Pedersoli Gibbs - Best Bullet Size

[English Bob]

Anyone shooting one of these in .45?

I have read that the bullet needs to be .448/.449....many suggesting sizing the bullet to this size. I tend to lean towards the shoot as cast school of thought so am thinking of ordering a mould to drop the bullet at.449. I reckon that by doing this if I have to resize, then it will be minimal to get it down to .448.

Any views or suggestions would be most welcome.

 

[Mike OTDP]

Try the long-range muzzleloading board at www.lrml.org

 

[English Bob]

Ok will do, thanks for the link.

 

[bonza]

I don't have the Pedersoli Gibbs, but have been shooting a 70's vintage Rigby .451 repro that was imported by Navy Arms. Final size of the bullet you'd need will be determined by your rifle's bore size as they all do vary a bit. So, if you don't have it yet, wait until you do then slug the bore at the muzzle to see what size you have.
In my rifle I size the bullet to .4515" which is a slip-fit in the muzzle (does not engage the rifling). I was originally using a Lyman 457121PH mold (475gn) that shot very well. Don't be mislead by the '457' it actually throws closer to a .452" bullet, so sizing is usually minimal. Later I bought a custom-made mold that threw a bit lighter (450gn) bullet that my rifle seemed to prefer.
I don't use my rifle for Long Range, just 100yd/100m MLAIC competition & found that 60-65gns of 2Fg, a felt wad, & either bullet mentioned would shoot admirably. Plus at those load levels nipple wear was minimal. I've read that the Long Range shooters get severe nipple erosion, as they use heavier bullets (525-550gn) & stiffer powder charges. Many of them are using Platinum-lined nipples to alleviate this.
For sizing dies I prefer the ones from Lee Precision which fit in a standard 7/8x14 reloading press. They carry a number of sizes, but will also make them to order for $25 & delivery time is quite fast.

 

[English Bob]

Thanks for that bonza. Seems like I need to really slug the barrel, have some cerrosafe so I'll do just that.

Seems as though the Pedersoli bore size can vary a bit from what I've read.