sizeing muzzleloading bullets
 

I got a lee r.e.a.l mold and the bullets are real hard going in there .517 and going into a TC new englander .50cal...I read somewhere that someone but them thru a sizer that was .501 and was wondering if anyone else does this? the gun shoots good with these bullets(lead is soft) but I won't get a fast reload with them thanks for any info...I don't reload so I don't know too much about sizeing thanks ed

The problem is you need a resizing die and an "o" press if you have the press look for a die that will size to 1 thousand larger than your rifling.

I size my Paper Patched bullets to .501 with a Lee Sizer in my Reloading press. I have tried to size the Real bullet but they don't shoot that well after the resizing. Ron

thanks
 

thanks I seen a sizer that was .509. interesting the reveiw that said they size them to .501 was in the midway reloading cat. and was a reveiw of the mold, I'll get a measurement of my barrel I got 3 50cal guns all tc. I got the real lee mold in 58 and the bullets seem loose in my tc big boar i couldn't seem to group them well...thanks ed

Your going to have to re size them.that means more equipment to do it properly. or you can call bullshop and tell him your rifle make and twist and for $28.00 a 100, have him make you up some that will shoot and load real well.your going to have to slug the bore to get a good fitting quality conical to shoot.i am sure he can talk you through everything you need to know.Lyman sells a .50 .370 gr maxi ball mold,but there expensive and you would probably have to re size them. there website states there about .500 dia.Ray

The LEE R.E.A.L. conical bullet should load a little hard at the muzzle. The name of the bullet is really... Rifling Engaged At Loading. You get them too small and their accuracy suffers. Also what kind of lube are you using on them. I use a castor oil, bees wax, and liquid alox lube and again, they have to be slammed to get them started but then they usually will go down the bore. As for fast loading.. I shoot a lot of them and have never had to swab between shots. But then each bore is different.

Cayugad, in his opening statement, he said the molds throwing them at about .517 and his T/C is somewhere in the neighbor hood of .501 dia.. Ray

Yes I read that. But again, these are made to be casted with pure lead and engage the rifling as they are pushed down the bore. I just measured one of mine and got .516 in .50 caliber. I shoot them out of New Englanders, Renegade, Hawkins, and an assortment of other rifles. I measured two of my New Englanders and got .501 for a measurement but also got under that too. All I am saying is... While they load hard in the beginning, once actually in the bore they do slide down just fine.

If he wants to down size them, more power to him. I just don't and like I said.. shoot them out of a lot of rifles. Even though I have sizers, and the presses to do it if I wanted to. I also found that if you keep the powder charges low.. they shoot real good.

cayugad is right. Mine is also .517 and that is what they are supposed to be. Use an over powder wad with them and they will shoot good. Ron

Aw, ok i see what you guys are getting at after going to there site and seeing the real bullet design..i still feel he could find a better bullet.. but i wasn't up to par on real's.. sorry fellas!! Ray

lube
 

I've been useing bore butter for lube....and yes they go down easy ofter a 4 inches in :D

cayugad, thanks for the reply, are you useing them hunting and if so what are you useing as a bulletstarter...I've hunted with tc maxi hunters and they don't give me any problems starting....I was hitting my bulletstarter with a 2x4 to seat the real's in my buddy poured them said they were soft lead

I use just a standard wooden ball starter to get them going. If they are pure lead they will slip in somewhat hard at first.. it takes a good strike with the flat of the hand, but I have never had to use a chunk of wood. Normally the bottom two ridges can be pushed in the crown with your thumb. Then I just line that short starter ball up and hit it with my hand. And like you said, about three to four inches in, they have the rifling engraved, and then they spin down the bore pretty easy.

I use a homemade lube, but for years I have used bore butter. Friends and I hunted deer for years with REAL conical bullets. In fact one friend of mine that shoots a T/C .54 caliber Hawkins shoots the 300 grains I cast with 70 grains of powder. It is all he will hunt deer with and he's flattened some nice bucks with it. One other guy that got to be a problem ... he hunted with an old .54 caliber CVA inline. He couldn't get nothing to shoot out of it, so I gave him some REAL conical bullets in 380 grain and he was shocked at how accurate they were. He got to be a pain because he kept hitting me up for more conical bullets. I finally told him to get his own mold.

When I got the mold, did you see the instructions for the recommended powder charges.. 50-70 grains of powder. You don't have to push these things hard for a deer at moderate ranges. One thing I have discovered. After about 75 yards, the accuracy falls off. But I attribute that more to open sights and my eyes. Where I hunt 50 yards is a long shot. You place that REAL behind the shoulder, 99% of the time you get a full pass through, and a excellent wound channel. Just be sure they are made of pure lead. If they are made of pure lead, you can scratch them with a fingernail normally.

Some people get scrap lead. I know I do. I have found that all scrap lead is not equal. Right now I lucked out because a person that works for the city road crew had to replace old water lines.. the water lines had lead knuckle joints. So he collected all of them and gave them to me, in return for casting rights with my molds.

thanks again I didn't see the powder charge rateing I've been useing 90, I'll drop it down and I'll get pure lead myself and pour some and see if its easyser, I too don't shoot over 50 yards in the woods here in rhode island thanks ed

I found a couple of inexpensive .50 bullet sizers at a gun show. I never used them but IIRC they measure around .505 - .507 at the mouth. A bullet would need to be pushed through one to determine its inside diameter measurement.
The rifling grooves on most TC sidelocks must be at least around .006 deep or so per side which would make the groove to groove bore measurement about .512.
I doubt if a flat base bullet will obturate in the same fashion or as easily as a hollow base or minie type of bullet.
Nonetheless, if rapid reloading is too difficult in the field then I recommend using a patched round ball for more rapid reloading for a follow up shot. Or a loose fitting conical like a Buffalo Ballet will fill the same bill.
The main problem with loose fitting conicals is that if the muzzle is carried pointing downward then there's a risk of the conical creeping up the bore and coming off the powder charge.
I suggest carrying the gun's muzzle in an upright position through the woods to help prevent ringing or bulging the barrel that could result.
That goes for all conicals really since once they're engraved and rammed they do tend to loosen up.
Another option would be to stuff an over powder card on top of the conical to help keep it down on top of the powder. A ball of newspaper can be tamped down and compressed to serve the same purpose too. But then that loading variation would need to be tested to insure that it doesn't alter the accuracy of the bullet.
The last suggestion is to use a wooden mallet to gently tap tight fitting conicals down the bore. By the time they're part way down the bore they become easier to ram.