Rapine Trash Can availability?

[Cubreac]

@Cubreac: I have a Rapine 577-470 trashcan mold that I acquired in a trade of sorts. I’ve never used it because I also prefer to shoot historically correct Minié or Burton balls. (Are trashcan style bullets historically correct? I never thought so but I truly don’t know for sure.) if you are interested in trying out this Rapine trashcan I could probably cast some for you. Now I’m curious to try them myself. However, I think you can get persistent, accurate results with a more traditional Minié ball, at least for casual plinking. As others have suggested, if you want to be a competitive shooter go talk to folks at the N-SSA. Maybe a trashcan will be the way to go after all.

Thank you very much for the kind offer, kh54. There aren't any N-SSA events around here, so this is just a personal attempt at being as historically correct as possible while achieving good accuracy. As Dave951 noted, I had better figure out the bore diameter on this rifle before ordering bullets. Once I figure that out, I may take you up on your kind offer if the diameter is correct for this rifle.

 

[kh54]

@Cubreac, you are very welcome. I will cast some anyway for my own use and I can let you know how they perform. I have a Parker Hale musketoon but I’m more likely to shoot them in a a Parker Hale 1853. You can PM me if you eventually want to try them out. I also have three or four Minié molds to try and I can send some of those. As you said, first get that bore size then we can go from there.

 

[Cubreac]

Lee no longer makes the trashcan in 58cal. You'll have to find one on fleebay. It does shoot well since it's almost a direct copy of the Rapine. The only current offering from Lee is in 50cal.

This is what I've been shooting. These are the only Minie balls my local ML store carries.

 

[longcruise]

That is NOT THE TRASHCAN and I've tried that minie and it did not perform well.

Was not suggesting it was "thee" trashcan but rather that it could possibly serve the purpose of the OP. And it might. No way to know without trying it. I'm surprised Lee no longer makes the 58 target minie. I used it in the 70's and it shot very well with 60 ff. Size mattered. I had two sizes and one was definitely better than the other.

 

[Cubreac]

If you're going it on your own, you need sizes .575, .577, .579 .581

Thanks for the link Dave951. Pin gauges ordered. None of my friends had the right sizes.

 

[Cubreac]

Pin gauges arrived and the .579 fit, but the .581 was too large, so I'm on the look out for .579 minie balls

Ditto- check your bore size FIRST and that means measure it.

Moose makes the only version of the Trash Can currently in production. But it won't shoot unless you have that bore size correct.

Before you go buying different bullets, have you checked your bore diameter to make sure the ones you have are the right size? Minies should be .001" to .002" undersized from the bore. Accuracy can be really bad if they aren't a good fit for your specific bore.

Pin gauges arrived today, and the bore took the .579 but not the .581. S&S has a few different minie balls to choose from in .579 and .580, no trashcans though.

 

[dave951]

Pin gauges arrived and the .579 fit, but the .581 was too large, so I'm on the look out for .579 minie balls


Pin gauges arrived today, and the bore took the .579 but not the .581. S&S has a few different minie balls to choose from in .579 and .580, no trashcans though.

You can order the mold from Moose. It's not on his website but it's available.

 

[#blackpowderbill]

Where can I buy Rapine Trash Can bullets? @Dave591has had success with them, so I'm hoping they will improve the performance of my Enfield P61. Right now 575 minie balls with 60 grains of fffg are hitting all over the place at 25 and 50 yards. I hope to work my out to 100 yards with the right ball and powder charge. From what I understand a patched ball may deliver the best result, but I want to shoot historically accurate ammo, at least to the extent that I can get it and it performs well.

Think I have one listed here. If not I can check to see where I stashed it at.

 

[#blackpowderbill]

North East Trading advertise a .575 sizing push thru die.
You can get something that's a little bit oversized and slim them down.

 

[dave951]

North East Trading advertise a .575 sizing push thru die.
You can get something that's a little bit oversized and slim them down.

The "trash cans" cannot tolerate much sizing. You need to find one pretty close to the size you want.