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Minie Ball Help!

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granth

40 Cal
Joined
Mar 24, 2022
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Hello!
I just bought an 1861 Springfield Armisport repro from @BigSkyRambler (very big shoutout to him, great service and honesty!), and I would like some info about minies because I've never shot them. I'm not sure on proper sizing of minies (I have a .58 caliber) , and also what are y'alls recommendations on what lube to use for minies. Thanks, and I appreciate it!
 
dip the skirts in a melted beeswax/lard mixture...ratio depending on temperature...more wax if shooting during the summer, less if in cold winter.

I shoot .575 Lyman minies out of my Armisport '61. They are a wee bit undersized, I reckon. Not enough time to devote to properly sizing them as I've got other things going now...building a Colonial rifle and trivial nonsense like going to work!

I'll be curious to see where yours hits. Mine hits high and right. Windage adjustment with these is....a challenging proposition. I plan to put a blank rear sight leaf on it and notch it to move the point of impact to point of aim. Soldering on a taller front also is planned...the issue front sight is really hard to see for my aging eyes. They're fun to shoot and are very reliable. Don't need a large powder charge...50 grns is fine.
 
We’ve been over this many times. There is no magic and if you start out with what follows, it will save a lot of time, money and frustration.

First off. KNOW your ACTUAL bore size and that means measure it. Do not make the mistake of assuming Luigi got the bore size right. I’ve seen bores go from .574 all the way to .585. You will want to order or cast minies .001 under bore size for best results.

Second. With that known, contact Lodgewood for a sampler of correct size minies. There is NO commercial source other than Lodgewood for this. Not Track, not Log Cabin, not October Country, in short, you want to get proper minies that are cast and sized correctly. Lodgewood specializes in military arms, the rest do not and the guy casting for them is a N-SSA competition shooter who knows his business.. With a known good size and style, then it’s time to order a mold.

Third. Use real black powder. Swiss is best. 2f or 3f, they’ll both work but you’ll find one has better accuracy and less fouling. Experimentation will tell. Use RWS or Scheutzen caps. CCI May work but they’re designed for reenactor blanks. Don’t get hung up on the historical service charge. Best accuracy will most likely happen from 40-50g 3f.

Fourth. Lube. Beeswax/(lard,crisco,tallow) Bore Butter is a short path to frustration. Melt the lube in a pan and dip the rings only. Filling the base will cause flyers. No serious competition shooter I know who wins will ever fill the base.

These guns shoot high with issue sights if you try to apply modern sight picture. The soldier was trained (sometimes) to aim center mass so a hit high is still a bad day on the receiving end.
 
Agree with Dave. If you cast your own, you will want to make sure you are using pure lead. "Minie" balls (expanding balls) operate by...expanding. They inflate like a balloon when the charge goes off, and this makes them take up the rifling. Hard lead won't deform well and consequently won't take up the rifling well.

A precision fit results in better rifling engagement. If you're lucky, your bullets as cast will be .001"-.002" under bore size. If not, you'll need to use a sizing die. I recommend sizing dies from Tom Crone (301-473-5699). I do not recommend North East Trading Company press-mounted sizing dies. S&S sells sizing dies for the Lyman Lubrisizer and this is neat as you can size and lube in the same machine. It's a bit messy though with excess lube squirting out different places.
 
As stated the right size is important .001 under bore land to land works best for most people. If casing your own use pure lead to allow for expansion and prevent the skirt from seperating.
 
You might consider ordering some pin gauges, .575, .576, .577, .578, .579, .580 to check your actual bore size. Travers Tools has them online for about $4 each plus shipping I think.
Pin gauges are the way to go. You don't need each size listed. Get .575, .577. .579, and .581. You can interpolate the measurement, ie, if .575 drops in but .577 doesn't, your bore is .576.
 
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