Minnie balls?

I just got some minnie balls, real cheap. I've never shot anything other than PRB's. Thought I'd play a little with these. They're .50 cal, but, appear to be twice the size "weight" of my .490's. Any suggestions of how to load these. I dont even know if I should put a patch behind it?

Hangman, appreciate the info. You answered another one of my questions "how much powder?" 90 grains sounds good, i'll try it....

Just an observation, but I'd be hesitant using any kind of wad under a Minie. The Minie is a hollow-base projectile & is designed to be expanded by the gases from the burning powder, using a solid wad may end up with the wad getting pushed into the cavity, or even just restricting the effect of the gases, which could adversly effect accuracy. I use a filler (Cream of Wheat, Grits, Malt O Meal, etc.) between powder & Minie when I shoot my Rifle-Muskets, it isn't really needed but it does help to minimize fouling.

I just picked up some 50 cal Buffalo HB+HP 385g bullets at a gun show today. They have a heavy skirt and a big hole in the nose, and for $5 I couldn't resist. I have never shot these bullets eather. Lets compare notes, after we get a chance to shoot them.

Lube the outside of the 'skirt', the grooves. Don't lube or put a wad under the hollow base, it expands when fired to 'obturate' into the rifling grooves. When stuffed onto the powder charge the skirt is supposed to expand enuff to grip the rifling and keep the slug fron slipping forward off the powder.

playfarmers said:

I just picked up some 50 cal Buffalo HB+HP 385g bullets at a gun show today. They have a heavy skirt and a big hole in the nose, and for $5 I couldn't resist. I have never shot these bullets eather. Lets compare notes, after we get a chance to shoot them.

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I've been shooting the same bullets out of my renegade with 1-28 GM barrel. With 80gr FFg and a wonder wad 5 shots nearly all touch each other at 50 yds.

I use a .533 410 grs Minie with 90 grs Swiss No.2 in my .54 Investarm Hawken, no wad and no kind of lube in the hollow base or between bullet and powder. Only the surface of the bullet being lubed. Works pretty good, the same accuracy as with PRB and you can shoot at a bigger distance because aerodynamic is much better.

Hello! :hatsoff:
I don't really know lubricate the base of minie bullets or not. Most people say it's no sens, but recently I've found in 'Advanced Muzzleloader's Guide':



Could you explain it?

Mad Professor said:

playfarmers said:

I just picked up some 50 cal Buffalo HB+HP 385g bullets at a gun show today. They have a heavy skirt and a big hole in the nose, and for $5 I couldn't resist. I have never shot these bullets eather. Lets compare notes, after we get a chance to shoot them.

Click to expand...

I've been shooting the same bullets out of my renegade with 1-28 GM barrel. With 80gr FFg and a wonder wad 5 shots nearly all touch each other at 50 yds.

Click to expand...

The 5 shot group here with the above load is a little less than an inch center to center; 50 yds open sights, about as good as my eyes can do (sorry for fuzzy image):

Filling the base with grease helps to open the skirt quickly and evenly, using hydrolic pressure by pushing on the grease evenly. The expanded skirt then seals the gases behind the base. An overpowder wad will do the same. If you fill the base of the minie ball with grease, there is less likelihood that any wad will get stuck in the base of the ball, and the grease is not sticky enough to hold onto the wad after the ball leaves the muzzle. For better accuracy, use both the wad and grease in the cavity. Mad Professor, that is one very fine 50 yd. group. I have to wonder how that gun will shoot at 100 yds, with such a good load combination. Have you done any shooting at that range? Just very curious.

I always fill the cavity full of grease and have found by doing so it helps aid in keeping the fowling soft and easier to clean when that time comes. BTW, I shoot muskets (Zouave and Enfield) 58 cal. and find that using Wal-Mart's brand of grease (SuperTech) works great for this. The first shot is always off - from a clean bore. I never swab during a musket match for it seems they group better if the barrel is fowled. :winking: If anybody else has any suggestions on shooting muskets, I'd like to hear them.

paulvallandigham said:

Filling the base with grease helps to open the skirt quickly and evenly, using hydrolic pressure by pushing on the grease evenly. The expanded skirt then seals the gases behind the base. An overpowder wad will do the same. If you fill the base of the minie ball with grease, there is less likelihood that any wad will get stuck in the base of the ball, and the grease is not sticky enough to hold onto the wad after the ball leaves the muzzle. For better accuracy, use both the wad and grease in the cavity. Mad Professor, that is one very fine 50 yd. group. I have to wonder how that gun will shoot at 100 yds, with such a good load combination. Have you done any shooting at that range? Just very curious.

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Hi Paul, Thanks for the kind words about the group.

The barrel is new and I’ve only put ca. 60 rds. through it. It’s a real good shooter and seems to like anything between 70-90 grs FFg Goex with a wonder wad. The few loads I forgot the wad, I did not get a flyer so that is something else I need to check on too (do I need wad?). Have been backyard sighting in and limited to ca. 50 yds either prone or crude rest, the above load shoots about right on at 85 yds offhand when I’m backed up into the “woods” part of my “range”.

I’m lucky that the bullet works well as I took a chance and brought a case (720, per bullet price was only 11 cents each). My main concern so far was to get things worked out for hunting (e.g. now). I shoot out of a clean barrel hunting, so when sighting in between shots my routine consists of, wet patch both sides, dry patch both sides then lubed patch (wonderlube).

Anyway to your question, nothing over ca. 85 yds (paces) yet. Will do so soon when I can get to a real range (bench with up to 200 yd targets) . Hope to get a better powder measure that does 5 vs. 10 gr increments, see how some FFg Swiss compares with Goex, and try CCI mag vs regular primers (the above was mag primers). If things go well I may add a Lyman SML 57 peep I have and try some real long stuff (> 100 yds) if the next 100 yd session goes well.

I’ll try to post again in the accuracy forum when I get some more results. Might be a few weeks as I’m concentrating on live fire (hunting) till the freezer is filled

Best regards, Mad Professor

With a standard post front sight, I have found that using a sighter- I use a business card turned 45 degrees to give me a diamond point, and stapled at the base of my bullseye - will allow you to use even open sights with much greater consistency for POA. That shrinks groups for me at the longer ranges where my eyes even with glasses just don't see that clearly anymore. I just bring that front sight up until the point of the diamond disappears, hold, and then squeeze the trigger, shooting from a rest. Off-hand, of course, is a different matter. I use the movement of my front sight when I am shooting off-hand, by purposely moving the front sight from side to side, in a lazy figure 8 movement so that I can time my release to coincide when my gun is on the POA. In the case of a sighter, I just time the movement so that my release is when the point of the diamond is at the tip of my front sight.

I never grease the bottom or use a wad. Neither has ever worked consistently to help the accuracy of my shooting. I use the softest lead around and light lube the outside of the conical.