A Possible Mold For Pietta .44's

[nkbj]

This is an old design, Lyman's #450229.

The inside diameter where the hollow base plug goes makes a lead cast diameter of 0.445".
Those Pietta chambers are often about 0.446"-0.447". From what I've seen most often 0.446". So that would be just right to slip into the Pietta chambers and provide the preliminary alignment.
On the mold blocks I have the drive bands on the castings came out 0.455" diameter, more than I'd like but hey, maybe it might work.
Maybe a hollow base plug to make the 0.445" diameter part a hollow base would make it seal off the same way a .22 rim fire does.

An adjustable length plug would be nice. Filling that shallow hollow base with lube and seating it on top of a plastic coated freezer paper over-powder wad could coat the bore for the next shot.

Any how, it's something I'm looking at and thought to put it up here.

 

[Pete453]

You won't get much powder behind that one!

 

[nkbj]

If you want more powder stick with round ball, well unless you go with a design to maximize the lead space without impacting the powder space.

 

[64Springer]

A .445 bullet in a .446 hole will slide forward each time the trigger is pulled.

Recoil.

How are you going to secure the bullet so it doesn't move?

 

[nkbj]

Shear ring.

 

[Pete453]

I was kidding about that full length casting! That bullet looks like a good one, I'm going to keep an eye out for one. It might make an effective hunter and target bullet. Was the original core pin a Minie bullet shape?

 

[nkbj]

From the factory they have short, hemispherical cavities. Over the years Lyman changed the diameter of the base plug. The one I have in hand just happens to have a diameter in the plug hole that would be a good fit for a Pietta .44 so maybe I can cobble up a plug.

 

[nkbj]

Did a search and found this forgotten thread, the same idea actively being marketed.
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/new-44-cal-bp-wadcutter-bullet.142905/

 

[smoothshooter]

This is an old design, Lyman's #450229.
View attachment 196481
The inside diameter where the hollow base plug goes makes a lead cast diameter of 0.445".
Those Pietta chambers are often about 0.446"-0.447". From what I've seen most often 0.446". So that would be just right to slip into the Pietta chambers and provide the preliminary alignment.
On the mold blocks I have the drive bands on the castings came out 0.455" diameter, more than I'd like but hey, maybe it might work.
Maybe a hollow base plug to make the 0.445" diameter part a hollow base would make it seal off the same way a .22 rim fire does.
View attachment 196483

An adjustable length plug would be nice. Filling that shallow hollow base with lube and seating it on top of a plastic coated freezer paper over-powder wad could coat the bore for the next shot.

Any how, it's something I'm looking at and thought to put it up here.

What will an elongated bullet do that a ball won’t in a percussion revolver?

 

[nkbj]

That depends on the revolver's internal geometry and load development, same as for light weight and heavy weight, round noses, flat noses, semi-wadcutters in the post-percussion age.
You can create a maximized total muzzle energy if you want to by using a bullet design that doesn't reduce the powder from what you could get under a round ball (if you were to put as much powder as you can under the ball). Or, you can change the powder used in order to increase the energy density of the volume remaining beneath the bullet. You can develop loads with nose profiles that are penetration aids. Those are all technology developed during the war fighting days of percussion revolvers, tweaking the capabilities of the revolvers to the tasks at hand.
With my own experiments what I've found is just what they discovered in the 1800's. Nose profile matters. Tail profile matters. Energy density matters. Bullet design and loading techniques matter. If you are using a percussion revolver to kill with you can tailor the tool to the job. If you are a hobbyist enjoying percussion revolvers you can tinker to your heart's content.
The percussion revolvers I have that were designed for elongated bullets are fun for that tinkering. The "shoots like a rifle" Walker of course, the Dragoons, the 1860 and 1861, and my fun gun, the Pietta 1858 reworked to use .41 caliber revolver molds. So far that 1858 seems to prefer the Lee .41-195-SWC (at right below) and the old NEI 185 grain round nose (not shown). Lyman's #41026 wadcutter (at center) shoots well and is a great example of what you wouldn't want to take wabbit hunting. It goes splat (penetrating less than half as deeply as the bullets on the left and right).

 

[nkbj]

About revolvers that just aren't designed for use with elongated bullets, there'a whole bunch of fantasy .44's built around nominally 1851 frames. There just isn't room for loading much else besides a round ball. My old ASM .44 "sheriff's" is like that. I've considered opening up the frame clearances to allow trying out longer bullets but haven't ever done it. That shorty little rascal would probably behave like a snubby, trying to tip the bullets with recoil flip, nudging those slow moving bullet bases.