To be honest ... I have no idea. I just shoot them.

What guns do you want to shoot conicals out of?

The shallower the rifling the better(to an extent). Shallower rifling yields less bullet deformation. Thus better acuracy from a less deformed bullets.

Optimum twists are between 1in18 to 1in36 for bullets. But as I said earlier the slower twists will work also. Just experiment.

As far as casting an MZ, there are several ways. I normally just do it with my lead ladle that I use to pour bullets.

First make sure the bore is oiled well. Then push several patches an inch or so into the riflings with a 16D nail. 20D nails are better. Push the patches down the shank of the nail until they rest on the back side of the head of the nail. Then push these patches down the barrel. Once you are satisfied that there is a good obstruction of the barrel then pour the lead down the barrel(about an inch or slightly less thick). Then let it set up. Take a pair of pliers and pull the nail. You can also do that, and I recommend doing that to the breech end also. If you have access to the breach end. Just use a longer nail. And make sure you have the barrel oiled well. No problems.

It is best to use cerrosafe to measue your bore. but I have done several with pure lead. You can buy a piece of Cerrosafe from most supply houses. It is reusable. Tom.

going to be trying .459 405gr dropping at 406 and 408. sizing them to .454 for my .45 cal win apex.

I haven't posted here for quite a while. been lurking though! Haven't been shooting or hunting much. But, if anyone wants any Bullshops 460's or 400gr UC shorts in .504 diameter, I have a bunch. I'll never shoot them all. PM me, I'll get back w/ya, may take a while cause I'm in the process of moving. Cheap too!!
Thumper 50

pm sent
Art

All the deer I have shot with 50 and 54 cal Maxiballs have come home with me. I shoot them over 100 gr loose pyrodex and they shoot accurately within the distance I can use my peep sights. Recently I've been shooting an in-line with 350 gr FPBs and they perform well on deer too. Nice to have a scope to size up a deer, though I don't seem to shoot over 100 yds.

Big, "slow", full-bore bullets have been killing deer for many years. Marketing and profit margins are the real impetus behind most "improvements" in the hunting industry.

When loading does the conical need to be tight to the bore? Meaning should there be a good amount of force to load? I have seen my uncle load a 58 caliber minnie in his civil war gun and it just fell to the bottom to the breach, I understand when fired that bullet expands and catches the rifeling, I assume the conical needs to be loaded well and no air between the barrel and the bullet. Does anyone know where there may be a site to show the proper loading of a conical? Sorry with all the questions but I have never shot conicals.

The ones I shoot load with not much more than finger pressure. I use my thumb as a short starter and they go down very easy. I swab with alchohol between shots but a lot of shooters do not.

In my guns, MaxiBalls were basically a slip fit until the forward band contacted the rifling. Then it needs a little force to get that band into the barrel. After that, they slide down pretty easily. Even the MaxiBall design obturates a bit upon firing, before it heads down the bore.

I pre-size FPBs for my Genesis by pushing them nose-first down the bore and out the breech. They then load easily with fingers and just slide on down the bore with little pressure. I make sure to seat them with firm pressure once they contact the Pyrodex charge. Pyrodex likes to be compressed.