.45 bp bullets

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bruce william

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I have a .45 bp rifle and I was wondering what the smallest piece of lead I can put down range. I am putting 535 grs of lead down range and would like to try going smaller with less powder. I was wondering if anyone has tried something smaller and kept the accuracy?
 
? I'm a little confused by the question. I cast lead ball for my .45 and have no idea how many grains they weigh, but if you wanted to shoot less lead, you need to seal the smaller diameter projectile with a thicker patch...then you have to balance off how much powder it takes before you start to lose accuracy...10 grains of powder would probably get the ball to clear the barrel, but if the target is 50 yards you most likely won't have enough to print accurately. You would be constructed only by the thickness of patching material that you could find and matching that to a casting mold.
I have shot as little as 40 grains in my .45 at a 50 yard target and could probably go lower I just haven't tried. The higher end of the spectrum I have of course tried and 120 grains of powder kicks like a mother and the accuracy begins to trail off after around 80 grains and only become progressively worse the more powder is added. I'll also add that after about 110 grains I'm not convinced that all the powder is actually burning behind the ball while its still in the barrel (Hawken).
 
I am burning 70 grains of powder, this rifle does not have a ball I don't think i have ever seen a ball that weighed 535 gns. I was just looking for a smaller in weight bullet to shoot and retain a good degree of accuracy. I guess I will have to play around with different bullets till I have something I am happy with.
 
535gr is a big big bullet for anything other than long range BPCR like 45-70 or 45-110. 405gr is probably the average.

A round ball for a muzzle loader is around 130gr. I doubt most maxi or mini balls would be over 350gr.

We need to know what you are shooting to give better advice.
 
I am shooting a Pedersoli Mortimer .45. It has a 5 grove 1:21 twist in a 820mm barrel. i was just wondering if a smaller bullet like a .45 pistol bullet with a reduced charge would retain accuracy. Maybe i will just go ahead and work up some loads I just get tired of shooting the same thing all the time. So i thought that I would ask and see if anyone is doing this.
 
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A 292 gr RNFP is one of original bullets for the 45-70. You can load it down a fair bit. Remember you do not want any air space in the cartridge. BPC likes to be compressed some what. The amount of compression can be different for each for each gun.
 
Why do you want smaller/lighter ball? different alloys will make the ball lighter. is it to save on lead/powder?
if its to save lead, build a bullet trap. mine is about 24 x 24 inches and the thickness of a 2x8. fill with sand, put the top on, staple target and shoot away. my .50 won't go thru at 15 yards, and it`ll stop .270 bullets at 50yds. have not tried closer. when you done, dump sand thru strainer and sift out your lead, recast and shoot again.

if its to save powder..... can't help you there
 
If a Mortimer is like a Gibbs long range gun and has rifling twists in 1-20 something range there's probably no alternative to big bullets in that ballpark.
You could experiment with shorter bullets and probably have to drop the charges. I am really not experienced with that kind of rifle.
 
MC One Shot said:
A 292 gr RNFP is one of original bullets for the 45-70. You can load it down a fair bit. Remember you do not want any air space in the cartridge. BPC likes to be compressed some what. The amount of compression can be different for each for each gun.
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Not a cartridge, the Mortimer is a muzzle-loader, explicitly designed to shoot an elongated soft-lead or paper-patched bullet ca.451cal between 400 and 550gr in long-range competition.

It will shoot a .45 cal ball - around 140gr, BTW, with the accuracy of a lawn sprinkler.

tac
 
tacfoley said:
Not a cartridge, the Mortimer is a muzzle-loader, explicitly designed to shoot an elongated soft-lead or paper-patched bullet ca.451cal between 400 and 550gr in long-range competition.

It will shoot a .45 cal ball - around 140gr, BTW, with the accuracy of a lawn sprinkler.

tac
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Ah, sugar loaf bullets correct? Paper patched loads? @OP; If that's the case, I don't see why you can't use a ball and patch, (difference between ML and BP cartridge rifle being the internal taper of the barrel) Because it's a muzzle loader...it will shoot ball, R.E.A.L., Minne, Maxi, take your pick. You'll just have to make it do so. (find the loadout with experimentation...unless you're a ballistics mathematician :))
 
If that thing shoots .451 and you want lighter boolits, I would cast some (Lee mold 200 to 250 grn. only $30 or so) .452 pistol single lube groove boolits using pure lead and try them.
 
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