Lead Round Ball

DiMP

DiMP

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Location
SE BC
Good afternoon. I bought, and have thoroughly enjoyed, my Pietta 1851 Navy black powder revolver from you guys. I've enjoyed it so much so I've run out of the .36 cal roundball that it takes. Currently it is out of stock, but is it an item with frequent delivery or less often? Next time I'll buy more than one box at a time (stupid me lol)

Thanks
 
Maybe John (1 or 2) will surf the forums tomorrow?
I don't want to phone them and bother them for such a question
 
Noticing on your web page that the lead ball size recommended (per Pietta's manual) for the two most popular calibers, .36 and .44, are .375" and .454" respectively.
However, the chart for item FMB-044 calls it ".45 Round Lead" . I just want to make sure that this is indeed the correct size ball to get for either the Pietta Colt or the Pietta Remington .44 cal BP revolvers? (since there are 3 different diameter sizes listed for .44 cal on that chart)
Please advise this black powder newbie.

Also, that size, .454" dia is currently out of stock. Seeing as this is one of, if not THE most popular caliber for these revolvers, roughly when are you getting more of this item (FMB-044) back in stock?


Thanks.
 
El_Monty457 said:
Noticing on your web page that the lead ball size recommended (per Pietta's manual) for the two most popular calibers, .36 and .44, are .375" and .454" respectively.
Click to expand...

I shoot a .375" from my .36 cal very nicely. By having a ball 150th of an inch bigger it actually "shaves" a small ring of lead off the ball when you press it in ensuring a very snug fit, no wading required
 
DiMP said:
I shoot a .375" from my .36 cal very nicely. By having a ball 150th of an inch bigger it actually "shaves" a small ring of lead off the ball when you press it in ensuring a very snug fit, no wading required
Click to expand...

Somebody at Epps last week tried telling me that you ought to use a smaller ball than the bore, to account for the thickness of the patch. I now see that they should get someone else to advise on buying BP loading supplies. Were they confusing this with what you might shoot in a muzzle-loading rifle perhaps, as opposed to the size of ball you need for these revolvers? I will get the .375" dia balls for my .36 as there seems to be enough people as well as the Pietta manual recommending that. I'll stick to their recommendation for .454" dia balls for the .44 as well I guess.

There's no info whatsoever in the Pietta manual about what you put between the ball and the powder in a BP revolver.
I'll trip on over to the BP forums to see what info I can dig up. I've read about pre-greased felt wads and such. I know,... I need to do more homework on this.;)
 
El_Monty457 said:
Somebody at Epps last week tried telling me that you ought to use a smaller ball than the bore, to account for the thickness of the patch. I now see that they should get someone else to advise on buying BP loading supplies. Were they confusing this with what you might shoot in a muzzle-loading rifle perhaps, as opposed to the size of ball you need for these revolvers? I will get the .375" dia balls for my .36 as there seems to be enough people as well as the Pietta manual recommending that. I'll stick to their recommendation for .454" dia balls for the .44 as well I guess.

There's no info whatsoever in the Pietta manual about what you put between the ball and the powder in a BP revolver.
I'll trip on over to the BP forums to see what info I can dig up. I've read about pre-greased felt wads and such. I know,... I need to do more homework on this.;)
Click to expand...

As suggested by DiMP, most black powder revolver shooters use a ball that measures slightly larger than the actual bore. This swages the ball to fit the actual bore diameter, leaving the tell-tale "ring of lead" behind when the ball is rammed into the cylinder. Very few revolver shooters bother with patches at all in their handguns.

Patches are normally used in black powder rifles where the ball is slightly smaller than the actual bore diameter. The patch itself compensates for the smaller diameter ball, creating a "wad" in the bore that acts as a seal between the powder and the projectile.

The person at Epps who gave you the advice you have noted might have been confusing rifle with handgun loading, but they were not entirely wrong.
 
