ROA Hunting Bullets

[rodwha]

I'm interested in heavy (220 grns +) commercially available bullets/conicals that will load easily and straight using the loading ram on the gun. Are there any recommendations?

Ruger recommends a .454" bullet. My cylinders measure out ~.451". I've read of people using .452" 45 Colt/ACP bullets. Is that enough to hold the bullet in place?

I've read of people using Remington's 250 grn LRN, though nobody seemed to like the lube they use. It seems as though it would be hard to load straight as I don't believe it has reduced diameter driving bands.
Anybody use the .454" lead bullets from Hornady, Magtech, or Goex?

And there is Kaedo's 240 grn bullet. Anybody use it?

Once I do get involved in casting what molds are recommended?
I see that Lee's molds are nearly a 1/3 of the cost of others. Is there any reason to invest that much more?

 

[J-Bar]

I use Lee Molds and like them. The aluminum mold bodies require careful handling to prevent dings, but you should be careful around molten lead anyway. Good value.

I have only used round balls in my cap and ball guns, so no advice from personal experience there, sorry.

 

[Voodoochile]

I use the Lee .456 220gr. conicals, they are rebated at the base slightly for ease of loading & with a good natural lube like 50/50 mix of bees wax & crisco makes it perfect for Black Powder.

I use em in my modified Pietta NMA with very good results using 28gr. FFFG Goex, the ROA should be able to use at least 35gr. with that conical.

 

[AbitNutz]

I have to tell you that loading the ROA with bullets using the on gun ram is a fiddly situation at best. BigLube bullets work well. They have a rebated base as well and load well. The problem will be centering the bullet in cut out in the frame. There is so little room.

It's really just a gigantic pain without a loader. I shoot bullets exclusively. I even have a BigLube 220 mold converted to a hollow point...it's wonderful. That's how committed I am to bullets....but if I was going hunting and had to use the ROA's ram. I'd be shooting RB.

 

[MCgunner]

I haven't hunted with my ROA, but have the 220 Lee conical and the hollow point version. The hollow point don't look like it'd expand a whole lot, wouldn't have a lot of confidence in that. I mostly cast it so I'll know it from my .454" ones (Lee mold) for my Remmy and Colt.

If I were going to MAKE a hunting bullet for the ROA, order a mold, I'd get something like a Keith style SWC as heavy as possible. I don't need to load it in the gun, either, have a press for that. There is a mold company that will make a mold to order, or used to, LBT molds, I think, but couldn't get much googling.

 

[ridgerunner1965]

i played with some conicals in my roa but just never could get any serious accuracy out of them compared to round balls.centering them up did seem to be a prob.my cast round balls shot like a 38 special target pistol tho.

 

[AJumbo]

I've always marveled that Ruger put that tight 1-16" rifling in the OA, then made it so tough to load conicals.

Mine shoots any conical way high; balls shoot to point of aim, but even 180gr Buffalo Bullet slugs want to sail over the target. Is anyone else experiencing this?

 

[AbitNutz]

Mine is a 5-1/2" SS and it shoots bullets exactly to the point of aim at 25 yards. I've made about a zillion mods but this is the worst it will shoot...providing I do my part.
This target was shot at 25 yards using BigLube HP's and 40 gr of Triple 7, RWS 1075 plus caps.







These bullets have a huge HP and are pure lead. My experience is that they do expand . I only shoot pure lead and never get a barrel leading problem. They are still horrible to load without a loader.

 

[Jaymo]

Where do yo get your BigLube HP bullets?

 

[rodwha]

I was given a few handfuls of ~190 grn conicals by a guy from another forum that I will give a go, though I feel that's a bit light for use on hogs, but possibly perfect for the little scrawny deer around here (though RB would no doubt do equally well).

Playing with these little conicals I see that the seem on them jacks with it sitting centered in the cylinder. Would need to be careful with adjusting for it when loading them.

Kaedo recently emailed me back about his 2 bullets (240 and 255 grn) that he makes and sells molds for. He will send me 6 of each for $5. I'll certainly be trying them out. The have a nice wide flat point.

Since I am mostly concerned with penetration I'm not interested in a HP design. My understanding is that, even though it's typically soft lead, these RB or conicals/bullets don't expand much. Is this true? I find it hard to believe.

I've read how many people seem to have trouble with bullets hitting quite high. I have an adj sight model, but hear even those can't be adjusted enough. Since the front sight is pinned in I hear I can get a Blackhawk sight installed, which is taller. Time will tell I suppose.

 

[scrat]

Only thing that matters is accuracy. Say you are going to do some Deer hunting. The Deer doesnt know if your using round ball or conical. Same time the Deer doesnt care. Now you may get the (Feel Goods) the (fuzzy wuzzy) or the (warm peachy feeling) but the bottom line if you know how to shoot then it doesnt make a plum difference if you shoot with a round ball or a conical. Bench rest shooting it has been proved before the round ball has almost a greater accuracy than a conical.


