Which mold for 1858 Rem?

[OrangePwrx9]

New to BP revolvers (but not muzzleloading). Just ordered 8" 1858 Rem from Cabelas. The enthusiasm here for these things is contagious.

Which size roundball works best? l'm on the verge of ordering a .454 Lee RB mold, but thought I'd check here first. I've got lead pots and all and have cast bullets before, but not recently.

Thanks.

 

[arcticap]

The Pietta Remingtons are basically designed to work with the .451 balls. However some folks prefer the .454 balls.
The issue with casting balls for it are that the ball diameter may differ from the stated mold diameter depending on the lead alloy used. Impure lead may result in slightly larger balls which creates slightly more loading difficulty.
Some folks load off the frame using a loading press which negates most of the difference in loading difficulty.
I noticed that the last batch of Hornady .451 round balls that I purchased were slightly smaller than thier older production balls and didn't shave as much of a lead ring when loaded. However they're still plenty tight enough to not creep forward during firing, and I could feel that they were being swagged into the chambers tightly by the amount of resistance when rammed.
Perhaps trying some factory made balls in your new revolver will provide the answer about which mold to buy.
The Pietta Remington chambers are usually slightly smaller than .450 by several thousandths. But the amount of loading difficulty and resulting performance for each individual gun is a matter of personal preference.
Generally .451's should work just fine. The .454's will provide slightly more surface bearing area along with harder loading which some folks believe can translate into slightly better performance.

 

[Busyhands94]

I have tried .454 round balls and .450 conicals in mine. I think that .454 balls are my favorite, they shave a nice ring of lead and shoot well. but of course, it's all down to you trying different sizes and seeing what works best.

~Levi

 

[Greg528iT]

I have an older Cabela Remington. I had exactly that same question.. The .451"s seemed snug in the local outfitters. I have now been shooting them. Last night a young kid was surprised how much effort it took to shave / swage them into place. Currently I am not worried about gaps around the ball.

 

[72coupe]

My Lyman 58 shoots very good 50 yard groups with the Lee conical cast of pure lead.

 

[Hellgate]

The .454s have worked for me in over 30 different C&Bs of several makes (ASM,ASSP, Pietta & Uberti).