Hi to all,
I have acquired a Brown Bess musket (Pedersoli) which I use for demos at a Revolutionary War battle site.
I have decided to use the Bess as a deer gun this year. The problem is that I cannot find a source for .75 caliber musket balls. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thank you all

Dixie Gunworks

Concho
Thanks. Works for me.
Y.D.

Try http://www.trackofthewolf.com Good hunting!

quote:

Originally posted by Yankee Doodle:
Hi to all,
I have acquired a Brown Bess musket (Pedersoli) which I use for demos at a Revolutionary War battle site.
I have decided to use the Bess as a deer gun this year. The problem is that I cannot find a source for .75 caliber musket balls. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Thank you all

A .730" or .735" with a heavy patch will be quite satisfactory in a Bess..... I just bought some .735" balls from Fort Chambers in Chambersburg PA. for my .73 cal. Jaeger. They have a web site.

Y/D:

I had Dixie bore out a scissors type round ball mold to the size they recommended for my .735"/.72 cal.

Nice looking all cast steel tool. Seems like it cost a total of $43 give or take a few. They said .715" and use a good patch. So that's what I had made. Works good for me.

Lee will make one, but, up front charge is $100 setup charge plus standard mold cost. Doubt it's worth that much to you.

IF you don't want a round ball, check my posting on another here in the b/p lists. Explained how I've made up a slug mold of various weights.

Good luck,

George

quote:

Originally posted by georgeld:
IF you don't want a round ball, check my posting on another here in the b/p lists. Explained how I've made up a slug mold of various weights.

Good luck,

George

Would that be a foster type slug
for use in a smoothbore?

AllanD

I contacted the guy in UK about his molds. They sure look nice, but, the price at $100 + shipping is a bit much for me

Thing about his design especially for cannon ball types. It's not solid. So the weight isn't out of hand.
His handles are crappy looking but, the mold itself is great.

His system uses an insert ball in one side that's smaller, this leave's a large round nose hollow cylinder shaped slug. This will allow an ill fit if there is one to still fill up and seal the bore.

His contact info is elsewhere in this section, I don't have it right now, sorry. You can find it with a little reading.

At the time I was trying to locate a mold for a cannon ball 1 1/2" dia. This would be ideal for that use. Doubt I'll build the cannon though I do have several sections of drill stem with half inch thick walls and this bore. Would make a great barrel for one.

George

Alan:

No, it's based on a bored out Lee 1oz 12ga slug mold.
Bottom and insert is taken off, then blocks bored to .735 up to the right height to leave a nice round nose with a shoulder around the base of the ball.

With the sprue plate taken off and nozzle pushed into the blocks to fill it up. Then just as it solidifies, twist the mold a little bit to break it loose and that leaves a fine looking 1/8" deep x 3/8" dia hollow point.

The full sized pour like this, weighs 1115gr. To make it adjustable in weights. I've planned to make full dia. inserts mounted to the base plate of differing heights. To shorten the length of the slug 1/8" at a time. With about 4 different inserts, and the full size. This would make 5 different weight slugs all the same except length and weight.

I screwed up and didn't turn grease grooves at all. So will have to start over with a new mold. But, they sell for $25, so thats not any big deal.

Thanks for asking, keep in mind this design can be used for most any sized bore with the right dia boring in the mold blocks.

George

What I think would work in a smoothbore... if of course your smothbore is the correct diameter... is to use the Lyman Slug mould.

Lyman had a mould that makes a shotgun slug
that closely resembles a air rifle pellet, but it's frikken HUGE...

they are intended to be used in a common four petal shotshell wad, though I'm not sure if they are intended for a smoothbore or a rifled shotgun...

I'll note that some martial smoothbores closely match 12ga and 20ga bore diameters.

I know atleast one guy who had great success by cutting apart 16Ga Brenneke slug loads and loading the slug and base wad over a 90gr charge of FFg, though I can't remember what smoothbore it was he was using it in...

AllanD

quote:

I know atleast one guy who had great success by cutting apart 16Ga Brenneke slug loads and loading the slug and base wad over a 90gr charge of FFg, though I can't remember what smoothbore it was he was using it in...

Now look what you've gone and done. Now I've got to go cut up a perfectly good Brenneke 20 gauge slug to see how close a fit it would be in my .62

I have a rapine .735 bag mold for my Bess BUT with that said, if you use a .735 ball, use silk as patching. The .735 is best when the musket has been fired several times and the fouling makes the 735 a great choice unpatched. Most that hunt with Besses use a heavy patched .715 round ball. Contact any of these places as to buying a Rapine mold:
Http://www.logcabinshop.com
Http://www.trackofthewolf.com
Http://www.dixiegunworks.com