Need to pick some .58 cal projectiles

[Packman]

With the recent acquisition of my new Harper's Ferry pistol, I've also added a new caliber to my collection. The pistol is a .58 cal with a rifled barrel.

Now, I can get some roundball from TOTW in a variety of sizes. However, I'm planning on getting a casting setup from Cabelas in the next day or two, since they have 5$ shipping for a couple more days.

Cabelas has a mold for a .58 minie ball mold for $22.99. However, my thought is that it might be a little silly to bother with a minie ball for a pistol that only has a front blade and no rear sight.

On the other hand, Midway USA has a Lee 2 cavity mold for .570 round ball. I'm thinking this might be the better way to go, and this one is $19.99, so the price is basically a wash. Like I said, I'm just thinking that it's silly to cast the giant (and lead-costly) minie balls for a pistol like this.

Any input before I click the "Order Now" buttons?

 

[[email protected]]

Order the round ball.

 

[Packman]

That's what I figured. Are you saying order the balls from TOTW, or get the RB mold?

I would probably just get the mold, unless you know something about it that would say otherwise...

 

[[email protected]]

The moulds are good ones. If you going to shoot it a lot that would be the way
to go. If your going to just shoot a few hundred times I think I would just buy
the balls . Be cheaper. Do what makes you happy.

 

[Hellgate]

Minies are hard to cast precisely. You need very hot lead and the mold heated up to a hot temp. A round ball with a patch is so much easier and will pretty much do what ever job you want that pistol to do. Get the RB mold.

 

[rdstrain49]

For casting round ball I actually prefer the Lee molds. Lee molds are nearly spruless whereas Lyman, Saeco etc. are not.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

I use Hornady #6120 .570 dia round balls in mine. I use a bore butter saturated .22 caliber rifle cleaning patch with it. The patches are cheap, pure cotton, and a snug fit with the ball.

 

[LAGS]

When I cast round balls or even Buckshot, I take the balls and let them tumble in a RCBS rotory Tumbler for a day.
It Knocks off any Sprue and makes the balls rounder.
If there are any with defects, they will show up as out of round very easily.
You can also put them in a can and shake them to get them rounder, but that sometimes takes forever, especially if you are using a harder lead mix like for Buckshot.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Round balls are the way to go. The mass of a minnie will translate back into the joint of your hand where the thumb meets the hand (ouch), and you won't get any advantage of using such, while the patched round ball will shoot better and be easier on your hand.

LD

 

[StrawHat]

I had a percussion 58 pistol (Model 1855). I believe it had the same rifling. PRB was the way to go with it. Minies would shoot but neither accurately nor without a lot of recoil.

 

[Packman]

Stopped into a local gunshop yesterday to get some FFFFg, and they just happened to have some Hornady .570 RB, so I got a box of 100. Thanks guys! I hope to play with it this weekend. I got some new flints too, but I haven't had a chance to install them and see how it does yet.