For the guys who are casting a slip fit bullet for their MZ's. What diameter is your barrel slugging at??---versus whatdiameter areyou sizing your bullet to----to allow a slip fit??

If you are using a White rifle with a slip fit bullet. Then obviously your bullet must be smaller than your bore diameter. What are those measurements?? Or how much under bore are you sizing your bullets?? Tom.

HEAD0001

Do not know if this will help you or not, but I have a White with a .504 bore. I think the bore is really uniform top to bottom. If I drop a .504 Bull Shop in it will go very easy to to the bottom of the bore with next to no effort on a clean barrel. On a dirty barrel it takes slightly more rod weight. If i were to order conicals for it again I would order .5045 Bullshops - but they are still very easy to load.

With my TC's and new GM barrels the .503 loads realy well. Push it down with thumb pressure than the ram rod. If I remember correctly they plugged at .504...

Others will have much better information for you.

My White Ultra Mag .504 takes a .5045 concial. My White Bison .504 take a .503 conical. My White Model 97 .451 takes a .451

My Knights like between a .502-.503 My T/C BDXR likes a .503 My hawkins T/C likes a .503

what I am getting at is for a slip fit I like to find the bore size and then go .005 over that. Then you gets a slip/non slip off fit, easy loading, excellent accuracy. And that downrange thump only a conical can make.

Normally when I cast for a rifle I like to go .002 over. However you guys seem to be saying that you like the bullet right at or just .0005 over bore diameter to allow an "easier seat".

The term "Slip Fit" implies the diameter to be slightly less. However that term is a bit of a misnomer. I am wanting to size bullets for my rifle, So I am going to try the same size(bore diameter)to start with.

In the past Idid not actualy size the bullet or measure the bore. I just cast some bullets and shot them. So I may be "thinking too much".Thanks, Tom

HEAD0001

In my little mind they need to be slightly larger than the land to land measurement. When you insert the soft lead into the bore the lands should engrave the lead and the lead should rotate its way down into the bore, It should not skip lands. When the bullet is fired the pressure of the load will/should cause the projectile to obterate filling the grooves and creating a tight gas seal. This also insure proper rotation of the projectile.

Ditto the above. About .0005 to .001 over land-land measure works for me.

But use the PUREST LEAD you can find.

in measuring or slugging exactly how is it done? I am visual on learning , so I think I hear take a 54 claiber RB and hammer it down the spout , push it back out and measure? How and where can you get a measurement? This hammering a peice of lead down my barrel just doesn't sound right to me?? Help!

Buck Hunter 1,

You have the right basic idea, but! Here is the way I do it. I take a caliber size lead conical, i.e. 50 calconicalfor a 50 cal rifle. I setthe conical nose downon a hard surface and bump it with a hammer to swedge the base diameter out just a bit, maybe to .510 to .515. I then push the conical nose first into the muzzle and push it through the barrel and out the breach or back out the muzzle from the breach if desired. Then measure across the tops (grooves) and bottoms (lands) of the base of the conical to get the bore and rifleing size. Note: If your slugging a traditional with a non removable breach plug you should attach a ball puller to the base of the conical before pushing it into the bore.

I did this to all of my muzzleloaders to verify each so I know what sabots and conicals will fit best. My rule of thumb is .001" over bore (lands) to get the right balance of easy loading and stay put while hunting fit for conicals, sabots can be a bit tighter as long as they are moderate to load without a hammer needed.