Lee mould size for .54 Lyman Trade rifle

[gdick]

Hi folks
Looking for some advice on whether to get a .530 or .535 size Lee mould ? I have a Pedersoli Kentucky which I use .445 size balls with Ox Yoke patches .010. I have to wipe between shots as even after one firing the next ball down is way too tight. I don't have the rifle yet and was wondering what combination other Lyman owners use ?
Thanks
See you through the smoke :thumbsup:
Reiver xxv

 

[Toomuch51]

On the whole most Lyman's will favor the .530 ball with .015 patching.
That being said there is no "one size fits all" and nearly every rifle will preform differently even from the same manufacturer. The best solution would be to start with the norm and work up the load your rifle likes best before going out and buying a mould.

Toomuch
.........
Shoot Flint

 

[Mr. S]

I use a .535 ball with .015 patch in my GPR. That gives me the best accuracy.

Rick

 

[Lonegun1894]

I have Lee .527 and .535", and a RCBS .530" mold, and the .527 and .530" both work very well, although I have to adjust the patch thickness for them. The .535" I couldn't get loaded even with t-shirt cloth, as thin as it is, so cast maybe 50 RBs total with it and fired them as bare balls out of my .54 smoothbore. Do you know anyone who casts close to you that could give you some samples? I would offer but no clue if the shipping to you would make it worth it. I think the .527" has been discontinued, but the .530 should work well.

 

[larry wv]

.530 works well for me. I would try to get some .530 balls and see how that works. But Lee molds are 20 dollars or less new so you could get a .530 mold with out breaking the bank. Larry

 

[BrownBear]

I have both molds, but feeding a couple of GPRs and a Deer Stalker in the Lyman line rather than a Trade Rifle, plus a few other makes of 54's.

I kinda draw the line between the two based on how I'm gonna use the gun. Sure I can squeeze a tiny bit more accuracy out of most of them by using a .535 and pillow ticking. But break out the hammer for starting the combo. Just not something I'll take into the field.

For field use it's .530 all the way. It's still plenty tight with ticking (requires a hand slap on the starter), but lots more user friendly on hunts and hikes. I can match the accuracy (and loading difficulty) using the .530 simply by going to a patch thicker than the ticking. If I was going to buy only the one mold and use the gun both for paper poking and cutting hide, I'd get the .530 and swap patching as needed.

BTW- All the Lymans I've been around start out with sharp lands and muzzle crown, as well as a little bit of roughness in the bore. I've had to start them out with .015 patching and .530 balls just to ease loading and reduce patch cutting. But after 100-300 shots (depending on the individual rifle), I've noticed the loading easing up some. At that point they're ready to switch to ticking.

 

[mooman76]

I'd start out with .530. You can always use a thicker patch but can only go so thin.

 

[William O.]

I too suggest the .530 mold as I've tried .535 in my Lyman rifles and found it too difficult to load with no better accuracy. Mine does best with .018 mattress ticking.

 

[gdick]

Thanks for the advice folks, will be ordering a Lee .530 shortly.
See you through the smoke :thumbsup:
Reiver XXV

 

[Rifleman1776]

I kinda draw the line between the two based on how I'm gonna use the gun. Sure I can squeeze a tiny bit more accuracy out of most of them by using a .535 and pillow ticking. But break out the hammer for starting the combo. Just not something I'll take into the field.

That's the bottom line. Back when I was a serious 'X' hunter, I used .457" balls in our 45 cal target rifles. They required much hammering and effort to load but gave optimum accuracy. For slightly less serious shooting I used .445" balls. For hunting I use .440" balls and they still give OK accuracy. Or as we say here, accuracy is still "minute of deer".
Choose which is best for your needs and what works in yer rifle.
And, keep in mind, ye ain't a geenuwine muzzle loader until ye have at least a dozen unused molds on the shelf in yer shop. :shocked2: :wink:

 

[longcruise]

At the price of Lee molds, just get both! All .54 guns I have owned or shot worked well with either. Just adjust the patch thickness.

If going with one mold, go .530 to start.