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.36 Caliber Kibler Ball Diameter

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Tried a search of the forum, mostly what I found was ball diameter for 36 caliber percussion revolver. Wondering that those of you that have a Kibler 36 caliber, what ball size works best in those barrels. Mostly what I've read here and there is a .350" ball plus patch, but several postings I've seen had use of balls a bit larger, but under .370". I know barrels can be picky and a story unto themselves, but do .350's do the job in Kibler barrels. As a note I haven't seen any molds that normally are seen anywhere near a .360/.365 or anything in between them and a .350". Appreciate any input.
 
You do not want a ball larger in diameter to the bore. That is only for pistols where you are only loading a short cylinder.

On all my rifles, I shoot balls that are 5 to 10 thousandths under bore diameter. The rest being taken up by the patch material.
 
In my .36 (not a Kibler) I shoot a .350" ball and a thick patch. Depending on the bore, muzzle crown smoothness and loading preferences a ball up to around .360" isn't necessarily out of the question. My recommendation is to start with a .350" ball, .015" to .018" patch and see how it loads and shoots. The .375"-.380" ball are for c&b revolvers.
 
I have several 36 caliber rifles. All function well with a 0.350" diameter ball or 00 buckshot (which is nominally 0.350"). I use 0.018" thick cotton drill cloth that I cut at the muzzle.
 
My 36 uses a .360 ball with red pillow ticking(.015). This is what the seller told me to use. Mold is a Lee two cavity from Log Cabin. 45 grains of FF.
 
All of the above is what I figured and understood. I've used .375's in my two 36 cal Colt Navies, but have used a .380" for years. Understand the cap and ball cylinder to bore stuff (ie shoot .454" balls in a 44 caliber percussion revolver), but did read several posts where the author was using .355-.360" balls in his rifle. I've never seen any molds even listed for those diameters. Might be something custom made. I'm good to go with a .350" ball and appropriate patch. I've a line on a double cavity Lee .350 mold. Need to order asp as online outfit only has four left. Most outfits have few and far between Lee molds, most are on backorder. I do have several where they are going to contact me via email when in stock, but due to scarcity I want to grab the one I have on a CART asp. They might be in stock by the time I get the Kibler, but maybe not, I'll have it. Like the Lee molds for round ball's. Leave no or next to nothing for a sprue. I've used Lyman round ball molds in the past, but like the Lee's better.
 
Best thing to do is read again the upper posts, and experiment with ball size and patch thickness. Plan on spending quite a few week ends out at the shooting range. Enjoy the ride.
 
Larry Callahan makes custom bag molds in pretty much any diameter you'd want. You will pay extra for an odd choice, but he's the man to contact. Nice guy and does great work.
 
I have an old Douglas Barrel in .360. (Percussion) I shoot a .360 ball with pocket drill spit patch (.016) and it loads easy, shoots great, (ask my club mates) I can shoot 5 shots and then clean. Never fails to hit true as long as I do my part. Aim small miss small! I pour my own and balls and always shoot bore size.
 
I started with a .350, then a .355, then a .358 and finally settled on a .360 round ball with .015 lubed patches for my TVM Late Lancaster. Shoots best with the heavier bullet.

ADK Bigfoot
 
I'll most likely go with a .350 as that seems to be most geared to a 36 caliber, but can and will be open to larger. At least in my world the .350 is the easiest to obtain and if it works, any larger size won't be needed.

Larry Callahan makes custom bag molds in pretty much any diameter you'd want. You will pay extra for an odd choice, but he's the man to contact. Nice guy and does great work.
Where is Larry Callahan out of and how do you view his molds? The Tanner molds out of England appear to be decent molds, but I guess if a problem arises, England is a long way off to do business. No offense Grenadier.

Opps'!!!!! Flapped my fingers to fast---Did a search and found Callahan's website.
 
Larry Callahan is from around the Missouri area I think. His website is www.bagmolds.com. I paid somewhere around $60 or $70 don't remember exactly, with shipping when I bought my .535 mold. That was a few years ago. Regardless, $60 is a small amount considering the mold will outlive you. Well worth the money IMO. You can get just about any ball size you want made. Plus he sells other items as well.
 

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