. 44 Conicals?

[ZVP]

  Just starting off with these...
A couple questions?

There are several dealers who sell Conicals, who is the best dealer to get them from?
I noticed some Conicals have a grease groove. What's the best way to do this?Do you roll the grease into the groove or can you just pack it with your fingers?
Or are these conicals for cartrige loads and there is a smooth/heeled bullet forC&B uses?
After searching a bit, is a meduim charge best for conicals?
Please, a little advice on Conical shooting?
ZVP

[hellgate]

I only have experience with the home cast LEE conical balls in 36 (130gr) and 44 cal (200gr) for my Italian repros. They cannot be used in 44 cal "Navy" style guns nor in some 1860 Armies as they won't fit under the rammer. In some ASM & Uberti 1860 Armise you can juggle them a bit to load well. Original colts have way more room under the rammer for conicals. I just smear lube into the grooves ahead of time and box up the CBs or else just put lube on the top. The bore tends to be kept cleaner with the conicals than with the balls either from more scraping action or more complete combustion of the powder. The LEE home cast CBs (SOFT LEAD ONLY) are rebated and work great in my ASM  1860 Army and my Remingtons (several makes). The CBs shoot a little higher due to added recoil. The remingtons shoot well with 30grs BP under the CB but less is OK. If I shoot 25grs or less I use a lube wad under the bullet.

[rickk]

Probably the easiest, lowest cost way to lube a conical is the put them in a pan of melted BP lube and let them cool. Then cut them out with a suitable tube that fits snug over the bullet.

This is called "pan lubing".

If you don't feel like improvising a suitable lube cutter, check out "Kake Kutters" here:
http://www.cnyauctions.com/the310shop.htm

[Cookie]

Probably the easiest, lowest cost way to lube a conical is the put them in a pan of melted BP lube and let them cool. Then cut them out with a suitable tube that fits snug over the bullet.

This is called "pan lubing".

If you don't feel like improvising a suitable lube cutter, check out "Kake Kutters" here:
http://www.cnyauctions.com/the310shop.htm

Thanks for the heads up, that looks like a great tool!

[rickk]

Cookie, Lyman and Lee used to make them, but they got sophisticated and started making more fancy stuff. 

I will still run my lubed bullets thru a sizing die, but pan lubing is an easy way to get the lube on there.

For smokeless I use Lee liquid Alox, for BP I pan lube. Either way, after I am done I run them thru an appropriate sized lee sizing die that goes into my press. The sizes them appropriately and cleans up an excess lube at the same time.

I'm sure there are other ways to do it, but that is the way that works for me.

[ZVP]

 Thanks for the information guys!
I don't have any reloading equipment so maybe Conicals aren't the best way for me to go?
Since I own two if the guns listed as hard to load, maybe i ought not try and shoot them.
Thjanks for clearing up this question!
ZVP

[Mako]

You don't need loading tools, just a pan, lube and a cartridge case. The cartridge case serves as a cutter, you just drill the flash hole out and run a pin through it to push the bullet out.  An unsized .45 Colt or even a .45-70 for .44 Bullets and a .38-55 case for the .36 caliber.  As cast work fine with dead soft lead.

~Mako

[hellgate]

ZVP,
You could get a cylinder loader but you have to take the cylinder out of the gun to load them. I've never used a cylinder loader because I hate getting any dirtier than I already do.

[Wolfgang]

I've shot the hollow base connicals that are sold by Cabellas and the accruracy was superb. But for cassual shooting and CAS the improved accuracy isn't needed.  I bought several boxes when the producer changed the lube and Cabelas had a sale on the old stock.  And I've got 'em sitting on the ammo shelf and have still never used any of them.  In Elmer Kieth's book "Handguning" he relates his conversations with civil war veterans who said that they much prefered round ball loads to connical loads. It is very worth reading. 

[Mako]

Hellgate,
I can't imagine you getting much "dirtier"...

[Montana Slim]

........... I've never used a cylinder loader because I hate getting any dirtier than I already do.

+1 

Assume Hellgate is referring to handling/dismantling a fouled revolver 

Slim

[hellgate]

Oh, I'm dirty all right. But one upside to it is it acts as a great wife & kids repellant so I don't get bothered with honey-do lists etc when I come home from a shoot and enjoy the intimate relationship and meditation with the guns as I clean them. It's "EEEEWWWW! Dad's cleaning guns, leave him alone!" Life is sweet.