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Need help with minie size...

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i acquired a .58 brass Navy Arms boxlock .58 caliber from the Gun Works a couple years ago but i cant seem to find any minie bullets thatfit it.theyre all too big. It was listed a s some kind of civil war era confederate carbine. No pictures because it broke and the barrel was used to make me another rifle. The barrel justsays navy arms on it.
The original minies were undersized and weighed like 460grs.

Can anybody help me out? Where can j find smallish .58 minies?
 
Was it a breech loading gun? I seem to remember NA selling something that wasn't even close to a Morse years ago. The original Morse carbines were .52 caliber and not .58. I would suggest you take it to someone who can accurately measure the bore and begin your search based on your new knowledge.
 
I think youre rightin that it wasnt like the original.The bore is a small.58 according to joe at the gun works in oregon. He knew alot.he had it listed as a .58 morse carbine by NA.BUT the bore micrometrrs out to like .563. The Gun Works,years ago, sent me some undersize minies that worked. You brought up it being a breechloader? I remember thinking it sounded like it should be a breechloader but its not it is a muzzleloading brass boxlock with the 2 piece wooden stock. I bought .575 minies from track and rolled them to reduce th heir size to make them fit. If i could cast my own id be alot bettter off. So you think navy arms used the name in error?
 
I can't find a picture of the NA gun anywhere but I seem to remember it and it didn't have anything in common with a Morse. Original-Confederate-Morse-Carbine_101090438_61021_5540918CEA8A14B8.jpg
 
I can't find a picture of the NA gun anywhere but I seem to remember it and it didn't have anything in common with a Morse. View attachment 82028
Youre exactly right it was just a muzzleloader, not a breechloader that played a role in the civil war.i had the barrel made into a regular rifle.you have any idea where to get .563 or so minies?
 

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In the past two years I've acquired a 3-band Enfield and a Zouave. Both Pedersoli. After some experimenting with different molds I have settled on the Lyman #578675 "Blue-Grey" Minie, which weigh out around 420~ grains and cast beautifully (from a ladle!!) But with even those I was getting fair-to-poor groups until I did two things: purchased the Pedersoli sizing tool and sized the Lyman Minies to .575"; and, lubing them with Lee Alox. That combination was the magic dust I needed and both my rifled muskets now shoot much more consistent groups (fist-size 10 shot groups at 80-100 yds. are typical when I do my part).

Some will probably reply and say you must measure your bore before deciding on what to size your Minies to . . . but the bores in my rifles are different, Zouave is .576 and the Enfield is closer to .578, but both shoot the .575 Lyman bullets well. I'd suggest that size as your starting point, based on my experience.
 
In the past two years I've acquired a 3-band Enfield and a Zouave. Both Pedersoli. After some experimenting with different molds I have settled on the Lyman #578675 "Blue-Grey" Minie, which weigh out around 420~ grains and cast beautifully (from a ladle!!) But with even those I was getting fair-to-poor groups until I did two things: purchased the Pedersoli sizing tool and sized the Lyman Minies to .575"; and, lubing them with Lee Alox. That combination was the magic dust I needed and both my rifled muskets now shoot much more consistent groups (fist-size 10 shot groups at 80-100 yds. are typical when I do my part).

Some will probably reply and say you must measure your bore before deciding on what to size your Minies to . . . but the bores in my rifles are different, Zouave is .576 and the Enfield is closer to .578, but both shoot the .575 Lyman bullets well. I'd suggest that size as your starting point, based on my experience.
Thank you for your response. Ok ill try with .575 minies.if theyre too big i can roll them...what do you thknk about that practice?
 
Tom Crone
6305 ED Crone Lane
Frederick MD. 21703
( 301 ) 473-5699
Get a good bore measurement- I usually get close with calipers and then buy some pin gauges until I find one that will barely fit in the bore. Subtract .002” from the bore measurement, then contact Tom- he can make you a sizing die.
 

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