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.58 Minnie’

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.243 Winchester
.243 Winchester
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Joined: 08 December 2006
Location: United States
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Points: 171
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    Posted: 09 December 2006 at 10:00
any body casting for muskets,,got Lee mould and Zouave repro,,shoots Great Plains bullets very well,,but want to go cheaper for non-big game shooting
LIFE IS HARD.....STUPID MAKES LIFE HARDER.......DON'T DO STUPID!!!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 December 2006 at 14:49

Hi Big, nice to see you post.

I've been loading for Zouave rifle for about 40 years.  Some thoughts.  These are just my preferences, others can differ.

 

I load 260 grain round balls (.560) with a cotton patch.  I also load cast Minnie cast 460 grains.  I load the round ball for target and longer range ( greater than 150 yard hunting).  The Minnie is my standard hunting bullet.  I cast these in Lyman molds.  The Lee molds are not accurate enough.  This is easily determined by casting some Lee round balls (I made a jig to check roundness) but you can merely roll them on the kitchen table and you will laugh at the out of round of the results.  So for me it is Lyman molds.

The Minnie that I shoot is the old style #575213, call me a traditionalist but I think this is identical to the Civil war projectile.  One down side of this is the skirt is thin and if you go magnum level the skirt will rupture at the muzzle when the bullet leaves as the pressure will push the thin skirt out on one side before the other.  I dip coat the lube into the grooves on the bullet  (hard wax compound recipe from the NRA).  90 grains of FFFG seems to be accurate and gives me about 950fps.  This is my hunting load for deer and feral hogs.

On the round ball 90 grains gives me about 1225 fps.

Hope this helps.  Remember to start low with this old rifles or the foreign reproductions.

BEAR

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.243 Winchester
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Joined: 08 December 2006
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote big open Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 December 2006 at 08:32
Bear,hey,,,,not too many Z-rifle shooters from my knowledge,,,you shoot .560 ball?,,I am loading a .570 with a .010 patch,,.015 was too tight,,,am using  Hornady cold swaged ball,,,I haven't cast any with the Lee traditional Minie' mould yet,,had good luck with the R.E.A.L. bullet in a hawken,,,I might go that way instead of a ball for general shooting,,,,the litest R.E.A.L. bullet that is,,,,and deer,,,,save the Great Plains slug for the big stuff.I use 90 grn.s Pyro. R/S mostly but am thinking of changing to black if I can find a dealer that carries real black around here.I haven't shot anything much lately but want to get going again,,,I am gonna try a 24 ga. shot wad/cup and a load of birdshot out of the Z,,kinda like the poor folks did when they got home after the civil war,,for tree rats and hares.  LATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 December 2006 at 04:09

Big open.

 

Just my thoughts on RB.  I love them, and hunt with only RD in my flint locks, very accurate and deadly.

I like a thick patch.  When I get a muzzle loader, I mic the barrel. them I pick the patch material, usually .015 or .020.  I usually mic the patch material to make sure.  The I take the diameter minus the ( twice thepatch material thickness) and sutract.005 for compression.  Then I buy my mould that size.  Some times I have to special order the mold, but it is well worth it as the rifle shoots great and loads perfect.  I hate to have to use thin patches to compensate for the smaller bore diameter.  I've found that thin patches will burn through right at the rifling marks.

I never shot the Z with birdshot, got a 20 guage flint shotgun for that.  Sort of wonder about getting plastic from the wad in the rifling?????  but most Z barrels are thin rifled and should work.  Hunting with the flint is a ball in itself.  Actually I'm the only one I know that hunts with a flintlock for birds.  Crazy.

BEAR

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote big open Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 January 2007 at 14:57
I am wanting a smooth bore for birds but I don't know about the flint part in a bird gun but it sounds a hoot!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LIFE IS HARD.....STUPID MAKES LIFE HARDER.......DON'T DO STUPID!!!
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