.433 diam. round balls in 45

[Pioneer flinter]

Hello in the camp. Just wondering if anyone else uses .433 diam. round balls in there 45's? I have been using them and pillow ticking in my 45's for a couple of years with very good results. very easy to load. Has anyone else done this? Thank you. Pioneer Flinter.

 

[smoothshooter]

Hello in the camp. Just wondering if anyone else uses .433 diam. round balls in there 45's? I have been using them and pillow ticking in my 45's for a couple of years with very good results. very easy to load. Has anyone else done this? Thank you. Pioneer Flinter.

I do. Works fine. Allows the use of thicker patch that will hold more lube.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I have several 45 caliber pistols that should really be considered 44 caliber.

When you measure the bore and match a ball size to the bore diameter I found that the diameter to bottom of the grooves was 0.450" (ish) and the land to land measurement was closer to 0.440", a 0.433" ball made a lot of sense.

 

[Larry (Omaha)]

Hello in the camp. Just wondering if anyone else uses .433 diam. round balls in there 45's? I have been using them and pillow ticking in my 45's for a couple of years with very good results. very easy to load. Has anyone else done this? Thank you. Pioneer Flinter.

If .433 works, good for you, that is the way to go. I have 3 pistols and 3 rifles and they all shoot .440. with .017 pillow ticking
Flintlocklar

 

[ohio ramrod]

The older numrich arms barrels were actually a .44 not .45 . They like the 435 balls so 435 should work well if the ticking is thick enough,

 

[Titus Bass]

I have a .45 smooth bore i shoot .433 with .010 patch an 60gr FFF i can start it with my thumb no short starter here don't need that extra step when you hunting dangerous game like squirrels but ive shot ragged holes with it at 33yards

 

[tenngun]

Lots of ol’timers seem to have used smaller balls and thicker patches then used today.
Rifleman made a joke about a man shooting .440 balls in patches made of old blankets lubed with ‘possum droppings in a .54.
Although a joke, the point is solid. Shoot what works.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

The older numrich arms barrels were actually a .44 not .45 . They like the 435 balls so 435 should work well if the ticking is thick enough,

Yeah two years ago I bought an old, vintage, factory .45 rifle for my Foster Nephew..., marked ".45".... a .440 round ball, naked, will not go down the bore. Switched to .433 to get it to shoot.

LD

 

[Stophel]

I just received a Lee .433 ball mould to try with a couple of .45 rifles I'll hopefully get started soon. I like the smaller ball, thicker patch philosophy. It gives you more leeway in finding some kind of patching that at least works. It may not give you the utmost in accuracy of the pounded-down, super-tight, micrometered-patch, but you can get something to work. 200 years ago, the woodsman wasn't walking down the aisles of his local fabric store with a micrometer, measuring patch material... He used whatever he could get.