What size minie ball/ ball to use for muzzle loading?

[Prophet]

Was looking into getting a muzzle loading rifle . The rifle I was looking at had a .565" bore? I see on the shelf multiple size lead ball and mini ball sizes. Can I use a .500" ball with patch? Or, do I use a .535" ball with a patch. I have been reading info on the subject but, can't find any when it comes to this.

Thank you all for your help.

-Prophet

[chillincody]

[CSACANNONEER]

[GOEX FFF]

l not mini ball lol :P not sure bout the size but id guess the .535 would be the right one

[Prophet]

I like "mini ball" better. Thanks for the help

[metalliman545]

Too bad its NOT "mini ball"
I've heard it pronounced "min-yay"

[Tom-ADC]

My Zouave .58 cal shoots the 515 gr .575 Minie Ball here is a list of most popular. What rifle is years?
I load 60 grains of Swiss 1.5Fg and lube the bullet with Bore Butter before loading.

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/129/1/BALL-54-425

[IrishJoe3]

I like "mini ball" better. Thanks for the help

Except its not. Now you're just being ignorant.

Its not "mini", (as in small), its a dude's name.

[Eljay]

Um, guys. It derives from a guy's name but everybody in the US in the civil war was pretty damn ignorant when it came to pronouncing French and we've been calling them "minie balls" (without the accent or capital M) pronounced "mini balls" for 150 years now. No need to get snooty all of a sudden now that we have Wikipedia.

Anyway a good rule of thumb for a patched round ball is you take off about a hundredth of an inch. So a .540 uses a .530 ball just as an example. If your rifle is really a .565 you'll be looking for something around .555. A little lower's OK, you just use thicker patches, but if you can't find any .550 balls I'd get a custom cast made (Google Jeff Tanner moulds - use the u - he's in the UK) and go for it.

For the Minie balls - which are not patched - you go just a couple of thousandths under and you have to experiment. For my Zouave .575s shoot worth crap and .578's are quite accurate. But they'll never be as accurate as a patched round ball with a developed load, they're for speed of loading, not accuracy.

All of which begs the question - how do you know it's a .565? These things can be tricky to measure unless you actually slug the barrel and while .58 is a common caliber and there's definitely unit to unit variation .565 seems kind of tight. Definitely going to be difficult to get minie balls to shoot in it, unless you get some custom molds made. I believe there are people who can send you a selection of bullets and you can test them and get back to them with which mold was the right size and they'll sell you one but don't know any names offhand.

[metalliman545]

[CSACANNONEER]

Um, guys. It derives from a guy's name but everybody in the US in the civil war was pretty damn ignorant when it came to pronouncing French and we've been calling them "minie balls" (without the accent or capital M) pronounced "mini balls" for 150 years now. No need to get snooty all of a sudden now that we have Wikipedia.

LMFAO! Maybe some were ignorant but not "everybody". In fact, there were probably more people fighting the war with French as a first language than you could find living in the US today. We had strong French influences in the North and West stemming from French trading companies. Of course, even today, we still have strong French influences in parts of the south. Ever heard of Louisiana? Lets not forget that during the war of northern aggression, the French were actively supplying those fighting for their constitutional rights and against the unconstitutional invasion of their homelands. So, there was a lot of French interaction and influences with the Confederacy.

[hk91666]

Was looking into getting a muzzle loading rifle . The rifle I was looking at had a .565" bore? I see on the shelf multiple size lead ball and mini ball sizes. Can I use a .500" ball with patch? Or, do I use a .535" ball with a patch. I have been reading info on the subject but, can't find any when it comes to this.

Thank you all for your help.

-Prophet

What caliber is stamped on the outside if indeed a conical and a 54 cal I cast my own. The big issue is the rifling as well slower rifling will stabilize a round patched ball 1:48 where a conical, REAL, or sabot bullets needs faster 1:32 . My two cents and I didn't use minie or mini except at the end.

[Eljay]

You're right of course, and I overstated that part. Hell, maybe they pronounced it properly in New Orleans, I don't know. But the rest of it stands - most people in the US have pronounced it like mini since it was introduced and just because people know where the word was derived from now doesn't make it correct. Think of all the Spanish place names in California that have been anglicized - yeah, it's a corruption, but its still proper to pronounce it that way.

[cannon]

LMFAO! Maybe some were ignorant but not "everybody". In fact, there were probably more people fighting the war with French as a first language than you could find living in the US today. We had strong French influences in the North and West stemming from French trading companies. Of course, even today, we still have strong French influences in parts of the south. Ever heard of Louisiana? Lets not forget that during the war of northern aggression, the French were actively supplying those fighting for their constitutional rights and against the unconstitutional invasion of their homelands. So, there was a lot of French interaction and influences with the Confederacy.

Just can't accept that you lost that one can you?

[CSACANNONEER]

Just can't accept that you lost that one can you?

Weeze oly lost 'cuz'n weeze bee ignoant an's dontz speekz French goods enuff ta odor da toast!