Conical bullets in a cap and ball revolver

[Sparkplug]

I’ve heard of people using those. A 200 grain bullet?

Yes, 200 grain.

 

[Bad Karma]

Yes.

As many have stated before, there was no improved accuracy over the round ball. That came from load development. The only advantage was the heavier bullet giving more penetration at the desired range.

Well, you can say that again…

 

[nkbj]

With the many .43 diameter revolver molds running around loose in the world these days that could make a jimdandy caliber for an 1858.

 

[B P Arn]

Why go 43 when you can go 44?

 

[Smokerr]

My head scratch as well and then there is the seriously dangerous side of chain fire.

I concluded that a .451" RB which I also cast from a Lee mould + a felt OP wad was the better and more accurate choice.

Having shifted the ROA from .457 to .454 and got a clear increase in accuracy, the .451 is the next test to be tried in all the BP revolvers.

A good note is that we can cross talk about the subject as some use it for hunting and some targets shoot and some do both.

I only target shoot so the best accuracy I can get is my goal. I want to be able to shoot at the traditional pistol accuracy test range of 25 yards and hit the target and not the frame of the target.

I can adjust POA to achiever POI no problem but staying on the target is my goal and I would like to see something in the sub 5 inch group area at 25 yards.

 

[Bad Karma]

Why go 43 when you can go 44?

220, 221, whatever it takes.

 

[Smokerr]

The JDs I bought are 227 gr but not all that relevant. Balls in the .452 area are going to be pretty close, but Concials, TC or ? can and will vary a fair amount depending on the design.

Penetration level? Hmmm. A deer is not all that big. It might have some relevancy on a brown bear (have to re-read Lewis and Clarke but I recall at least one encounter with a Griz that took a whole lot of shooting to put down)

Then there is over penetration. Wasted energy if it does.

 

[nkbj]

Penetration is like being at Mardi Gras; if you don't have excess you don't have enough.

 

[45D]

I have to think 1 big hole doesn't leak better than a big hole plus a bigger hole . . .

 

[Bad Karma]

I have to think 1 big hole doesn't leak better than a big hole plus a bigger hole . . .

Plus better odds of a sucking chest wound. Natures way of telling you…

 

[sethwyo]

I am looking for a mold for the type of conical that the 36 Navy originally used,

Maybe somebody's already referenced it on here ?

I'd like to try the heavier conical bullet for myself in my 36 Navy

 

[Throwdown58]

The most popular right now is the Richmond bullet at Eras Gone, but they also have the Colt.

https://www.erasgonebullets.com/store

 

[Jay Templin]

I am looking for a mold for the type of conical that the 36 Navy originally used,

Maybe somebody's already referenced it on here ?

I'd like to try the heavier conical bullet for myself in my 36 Navy

I’m not looking to sell my mould, but I can send you a handful of conicals.
Jay

 

[rodwha]

More accurate than rocks?...Yes, but not roundball...c

My NMA and my ROA both shoot the same size group when using their more accurate hunting loads (33 and 38 grns) despite the projectile. I’ve tried a ball and two bullets (170-195 grns) in the NMA and a ball and about 5 bullets (170-240 grns) in the ROA. Because of this I am measuring out the remaking chamber volume so as to fill it in with lead. Looks to be about a 235 grn bullet. I didn’t try loads below 25 grns as they wouldn’t be all that humane for hunting.

 

[rodwha]

So by this quorum so far, it looks like I should just stay with round ball.
Any accuracy difference from .451 to .454?

There are chronographed results testing the same powder charge with .451, .454, and .457” balls and the larger the ball the higher the velocity. It stands to reason that longer driving bands will catch the rifling better and create slightly higher pressures which is why the velocity goes up, and it likely gives more lead the capability of obturation and filling those grooves.

 

[rodwha]

The military liked conicals for increased stopping power, and probably like was said, they work well with cartridges. Conicals also fell in line with the push in the 1850s to standardize all weapons to a conical type projectile.

However, Skeeter Skelton wrote that Confederate Cavalry vets said round ball put men down better then conicals so I mean, who knows.

I know that I am not yet set up for casting and I have piles of .375 and .454 ball , so, I use what I have.

I have a Pickett mould that I'd like to use for my Walkers , to shoot the correct bullets.

I believe a ball was more effective because it flew faster allowing it to expand whereas a conical was much slower and quite pointy. We know pointy bullets allow flesh to stretch and creates a much smaller than caliber permanent wound. Not good when you’re fighting for your life. There’s a reason lead bullets became round noses and flat points. I stick with wide meplats, they work better than a ball.

 

[rodwha]

A few thoughts on conical's in a cap & ball revolver:

Loading them causes a lot more wear on the loading lever and parts because sheering off a long length of lead is much more difficult than sheering off the small area on a ball. This can cause the parts to fail.

The conical should have a short length at the base that is a smaller diameter than the chamber. This helps to align the bullet with the chamber. Without this pilot, aligning the bullet before ramming it into the chamber is very difficult and ramming it without it being aligned will damage the bullet making it inaccurate.

Usually the accuracy isn't any better than a round balls accuracy.

The muzzle velocity will be slower with the bullet because of the additional weight

A look at the conical's actually used in the Remington and Colt reveals that they were quite short. Not much longer than the size of the bore. This allowed them to be loaded into the gun without enlarging the clearance cut that is machined into the gun.

I’ve read that chamfering the chamber mouths reduces the stresses of loading, and instead of shearing off some lead it squeezes it in there leaving nothing to waste. I wonder how loading a conical in a chamfered chamber differs stresswise to loading an oversized ball in a standard chamber.

 

[sethwyo]

 

[sethwyo]

 

[sethwyo]