. :rotf:
In fact I seem to remember one time that I took my .45 and .50 cal rifles to the range only to find that I had packed the .490 and .535 diameter balls.
The .50 got a workout but I didn't even have to clean the .45 when I got home. :grin:
I went to a shoot once with a truck load of gear. Left the rifles at home. 
And that was in the pre-senility days. :wink:
And that was in the pre-senility days. :wink:
Billnpatti
Cannon
- Joined
- Aug 11, 2008
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- 7,340
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The real man to watch is not the man who always does everything right because he never has any problems to solve. Nor does one want to watch the man who is always screwing up because he is simply not paying attention or is ignorant. The man to watch is the one who usually does everything right but when he screws up, he knows how to fix it or work around it. That's the man who can teach you something.
jamesthomas
70 Cal.
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2009
- Messages
- 4,111
- Reaction score
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I'm glad ya found the problem! :grin: I have forgotten stuff also, but since the range is only around 8 miles away I can go back an get it with hardly anytime wasted.
nchawkeye
58 Cal.
Bryon said:
That's the type thing that no matter who you talked to or how much experience they had, they couldn't have helped you.....
Bryon:
When you get to vous we will have a long conversation! :slap: :rotf:
Nit Wit
When you get to vous we will have a long conversation!
:slap: :rotf: Nit Wit
My grandpa Legg once went coon hunting but couldn't find his dog when he got to his hunting start point. Went home and griped about the %*$^ dog to grandma who let the dog out of the trunk of the car. baxter
GaCop
40 Cal.
I envy you...our club range is a 50 mile drive one way.
Tom
Tom
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