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Old February 17, 2011, 08:46 PM   #1
Hylander
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Where to get Round Balls

I don't cast
Is there any cast bullet makers that make .454 Round Balls
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Old February 17, 2011, 08:50 PM   #2
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http://www.trackofthewolf.com/catego...Size=25&Page=2
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Old February 17, 2011, 11:21 PM   #3
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Got those
I was hoping for someone like Master cast or ?
Hornady is expensive
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Old February 17, 2011, 11:26 PM   #4
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Cabela's

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Horna...h-All+Products
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Old February 17, 2011, 11:28 PM   #5
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Not much cheaper .......

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct...tnumber=158840

..... time to start casting!
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Old February 18, 2011, 12:19 AM   #6
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Bass Pro shop in Stockton, I see you are by Sacramento. I was there last X-mas .
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Old February 18, 2011, 05:26 PM   #7
MissouriBullet
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We have them

http://www.missouribullet.com/results.php?category=8

We also have a .54 (nominal .528) that isn't on the website yet, although we have several thousand on hand.

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Old February 18, 2011, 06:30 PM   #8
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That's an odd size. Why would you want a .454 round ball?

Quote:
I don't cast
Why not? It's wonderful to make your own bullets. You could buy one of these and make all the .454 round balls you'd ever want.
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Old February 18, 2011, 08:06 PM   #9
Hylander
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Quote:
That's an odd size. Why would you want a .454 round ball?
Thats the size for an Pietta 1858 .44 Pistol

Quote:
I don't cast

Why not? It's wonderful to make your own bullets. You could buy one of these and make all the .454 round balls you'd ever want.
I would, but I have no source for Lead
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Old February 18, 2011, 08:11 PM   #10
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Quote:
I would, but I have no source for Lead
Just saw a bunch of lead ingots in GunBroker ....


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Old February 19, 2011, 03:27 AM   #11
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i have lee .454 2 cavity mould. watch midway, they often run on sale for $15 or so. a lee ladle for $5, a cheap cast iron pot and Coleman propane stove could have you casting for under $30.

lead is pretty cheap you can get it for around $1/lb shipped off ebay.
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Old February 19, 2011, 09:26 AM   #12
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PawPaw asked:
Quote:
Why would you want a .454 round ball?
Possible answer could be, because that is what works best in his rifle/pistol.
With muzzle loaders there are seldom any absolutes.
Example, I have a target rifle with a Douglas premium barrel in .45 cal. Most people would use a .440 or .445 ball in it. On the advice of a friend, I once tried .457 balls and stayed with that size for decades because they were the most accurate. Other shooters may have given me funny looks when they found out what I was loading but what counted was how my targets looked.
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Old February 19, 2011, 11:09 AM   #13
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My CVA "Navy" pistol in .44 shoots .454 as I recall.

Remember, when you drive the ball into the revolver cylinder it shaves a ring of lead off, effectively resizing the bullet.
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Old February 20, 2011, 12:11 AM   #14
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Hylander,

Black powder projectiles are made from pure lead. I think Hornady makes black powder "bullets". Check their website. Any of your local outlets should be able to get them for you.
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Old February 20, 2011, 12:23 AM   #15
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Quote:
Why would you want a .454 round ball?
A lot of 1851 Navy shooters prefer the slightly larger diameter (supposed to be .451) in order to improve the bearing surface on the ball once the ring is cut. I still use the .451, but I'm not looking to win any competition with mine.
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Old February 20, 2011, 01:11 AM   #16
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Yep, my Pietta 1858 Rem New Army .44 cal shoots .454 balls. My local gun store (LGS) stocks them, $10.00 a hundred count (Hornady).

Though I dearly love to shoot my BP pistol, it's such a pain to clean that I don't shoot it enough to get into casting. I just buy the balls from the LGS, a box of 100 lasts me for a year or more.

With the rising costs of bullets of all types and my ever diminishing income, I may look at getting into casting. If I do I will certainly buy molds to cast balls/bullets for the Pietta.

As an aside, ever clocked an 1858 New Army Replica over a chrony? It's a real eye-opener if you haven't. It's no slouch, even compared to modern day calibers.
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Old February 20, 2011, 01:59 AM   #17
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i have 3 BP pistols that fire .454 balls...all are 44cal...and yes to strangelove 30 -35grain of blackpowder will get that ball a moving!!
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Old February 20, 2011, 02:37 AM   #18
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With a .454 soft lead ball weighing 141-gr, when you pay $10 per 100 balls you are essentially paying $4.96 a pound for lead. I've successfully scrounged the soft lead I use to cast pistol balls. But, assuming I had to pay the recycling yard's $0.85-lb for soft lead, I could cast 100 .454 balls for less than $1.75. With Lee molds about $19.00, you'll break even before you've cast 230 balls.

Last edited by zippy13; February 20, 2011 at 02:42 AM.
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Old February 21, 2011, 06:18 PM   #19
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ive chronied my euroarms new army .44 with .454 balls and 30gr of pyrodex runs 980fps average on all 6 chambers.

hylander, if you pay for lead and shipping ill cast you a hundred or 2 .454 balls.
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