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Question on sizing and lubricating bullets for new Zouave rifle

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Java77

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Hello all,

I just ordered a new Pedersoli Zouave rifle and wondered how you guys are lubricating and sizing your bullets.

I haven’t ordered anything yet as I wanted to have the rifle on hand to measure the bore.

This is my first rifle that shoots minie balls so am excited to start this journey.

Thank you.

Bill
 
Trot's got it pretty much right. I do mine the same way but I shoot N-SSA competition and that's how we make ammo. A reenactor would run screaming into the night shivering with terror........
 
I mostly shoot Pritchett type bullets, so they are paper patched and dip lubed. Either by themselves or in cartridges.
 
"Hello all,"

"I just ordered a new Pedersoli Zouave rifle and wondered how you guys are lubricating and sizing your bullets."

"I haven’t ordered anything yet as I wanted to have the rifle on hand to measure the bore."

:thumb::thumb::thumb: I wish everyone understood the importance of that and practiced it. It would put a couple of us here on the forum out of a job.



"This is my first rifle that shoots minie balls so am excited to start this journey."

The best of luck, sounds like you are off to a good start.

"Thank you.

Bill"
 
My Zouave bore is under so that a .575 lightly sized is a very light thumb pressure to start but rams smooth. I use a Lee mold. Made a sizer out of 3/8 steel and use a micro reamer to get size. Made a mandrel to fit the base. Use drill press to push through sizer.
Use a premixed 80% wax and 20% veg oil. Melt just at melting temp then dip mini in it. Leaves a nice coat. Excess coating shaves off but leaves enough lube.
 
in the 1970s i put Crisco in the Minnie cavity, worked fine
The issue with filling the base is - first, it contaminates the powder charge leading to erratic pressure and second, it changes the mass and center of gravity of the bullet in unpredictable ways. Sure it'll get out the muzzle, but where it goes from there......
 
The issue with filling the base is - first, it contaminates the powder charge leading to erratic pressure and second, it changes the mass and center of gravity of the bullet in unpredictable ways. Sure it'll get out the muzzle, but where it goes from there......

This is why I always put an over powder card between my conical and powder. No contamination of powder at all.
 
Thanks for the tips! I read another thread where someone purchased different sized plug gauges. I tried searching Amazon but could not find any.

Does anyone have a link? Also, what lune would you recommend?
 
Hello all,

I just ordered a new Pedersoli Zouave rifle and wondered how you guys are lubricating and sizing your bullets.

I haven’t ordered anything yet as I wanted to have the rifle on hand to measure the bore.

This is my first rifle that shoots minie balls so am excited to start this journey.

Thank you.

Bill
FWIW Many years ago I bought a Zouave and the recommended minis keyholed thru the target at 50 yds. Not good at all. I had a bullet maker cast me up several dia. minis and we got some that shot real well. I didn't have access to a bore measure. Congrats on a Pedersoli. I have the Kentucky pistol and it is a thing of beauty and shoots incredibly well. I'm sure you will love it.
 
The issue with filling the base is - first, it contaminates the powder charge leading to erratic pressure and second, it changes the mass and center of gravity of the bullet in unpredictable ways. Sure it'll get out the muzzle, but where it goes from there......


I used to shoot NSSA with Crisco in the base. Had lots of good hits. Trick was not to overlube. I used Lee "ash can" minies I cast and sized to my bore. I'd rub a little Crisco on the outside as I loaded. Always worked well.
 
This is why I always put an over powder card between my conical and powder. No contamination of powder at all.
W

Cynthialee where have you been?
Been wondering where you got off to.

Java, good luck on your Zouave.
If you get a sizer to make the bullets the right size you can also paper patch bullets* and then squeeze them down to the size you want.

*Can find an old Lyman #575213 and have it machined to remove the lube grooves.
 
I used to shoot NSSA with Crisco in the base. Had lots of good hits. Trick was not to overlube. I used Lee "ash can" minies I cast and sized to my bore. I'd rub a little Crisco on the outside as I loaded. Always worked well.

I tested the idea on paper. Head to head, Crisco and Lard, lube in the base and not. Results- Lard on grooves smallest groups. Crisco about an inch bigger. Lube in the base either way, another inch bigger. So to me there is no question that the base filled with lube is overall a bad idea. Yeah, I can be OCD when it comes to accuracy. My thinking is the most accurate gun that I can dial in will be my best competition gun.

Case in point, my team was having a bad day on the pigeon board, I wasn't. With a musketoon, I ran 14 pigeons for 15 shots in five minutes. Yeah, that's how bad everybody else was shooting that I had time to nail 14 with a muzzleloading musketoon. For those reading this, that's 3 shots a minute, each hitting a pigeon for 14 shots straight. The 15th I rushed as the horn sounded cease fire and missed. I don't perform like this all the time, but the point is the smallest group you can get will make this possible.
 
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