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45 cal barrel

robs60robs60 Member Posts: 6 ✭✭
edited April 2014 in Black Powder and Cowboy Action Shooting
I have a 45 cal blk pwd barrel.. however the 45 cal lead balls I bought seem to be too big.. I'm pretty sure I can't push or force one down the barrel.. could it be .44 or in between ?? any way to measure it as I've tried & the barrel seems to be 44.7 give or take, & the lands make it even tighter...thanks, Rob
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    MIKE WISKEYMIKE WISKEY Member, Moderator Posts: 9,972 ******
    edited November -1
    pistol or rifle? (pistol .451 to .454, rifle .457/.458)
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    hillbillehillbille Member Posts: 14,169 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    also what do the balls measure, they may have been mismarked.
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    firstharmonicfirstharmonic Member Posts: 1,061 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Black powder muzzleloading barrels are measured from land to land, unlike breechloading cartridge barrels. Your "& the lands make it even tighter" statement suggests that you tried to measure groove to groove. That .45 caliber designation is a nominal one; actual caliber in one so designated can vary quite a bit from maker to maker. Just for example, many Hopkins & Allen 45 caliber barrels were actually 44 caliber and were typically used with a .430 round ball and a suitable patch. Not saying that's what you've got, just using it for an example.
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    robs60robs60 Member Posts: 6 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks to all of you. it is a rifle barrel.. the ball is .448-.450, the lands are .436-.438 the barrel is a 1 1/8 oct, with a gain twist. so then a smaller ball .430 with a patch ?? & then I'd guess power belts & similar will not be usable. thanks again, Rob
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    slumlord44slumlord44 Member Posts: 3,702 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    .430 to .440 depending on the manufacturer. Would see what they recommend.
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    firstharmonicfirstharmonic Member Posts: 1,061 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Gain twist rifling almost certainly makes it a roundball barrel. You have to go with ball sizes available; I'd start with a .429 round ball and a 15-thousandths patch. Remember - they're supposed to be a really tight fit; you should need a "short starter" to start the ball in the bore. If the ball/patch combination works and feels good, I'd begin with about 45 grains of FFFg powder or it's equivalent in one of the subs (pyrodex, triple 7, etc.) as long as it's percussion ignition and go from there to work up a load. Flinters, of course, require real black powder to work properly. Good luck and have fun. You may have to vary the patch thickness to get a good fit but that's an easy variable to tweak.
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