Ball-ets too small for bore - alternatives?

[Fat_46]

I'm shooting a 45 cal Euroarms Hawken. Round ball with a .010 patch work good, but I wanted a little more weight for deer. However, the 45 cal Ball-ets just fall right into the bore. I tried patching the ball-et, but couldn't get it started as it was too tight.

I'm not set up for casting yet, but still want to find a conical that will fit correctly.

I'm thinking about slugging the bore by removing the breech plug and measuring the slug. Is there any other way to determine what size 45 cal projectile I need?

I'm very new to BP so any advice is welcome!

 

[the Black Spot]

Nothing wrong with patched rb for deer. Shot placement is key

 

[BHP FAN]

Your barrel twist is probably set up for round ball anyway, or at best is a compromise twist, which will still shoot better with round ball. The Hawken isn't an inline, and it tends to keyhole after about fifty yards with anything other than round ball, but plenty of deer have been taken by round ball. It's worked that way since the brothers Hawken were makeing them in 1800's.

 

[arcticap]

Is there any other way to determine what size 45 cal projectile I need?

One barrel maker said that the last few inches of the bore are the most important for good accuracy. That would seem to suggest that the muzzle measurement where the projectile is exiting and being loaded is the most critical measurement, especially when it comes to ease of loading.

If a good measurement can be obtained from the crown that could be most helpful. Modern bores are pretty uniform if they're not worn much, and a sandwich of wads or an over powder card can seal the gases off if the projectile is loose in the breech after being loaded.

Also, a very light powder charge of about 5 grains or less should be able to expel the projectile into a soft medium without distorting the bullet so that measurements can be taken.

Removing the breechplug can be considered to be an extreme measure with some guns just for the sake of slugging the bore.

Depending on which Buffalo Bullets were tried, some measure .451, or measure one which will help to at least establish a reference point.

Another idea would be to try wrapping teflon tape around the projectile as one would with paper patching. It is a lot thinner than paper.
TC sells teflon tape to wrap breech plugs with and discount stores sell different thicknesses of teflon tape. It's inert and shouldn't burn or harm the bore.
Also, projectiles can be sandwiched in the bore between wads or overpowder cards to hold them in place. While doing that may not produce the best accuracy, one might be surprised to see that the target can be hit relatively close to the point of aim at a moderate distance.
And saboted bullets may also be a consideration.
Trying these methods and determining the rate of twist could help to determine if your gun has the potential to shoot conicals well enough for you at all before going through a lot of hassle only to find out otherwise.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

The patched round ball, in .440 or .445 will indeed take deer. Many many have fallen to that projectile, with a moderate amount of powder behind it. So, you should be confident that they will work.

Some folks like all lead, which deforms very easily upon impact, but others like to use a lead alloy, perhaps lead with some wheel weight alloy mixed in, to get the bullet harder, so it doesn't deform as fast or at all, and goes deeper into the animal, or through the animal. It is, after all, a .440 hole, when it doesn't deform, and that's plenty big.

So you may wish to use a harder round ball, instead of upping the mass of the projectile. You are not wrong, though, in your concern that you use a proper bullet to do the job. That's the sign of a good hunter.

LD