Rapine Bullet Molds

Recently, the shop acquired a couple dozen NOS Rapine ball molds of various sizes---including an interesting .577-460 minie which I will be trying this weekend.
There are also seven or eight Mystery Molds which might be of interest and maybe somebody here knows what they were made for, heh?
They are single molds for a humongous .986" round ball (I think it's 986 but I did not write it down, could be 968). Miniature cannon balls? Dirty Harry's great, great, great grandpa's wheel-lock?
-----krinko

 

I use a few Rapine minie ball molds and like that they have a captive base. Makes casting faster than having to twist the base pin out every time.

The .577-460 minie is likely a copy of the Lyman old style bullet, that's the correct weight for that particular example.

 

I have the 577 460 grain, and the 577 510 grain molds, and I talked to Ray about loading. These have thin skirts, use 50 to 60 grains, no more, or you will blow the skirt on the Minie ball.

Ray claimed the 460 grain bullet was the "old" Minie, and the 510 grain the later version. I have one Civil War Minie with a stamped star inside its base, and it looks identical, except for the white, lead oxide coating, as the 460 rapine Minie.

I have the device he sold which filled the base with grease. Ray recommended a 50/50 mix of crisco and beeswax. Adjust the level of beeswax based on temperature, the hotter it is, the more beeswax. I do not know if you can put enough grease down the tube of a musket. The more grease, the longer it was till the bore has to be swabbed out. I think I went close to 20 shots, then ramming got difficult.

You want about 0.002" clearance between the Minie and the bore. Any more, and it won't be accurate.

 

The star denotes Washington Arsenal.

 

Interesting. Now I need to find where I stashed the thing. Paid $1.00 for it in the 1970's.