OK, thanks for the info DiMP & Harrier.45 . Consensus seems to be, never mind with the wadding and get the oversize balls, which is fine with me. As long as I know what works one way or the other. Now I gotta figure out what to do with the box of .350 balls I stupidly bought (instead of .375") on the not-so-good advice from that salesperson.
 
You know the great thing about BP pistols is: if you invest in a mold you can always make your own balls. That's what made me buy one. No matter what, I can always resort to my trusty 1858 in a last ditch effort. It's all part of the fun in black powder pistols plus you can always melt down incorrect sized balls, or lead flashing(my favorite) or any other soft lead you can muster.
 
slyty said:
You know the great thing about BP pistols is: if you invest in a mold you can always make your own balls. That's what made me buy one. No matter what, I can always resort to my trusty 1858 in a last ditch effort. It's all part of the fun in black powder pistols plus you can always melt down incorrect sized balls, or lead flashing(my favorite) or any other soft lead you can muster.
Click to expand...

Good point.
I just haven't gotten to that level of dedication or self-sufficiency yet. Not ready to take the plunge on casting my own lead,... yet. But I really should look into it.

Cheers.
 
slyty said:
You know the great thing about BP pistols is: if you invest in a mold you can always make your own balls. That's what made me buy one. No matter what, I can always resort to my trusty 1858 in a last ditch effort. It's all part of the fun in black powder pistols plus you can always melt down incorrect sized balls, or lead flashing(my favorite) or any other soft lead you can muster.
Click to expand...

That's on my to-do list. I should stop by the Black Powder part of the forums and looks for the answers to a few critical questions. One that has been in my head for a bit now but I can't figure out how to put it in google for a quick answer: can a revolver that shoots roundball also shoot conical bullets (as many multi-bullet moulds are conical shaped instead of round)
 
DiMP said:
That's on my to-do list. I should stop by the Black Powder part of the forums and looks for the answers to a few critical questions. One that has been in my head for a bit now but I can't figure out how to put it in google for a quick answer: can a revolver that shoots roundball also shoot conical bullets (as many multi-bullet moulds are conical shaped instead of round)
Click to expand...
I'm not positive but I don't think it's recommended. Not to say it hasn't been done but one would think the conical castings would be much heavier and much longer leaving less powder space resulting in pressure issues. I use a lee double cavity and you'd be surprised how fast those little balls get punched out
 
DiMP said:
That's on my to-do list. I should stop by the Black Powder part of the forums and looks for the answers to a few critical questions. One that has been in my head for a bit now but I can't figure out how to put it in google for a quick answer: can a revolver that shoots roundball also shoot conical bullets (as many multi-bullet moulds are conical shaped instead of round)
Click to expand...

The short answer is yes, you will find such molds on our site John
 
DiMP said:
That's on my to-do list. I should stop by the Black Powder part of the forums and looks for the answers to a few critical questions. One that has been in my head for a bit now but I can't figure out how to put it in google for a quick answer: can a revolver that shoots roundball also shoot conical bullets (as many multi-bullet moulds are conical shaped instead of round)
Click to expand...

I shoot both round ball and conical in my Pietta 1858. My molds are from Lee. The conical needs to be loaded with the cylinder out of the gun, as the clearances are just a bit tight to load with it in the revolver. I'm not sure if an 1851 would have this issue, just food for thought. Pressure wise, I have no concerns between the two, round ball being 135-140? grains and a conical around 200 grains. I mean, don't fill the powder flush to the top of the cylinder and use a cheater bar to ram it, but 20-25 grains should be no problem.
 
johnone said:
The short answer is yes, you will find such molds on our site John
Click to expand...

I found the moulds and the only one in .36 moulds one round, one Ogival (Google tells me its a fancy term for conical)
http://www.marstar.ca/dynamic/product.jsp?productid=76305
A double round-ball would be nice. The only thing stopping me right now from casting my own is I don't have a shop at the new house and I don't want to stand in my backyard at a table made from sawhorses and I don't think it'd be the smartest thing to cast 'em in my basement lol
 
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