colt 1851 navy 36 cal round ball dia.

muzzleloader-2

I recently aquired a 3rd generation 1851 colt navy. Unfortunatly there was no manual with the gun. What dia. round ball and loads give the best results?

powdersmoke

For 36 cal. .376

For 44 cal. .451 or .457

surbat6

Depending on the individual gun, the ball diameter can be from .375 to .380. If the edge of the chamber shaves a thin ring of lead off the ball when it's rammed home, the diameter is about right.