Would it be safe to use .451 ball in 45 cal (.440) Kentucky pistol?

bornintheussr said:

It looks like ball would go down nice and tight without a patch. Can I do it?

Click to expand...

Shooting "naked balls" (that's what a distinguished British attendant at my club's blackpowder tournament chose to call it!) may be fun, but it will not procure decent groups.
Besides, forced loading might damage your gun. A former member of the German national team broke my musket, while attempting to force a ball (of correct size, .690) down barrel with an oversized patch (.020) down the barrel, using a hammer. The L'an neuf musket (Italian replica) broke at the neck, leaving me heart-broken.

I just suggest you get the right size balls, rather than apply force, which will become necessary after the 2nd shot fired "naked", due to fouling buildup.

Will probably be hard to load. But if it will go in it will come out. Not likely to give best results.

Does the Kentucky pistol we're discussing have a .440 bore or a .450 bore? It seems like there's a lot of confusion in this thread. If it's a .450 bore like most 45's a .451 bare ball without a patch will load easily. But if it's a .440 bore that they call a 45 it may be a tight fit.