.58 Caliber or .58 Caliber ???

[LargeBore]

Sure enough, the only way to determine the precise caliber of a rifle is to have a gunsmith check it (or do this yourself)... nevertheless- I have a .58 cal "Richmond" Rifle (reproduction). Lyman's ".58 cal mold, 510 Gr. (Item #2651213)" produces a tight fitting Minie Ball that is frighteningly accurate. Today I purchased a very sweet 1861 Tower Artillery Carbine (complete with nipple cap on a chain), an original- not a repro. I am surprised to find my Lyman .58 Minie Ball (noted above) fits considerably more loosely in the muzzle. I always thought Enfields and Tower Rifles were really .577- so rather than my ball being too tight as I had expected, it appears too loose. What mold is best for ".58 cal 1861 Tower Artillery Carbine"?

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Given that it's an original, the bore may well have some wear on it. You'll have to measure it to be sure.

 

[LargeBore]

That would be the conventional wisdom- thing is, this carbine doesn't really look like it saw much use. Very few dings- and a pretty clean bore. As I said, the nipple cap and chain are present.

 

[paulvallandigham]

We repeat this advice often here, because it comes up so often: You have to measure the bore of EVERY gun you get, because you can't trust what the manufacturer says about the bore's diameter. On original military models, there was considerable tolerance allowed, So about anything goes. One of the reasons that rifle may be in such good shape is because minies were too small to shoot accurately in it, and it was put aside in an armory in favor of better shooting firearms. NO?

We have tolerance and measurement problems with todays mass produced barrels too. So, always measure the bores. Years ago, a Friend was collecting Winchester lever guns. He bought a new .375 Winchester, and within days, also acquired a used .38-55. He was told they used the same sized bullet. NOT! One used a .377; the other a .375. He had to get two molds or buy different sized jacketed bullets. He was NOT a happy camper.

The good news for you is that if you mold your own, you may only need a couple of different sizing dies to make cast bullets for both guns. YOu might even find some sizing and lubricating dies that will fit the Lubrisizers presses made by SAECO, and others.

 

[LargeBore]

So...let's say we're a little over .58 cal, whether by fault of the maker or through the ravages of war. What would I do if I found the bore to be .59 or .593 or something? I know you can get a custom roundball mold; can you get a custom minie ball mold? (This would also answer the question I have posted for the rifled .69 Harper's Ferry

 

[bpesteve]

Excellent advice to measure every bore, particularly on originals even well into the smokeless era. It's also very typical for Snider-Enfields, the breech loading conversion of the Enfield muzzle loader, to have groove diameters in the .585-.590" range so yours seems right down town as to original specs.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Talk to the people at Lee Precision, about making a custom mold. But, first check out the size of the minie balls from their standard .577 molds. Often, the bullets are not perfectly round, and they are often oversized. In such a case, all you might need is a sizing die.

You want the bullet to size .002" smaller than your bore. That leaves just .001" on both sides of the minie, less than the thickness of notebook paper. The skirt will open up, even with mild loads of 60 grains and less of FFg powder, and fill the grooves, to both seal the bore from gases, and to impart spin to the bullet. I have a friend, who is a skilled machinist, who opened up the diameter of a bullet mold a couple of thousandths of an inch himself, using abrasives like emery cloth. Jeff Tanner, in England, makes custom molds, and that would be another source of getting a mold the correct size. I would also call Lyman. Sometimes they surprise you by offering to help when other times they don't want to hear about it. I suppose it depends on who is in charge, and who answers the phones.

I just googled .58 Cal. Bullet sizing dies, and found this site, that sell RCBS/Hodgdon molds and dies for .578 caliber bullets.
http://www.ssfirearms.com/06catforweb/06SARFAPEW.pdf

They also show sizing dies for the RCBS lubrisizer all the way to .590.

I hope that helps.

 

[SCATTERSHOT]

have you tried paper patching the Minie you have? Depending on the paper used, you may be able to get an exact fit with your present mold.

Good luck!

 

[jdstrang]

Uhhh, the whole POINT of a minie is that it should be relatively loose in the barrel. Two-thousandths is great, up to five or six thousandths will work. No need to paper patch 'em IF they are cast of soft lead. If they are NOT, NO amount of paper patching will make them more accurate out of the wide, shallow grooves of a Civil War muzzleloading musket/rifle.

BTW, in my limited experience with originals, I have yet to find a tight one. Most have gauged at .580 to .582.

Soft lead. 40 - 55 gr. of 3f, slightly more if 2f. Minies arrive at specified target with monotonous regularity...

 

[SCATTERSHOT]

I agree that the Minie was designed to be rammed down a fouled bore repeatedly during extended combat, and had to be undersized for that reason. The OP wanted a tight fit for best accuracy, and patching would be one way to achieve that, without buying another mould.

More'n one way to skin a cat, I reckon.

 

[bingo1952]

The main objective is to get the hide off that Cat by whatever means necessary.

 

[SCATTERSHOT]

LOL! You're right, of course, but a lot depends on which cat you're trying to skin.

 

[samerch]

Has anybody lapped a LEE mold up to size, mine seems to be under sized for my Rifle
Thanks Scott

 

[bingo1952]

I have never lapped one to size but I have opened them up by using a lathe. I don't think aluminum is going to lap very well. An iron or steel mould can be lapped to remove light machineing marks very nicely.

 

[samerch]

Runnball
Thanks for the info