Id stick to the round ball .454 why because when you shave a good piece of lead out of it then forcing it down the cylinder. You pretty much are making it a conical. However it will be better as you dont have to worry about the tip deforming or it not going in straight. Most conicals give you that (feel good feeling). thats a false feeling as when you load it, it must shave a good piece around the conical. if you did not perfectly align the conical to make sure it when it straight and it went in a slight angle. Then when shooting that conical it will wobble all over the place when it leaves the barrel. So to half way answer what you wrote yes you measure your cylinder at .451 and they recommend .454 why so you can shave off a good piece and ensure a proper seal of the cylinder preventing flash overs. Shaving the ball turns it into a conical giving you a greater accuracy

 

[dprice3844444]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=661084&highlight=ruger+old+army

 

[rodwha]

Accuracy is certainly an issue. I wouldn't use something that I couldn't be certain would strike in the area aimed at. I'm after 4" groups or smaller if possible, but I'll take 6" if that's the best I can get.
I would have no problem using a RB on deer, especially not these little South Texas guys. But I would not feel right about using them on a 200+ lb hog. For them I would want a heavier projectile.
And I would use a rather heavy bullet that didn't group well as a back up to a rifle that did as an angry hog wouldn't be far from my leg if I needed it.

"Bench rest shooting it has been proved before the round ball has almost a greater accuracy than a conical"

While I would say that your statement is typically true from what I've read and seen, it's not necessarily true always. I saw a video in which a guy fired RB, conicals, and a 240 grn FN created by Kaedo, and there wasn't a huge difference in groupings. I'll see if I can find that video and give a link.

 

[rodwha]

Thanks dprice!
Not a bad grouping for such a heavy bullet at 50 yds wouldn't you sat scrat?

 

[rodwha]

Here it is scrat:

 

[rodwha]

Scrat: I'm definitely concerned with being able to load it in straight. I'm curious as to how people who have been loading standard 45 Colt/ACP lead bullets. I'm guessing they resize the base ring or something.

 

[scrat]

totally different. Some bullets have a healed bottom to make sure they go in straight.
Loading 45colt in cartridges i make sure each bullet is correctly sized first. then the cases are also resized and the case mouth is slightly expanded and chamfered to allow the bullet to be loaded without distorting the case. The case is also loaded using a press with the proper tip to allow the bullet from not getting deformed.

using just your loading ram on your revolver. you will notice the rammer can put a nice ring in the bullet tip from ramming it in. I have seen some nice conical bullets being rammed in leaving the tips deformed as well as a nice round ring from the ram rod. To properly load them you would need to use a bench type loader with a proper tip to prevent the deformation of the conical.

 

[MCgunner]

Mine shoots any conical way high; balls shoot to point of aim, but even 180gr Buffalo Bullet slugs want to sail over the target. Is anyone else experiencing this?

My conicals shoot high, but so do round ball. Both shoot 2" at 25 yards or a little better. I have my rear sight adjusted as low as it will go and hold the blade at the bottom of the sight while centering the target above the blade between the tops of the rear sight. Hey, it works. I got a free taller blade for the thing, but then when I went to try to install it, found this gun has its blade made TO the gun, can't be removed. Hmmm....distinctly remember my stainless one (got stolen) having a pinned front sight blade.

Oh, well, I can hit with it doing what I described above. Like I say, both RB (25 grains pyordex OR 777) and my 220 conicals (full charge of pyrodex OR 777 or 25 grains with cornmeal filler) shot to the same POI. I mean, it don't matter how I vary the charge, same POI at 25 yards. BUT, at least it's consistent. LOL My 5.5" Remmy shoots ball to POA and cast abut 4" high at 25. It's only about 3" at 25 yards accurate, though. The Ruger is more accurate. If I try shooting higher than 30 rains pyrodex with filler, my groups on the Remmy go to crap. If I don't use filler, same. It's kinda picky, the ROA isn't. No matter what I stuff in it, I know how to aim with it.

One thing, If I load the ROA up to HOT with the conicals with 777, by the 4th shot, the conicals are pulled far enough out to start interfering with the forcing cone. I guess that wouldn't really matter for hunting purposes, I just noticed it when I first got a can of 777 and was playing with it.

 

[rodwha]

MCgunner: My 7.5" SS's sight is pinned. I believe only the SS ones are.
And having the conicals/bullets jumping out could be a problem if I used it for tracking a wounded angry hog! Can't say I've had to track anything yet, but that doesn't mean I won't. But hunting with a scoped rifle isn't the same as using a handgun with open sights.

 

[rodwha]

scrat: Sorry. I wasn't specific about the loading of 45 Colt/ACP bullets. I meant loading them in cap n ball guns.

 

[scrat]

well in that case lol.
Lets say in my case i have a few molds both though are though .452 molds. A trick i did a few years ago on mold for black powder. i cast a bullet then took it to the drill press. Made sure it was centered. Drilled i think it was a 1/8 diameter hole about 3/16 of in inch in depth. I then took an 1/8 rod think i used a nail. Cut it and jb welded it in the bullet. Once it was totally dry i put in valve grinding compound in the mold just a very very small amount then put in the bullet and put the unit in a vise and spun around the bullet with a drill. then removed the bullet checked the mold and recast a new bullet. Then measured the bullet i did this to i was just shy of .454 i then did the same thing using polishing compound. After that i was good to go. I have used this same method to fix molds that were out of round or just needed some fixing. Somewhere around here i have that mold still. I just stopped using it as the tip was rounded and when ever i loaded it the ram rod put a nice round ring in it. Then like others i never found that much of a performance with it compared to using round balls. As for loading them. If you cast about say 100 of them when your done i would take a file to the bottom to taper them in for ease of loading otherwise a flat surface bullt up against a smaller cylinder never worked out to well. For now i just use round ball and anything else if i want to shoot conicals well then i change the cylinder and shoot 45 Colt