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Hardball Bullets?

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Xhound

Pilgrim
Joined
Jan 12, 2005
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I'm very new to muzzleloading; just got a CVA Hunterhorn for Christmas. As there is a lot of junk you need, I'm getting it as I can manage it. I saw some .45 hardball bullets a guy had on an auction and the price was right. I bought some of them but I have a question about whether they are really safe. They have a small amount of antimony and a small amount of tin in them, I think 3% between the two alloys. I couldn't get myself to break down and buy Powerbelt bullets, at least not until I go deer hunting. Are these hardball cast bullets safe. I used a mic on them and they are .45 for lower rings and .46 for the first ring.

Thanks
 
I'm not sure I understand (.45 Hardball means something very different to me - as in .45 ACP).

General rule: if you can load it from the muzzle and seat it well on the powder you can shoot it from a muzzleloader.

The antimony & tin will make it difficult to start, but once it takes the rifling it should go down. It will probably not obturate and seal well, so the accuracy may suffer. You can remedy that somewhat by adding an Ox-Yoke fiber wad (like $7.00/1000 from Track of the Wolf).

If, however, you're trying to put a .45 cailber centerfire pistol bullet (0.457") in a .45 cal muzzleloader you may have a bad time of it trying to start the bullet down.
 
They really are muzzleloader bullets. They are R.E.A.L. bullets from the pictures that I have seen. Thanks for your information. I wanted to make sure that I wouldn't damage the gun.

Xhound
 
Xhound,

Just wondering what is the caliber of your rifle? I am assuming that you have a .45 caliber rifle. I know that CVA sells the Hunter Bolt, the Elk Horn and the Buck Horn which are inline rifles. I have not heard of the Hunter Horn. Is this a inliner or sidehammer rifle?

If you do have an line rifle you have a wide selection of conicals, sabots and power belts to buy from. A few good webs site to purchase from is:

www.octobercountry.com
www.dixonmuzzleloading.com
www.fortchambers.com
www.cableas.com
www.basspro.com

Take care,

Bear60
 
Oops, my mistake. It is a Hunterbolt and that would be an inline. Nice gun for the money as far as I can tell at this point. :)It was on sale at Nachess Shooter's Supply. Thanks for all your help. I probably get some powder and get out to the range as soon as it consistently get up in the 50s.
 
You're all set then. I used to shoot R.E.A.L. and they definately do better with the fiber wad I mentioned.

Go have some fun! :thumbsup:

Yep! Anytime a muzzleloading bullet is cast from anything other than pure lead a card wad should be used with it.
The reason for the suggestion by the mold makers that ONLY pure lead be used with muzzleloaders is two fold. First off, pure lead is much easier to "bump up" or obturate than any alloy mixed conical, and it is much easier to load a pure lead conical than a alloy, due to it's hardness.

I have shot a lot of Wheel weight cast into REAL bullets with no ill effect, but always with a card wad.

Is one more accurate than the other??? Only if you don't use a wad...then you have to see the difference to believe it. :thumbsup:

Russ
 
If they're 3 land (rings) and only 1 engages the rifling when loaded, I'd guess you using Maxi's (or something simular).
If this is the case,,,, I'd probably not buy anymore.
The Maxi types count on the "hydraulic action" of the charge to expand and engage the rifling when fired. You really want the "dead soft" lead for these. Fill the rings as much as possible with lube and use a rather stiff charge.
If you can retrieve a few rounds and verify you're expanding (distorting) enough to fill the rifling and bore to substantiate good accuacy, you'd be way ahead of the game. But honestly,,, nothing but dead soft for the Maxi's is worth bothering with.
Seems,, if you shoot RBs and work up a good RB load for 75 yds, that load wilbe almost dead on for the maxi's point of aim at 60'ish with it's optimum load.
IE;
My .45 likes 80 gr. 3Fg. with maxis / 60gr. 3Fg with .445 RBs. At 65 yds. they both patern in the "bull" area (RBs about 3/4" higher
30 yds. "squirell load" is 30 gr. 3Fg and a .440 ball. Aim on their cheek and pop out their eye (and other "motorizing functions"). :results:
 
If they're 3 land (rings) and only 1 engages the rifling when loaded, I'd guess you using Maxi's (or something simular).
If this is the case,,,, I'd probably not buy anymore.
The Maxi types count on the "hydraulic action" of the charge to expand and engage the rifling when fired. You really want the "dead soft" lead for these. Fill the rings as much as possible with lube and use a rather stiff charge.
If you can retrieve a few rounds and verify you're expanding (distorting) enough to fill the rifling and bore to substantiate good accuacy, you'd be way ahead of the game. But honestly,,, nothing but dead soft for the Maxi's is worth bothering with.
Seems,, if you shoot RBs and work up a good RB load for 75 yds, that load wilbe almost dead on for the maxi's point of aim at 60'ish with it's optimum load.
IE;
My .45 likes 80 gr. 3Fg. with maxis / 60gr. 3Fg with .445 RBs. At 65 yds. they both patern in the "bull" area (RBs about 3/4" higher
30 yds. "squirell load" is 30 gr. 3Fg and a .440 ball. Aim on their cheek and pop out their eye (and other "motorizing functions"). :results:


I'm not sure that I am interested in using this for squirrel hunting. I use a modern repeating arm for that in case he jumps I can shoot at him again before he jumps in the hole. Some day when I am bored, that might turn out to be good sport. :hmm: (I know an old man who will teach you how to "twist" them out of their hole and wrap them around the tree if you want. Now those were some good old stories.)Right now, all I want to do is get them into a 3" ring on the side of a deer. And what I really wanted with these was some cheap bullets to practice with and have fun at the range. ::I don't have a furnace or a mold or anything so I just picked these up cheap. I'll try them out for a while and then I have a friend who can cast me some .45 round balls and try them.

Thanks for all of your advice guys. I'll try the wads and I'll check back in a while when I have some results to tell you.
 
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