Ten X Slick Silver Bullets

[Boots McCrackin]

They have some hollow base Scholfield and Colt rounds I like to try. The factory ammo that I have been getting, different brands, are not marked as to what dia. bullet there using. I assume that there using .451 or .452. In c&p mode my Remmi perfers the .454 ball. Do you all think that maybe the hollow base may take up the extra slack and print even better and maybe lower? I cant find anything lighter than the 165 grain. Who loads a .454? Would this be a problem in a Colt round seeing how tight the chambers are in the R&D? The Scholfields seem to hae a little more play. If I only knew how to hand load. LOL.

[Tuolumne Lawman]

Howdy pard,

The .454 balls swedge down to about .451-452 when you load them in the chambers (the little lead ring left behind).  I have slugged a Pietta 58 and an Uberti 58, and both were about .451-.452 in the grooves.  454s would make for tight chambering in R&D cylindersssss, also.

[Boots McCrackin]

Thanks Lawman, you got me thinking. There is a different theory between ball and bullet! I guess I'll give those hollow base bullets a try. Then mess with my front sight.

[sundance44`s]

Boots if ya ever get into hand loading .. something i do .. you can load a .454 round ball on a 45 colt shell case and shoot them out of your conversion cylinders ..with the balls staying .454 no lead shaveing when loading .. you wouldn`t beleive how straight they shoot .

[Boots McCrackin]

Great idea Sundance44's... Would you care to elaborate a bit more on that subject? Like what basic equipment I need, can I use once fired brass, etc. etc. Have you tried smokeless loads like that? Or can you?

[Coop Trawlaine]

Now you fellas dun gots me ta thinkin, I know a bad habit.   I just came into a box of 454's already lubed and was going to have them used to reload my once fired starline brass.   Does what you been saying mean that I am looking at trouble with my R&D cyl. and the 58 Pietta Rem?

[sundance44`s]

Boots i`ve never tried the round balls with smokeless.. so i don`t know ...I got the idea of the round ball cartrages from the back pages in a Dixie Gun Works book ... they showed it being done with a nail and a hammer .... i didn`t go that primitive .. i used a lee hand loader , there`s no place for lube so i used a sub that didn`t need the lube .. APP 3f .. just filled the case bout 1/8 inch below the top and pushed a round ball .454 into the top and tapped it down with a plastic mallet untill the ball was seated to the half way point .. then i used the neck crimp on it ... it holds them tight ..never had one come loose shooting them in my 1858 with conversion cylinders . The Lee hand loaders are cheap about 13 bucks and there`s everything ya need to load them safely . The round balls aren`t as heavy as bullets  so even with the cases full of powder the recoil isn`t bad at all .

[Boots McCrackin]

Sundance44's, Will the Lee hand loader make that neck crimp? And prime? Took what info you gave me earlier and some info I got off that blurb about the JP .45-200 Big Lube bullet. Tried 27 grains in a Scholfield case using Pyro fffg and seated a.454 ball.
It went down flush with the case. Was going to top it off with Crisco. It even shaved a very minute bit of lead. Not much more than a percussion load contained in a brass sleeve. But still have black powder fun, half the clean up and no cap pieces to hang up the works. Have not shot them yet, so I cant get too excited. Will try the .45 Colt loads you explained. What brand powder is that your using that dont need lube? Just APP 31

[sundance44`s]

Boots there`s one die in the hand loading set ..one end of the die is for sizeing and ya flip it over and the other end is a neck crimp . All you`ll need thats not in the box is some sort of plastic or leather hammer .

[Boots McCrackin]

Thanks pard, let you know later how it works out.

[Grapeshot]

I've taken .454 balls and gave them a coating of Lee's Liquid Alox, let dry, and seat in case on top of BP or APP and shot as is.  Recoil is mild and balls are accurate ouot of a SAA or '58 w/conversion cylinder.