What is the best best Minie' ball mold for live firing of Pedersoli 1861 Springfield

[mrappe]

I just got a new Pedersoli 1861 Springfield and while I do reenacting also ,my primary hobby for the past 23 years is Cowboy Action Shooting which is using live ammo. I do reloading and have cast round balls for my cap and ball pistols. I have never shot a musket with live ammo so if I buy any gun even for reenacting I would also like to shoot it at the shooting range with authentic type Minie' balls. I was wondering which bullet molds and sizers would be best for this particular manufacturer's barrel .
Thank you,
Mike

[Hawg]

I use a Lyman 575213 in my Chiappa Enfield. It's an original style .575 mold at 510 grains but mine drop at .577 so no sizing needed. A minie should be .001-.003 under bore size. Powder charge should be from 60-70 grains but much over 70 and the pressure blows past the skirt. Pure lead only or the skirt wont expand correctly and they'll be hard to load.

[mrappe]

what powder do you use?

[Hawg]

Swiss 2F or Pyrodex RS.

[Oliver Sudden]

I got one a couple of months ago and have had good results with the original style mini. Shooting 60 grains of 2fg Goxe with beef tallow and beeswax lube. The short coming is the sights for me and mine had a poor trigger pull. I found the stirrup in the lock was to short and replaced it with a slightly longer one. That and some minor stoning makes the lock work more like an original 1861. Groups at 100 yards from the bench are about 5 inches for five shots.

[mrappe]

What mold and or sizer do you use for the is the "original minie style"

[Hellgate]

The Lyman 575213-OS is the "Old Style" minie and looks just like dug ups from the battlefields. It is ~460grs. Most skirmishers will shoot a thinner skirted minie and maybe only 40-50 grs FFFg. The 575213-OS has a thicker skirt and I have shot up to 90grs of FFFg Goex as a hunting load. The Lyman 577611 is a 530 gr heavy skirted minie I've used for elk hunting. The LEE and other minie molds have thinner skirts for lighter loads. 60grs FFg is pretty close to the service load. You need to measure what your bore diameter is and then choose the appropriate mold. Many minies are just shot as cast, unsized. Often you can just match the mold size to the bore diameter.

Minies are much harder to cast. You need a hot mold and hot lead. Weight them all as they can have hidden voids. Most voids are visible inside the hollow base.

Check out the N/SSA for their stickies and accuracy info. I haven't shot my Zouave in a long time but remember getting 4" groups @100 yds from a rest.

[Hawg]

This is one of mine.



This is one recovered from 300 yards.

[l.cutler]

There is a lot of variation in the bore size on these guns even from the same manufacturer. First thing you need to do is measure the bore size on your particular rifle to determine the best size minie to use.

[mehavey]

Pedersoli is fairly consistent... and consistent w/ the originals

Use the Lyman 213 (old style/thin skirt) and ~60gr 3Fg (GoEx here)
A long history of accuracy -- and killing both man & beast.

[mrappe]

Originally Posted by mehavey

Pedersoli is fairly consistent... and consistent w/ the originals

Use the Lyman 213 (old style/thin skirt) and ~60gr 3Fg (GoEx here)
A long history of accuracy -- and killing both man & beast.

Do you need to size them? Is that the mold for 460 grn

[mehavey]

No sizing. Shot as-cast w/ pure lead
Simple Dip-Lube in melted 3:1 Crisco/Beeswax and set aside.



See whole string here:
https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=526504

[mrappe]

I just cast my first Minies today with and I tried the fit to my gun and they are slightly too large to drop in. They should be able to drop in right?
If so I will need to size them down some I think. Also the bullets came out pretty well shaped but the smooth surfaces have a little waviness in them. I used a hot setting on my Lee bottom pour pot. I am wondering if the mold was running too cool.
Mike

[Hawg]

They shouldn't actually just drop in from muzzle to breech. The weight of the steel ramrod will push mine down to about the last three inches or so. You will need to measure your bore and get a sizer that will size them no more than .003 undersize.

[Hellgate]

A wrinkled bullet means either the lead or the mold is too cold. PURE, dead soft lead is necessary to have the skirt flare to seal the bore.

[Hawg]

A wrinkled bullet means either the lead or the mold is too cold. PURE, dead soft lead is necessary to have the skirt flare to seal the bore.

True and frosted is too hot. It's hard to keep mold temp to where big minies aren't one or the other. I prefer frosted to wrinkled.