Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 24

Thread: Rcbs .58 minie ball mould???

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    1,814
    Region:
    Potomac - Virginia, Maryland and Delaware

    Rcbs .58 minie ball mould???

    Need help on what I hope is a quick/easy question.

    Was planning to purchase an RCBS "Original Style" Mini Ball Mold (RCBS Part Number 82103), but noticed in a vendor's description that it casts a .575 projectile.

    For my piece, I size my rounds to .576.

    This a.m., I spoke to a rep at RCBS for the "ground truth" and was made even more confused after our extended phone conversation.

    Bottom line - I want to know from fellow skirmishers who use/used this specific mould: does it cast no kidding .575 (too small for me) - OR; does it cast rounds slightly larger and suitable for my sizing needs?

    Any and all help/responses are sincerely appreciated!! Many thanks in advance for your help.
    Semper Fi,
    Rob Freeman
    Col, USMC (Ret.)
    1987-2019

    The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor. - Vince Lombardi

  2. #2
    Lou Lou Lou is offline
    Team:
    Tammany Regiment, 42nd New York
    Member
    4869
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Lung Island, New Yawk
    Posts
    1,965
    Region:
    New England - New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts
    I have ben using the RCBS 500M for 36 years. It does cast slightly larger and I size to .576. Years ago the team bought a bunch that were oversized directly from RCBS.
    I may have 1 0r two sets of unused blocks left. I cant guarantee what they throw as they are unused. Hope this helps
    Lou Lou Lou Ruggiero
    Tammany Regt-42nd NYVI

  3. #3
    rflmskt is offline
    Team:
    1st Michigan Infantry
    Member
    5597
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Allen Park, MI
    Posts
    41
    Region:
    Northwest Territory - Michigan, Ohio and Indiana
    Although I started out with the Lyman 575494 wadcutter, I have also used the RCBS 58-500-M as my primary musket bullet for over 30 years. I have two sets of blocks, and both cast large enough in pure lead for me to size to .576.

    It is a pretty forgiving bullet, and works well in a wide range of rifling and twists, but it is heavy and eats through lead quickly.

    John Dam, 5597V
    1st MI Vol, Inf.
    Last edited by rflmskt; 02-01-2018 at 11:21 AM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Huntsville
    Posts
    3,733
    Region:
    Deep South - Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi and Texas
    Very few of my molds cast what they claim to cast, either in terms of weight nor size.

    Steve

  5. #5
    Eggman's Avatar
    Eggman is offline Banned
    Team:
    Iredell Blues
    Member
    7786v
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Posts
    1,763
    Region:
    Carolina - North Carolina and South Carolina
    Quote Originally Posted by Maillemaker View Post
    Very few of my molds cast what they claim to cast, either in terms of weight nor size.

    Steve
    Alabama lead doesn't cast the same Steve. There's chitlins, and hominy, and stuff like that mixed in.

  6. #6
    bobanderson is offline
    Team:
    1st Michigan Infantry
    Member
    12291
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Howell, MI
    Posts
    831
    Region:
    Northwest Territory - Michigan, Ohio and Indiana
    Only way to find out is to cast some, Rob. Even moulds from the same maker can differ as tools wear, etc. Even though pure lead is the recommended metal, you could add a small (1%) amount of nobler metal such as tin to cause the bullets to come out of the mould slightly larger.

    I prefer to open them up as needed and size down.

    BTW - Don't bother asking the RCBS engineers about it. I had a .578 Hodgdon mould that threw them out at .576 and called to see if they would replace it. I got into a heated discussion with a guy who insisted that N-SSA shooters never size their minies. The customer service rep ended up gifting me a different mould.
    Bob Anderson
    Ordnance Sergeant
    Company C, 1st Michigan Volunteer Infantry
    Small Arms Committee

    "I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a hand on.
    I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."
    - John Wayne in "The Shootist", 1976

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    1,814
    Region:
    Potomac - Virginia, Maryland and Delaware

    Latest on an os .58 minie...

    Since my last post on this subject...

    Recast the batch of minies with the Lyman mold and encountered the exact same problem: clefts at base of skirt - across the board. Pure soft lead, Rapine-type pot - lead was HOT. Tried all of the various pouring techniques (fast, slow, tipped, mouth-to-mouth) - no dice...

    So I went forward and ordered the RCBS OS Minie. Despite being advertised as casting .585, I took a gamble thinking that it (like many moulds) would cast a touch bigger so it could be sized accordingly.

    Recast the lot again (3d time now). Rounds came out beautifully after the mould got hot - success, finally! Until I went to size the lot the next day...

    As hoped, the mold DID cast a touch larger, but more than just "a touch". I knew something was amiss when I ran the first round thru the lubri-sizer as there was noticeable resistance in pushing the round into the die. Pushed thru 5 test balls, everyone had the top grease ring virtually smeared (sized) off and the sizing was NOT uniform around the circumference of the round. The sizer was clearly taking more off one side of the projectile than the other... I used an RCBS lubri-sizer, with a brand new .575 die purchased from a reputable suttler.

    So - not sure where to go next, or what to do???

    So far I've invested $150 and 10 man hours behind a lead pot into this "science project". Hate to say that I'm "pot committed" at this point, but I do want to see where this journey takes me in finding the "perfect" OS Minie that sizes correctly to .575

    Any advice/tips/courses of action? Anything at this point is greatly appreciated.

    Unfortunately where I'm working this week I can't pull/post photos to the BB showing raw and sized RCBS rounds.
    Semper Fi,
    Rob Freeman
    Col, USMC (Ret.)
    1987-2019

    The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor. - Vince Lombardi

  8. #8
    PapaRob is offline Banned
    Team:
    48th Virginia Infantry
    Member
    10407V
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Winchester, VA
    Posts
    276
    Region:
    Central Virginia - Virginia and North Carolina
    Rob, did you mean you got a .575 mould from RCBS? Cause your post says .585, if you did get a .585...well there's your problem, that would be like trying to push a pig through a snake. I have a couple of Rapine and Moose Old Style Moulds and they cast just slightly larger than advertised and both of them shoot well in 3 banders but not nearly as good in the 2 banders as the Hogden or "skirmisher" bullet from RCBS

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    1,814
    Region:
    Potomac - Virginia, Maryland and Delaware
    Quote Originally Posted by TiggerBob View Post
    Rob, did you mean you got a .575 mould from RCBS? Cause your post says .585, if you did get a .585...well there's your problem, that would be like trying to push a pig through a snake. I have a couple of Rapine and Moose Old Style Moulds and they cast just slightly larger than advertised and both of them shoot well in 3 banders but not nearly as good in the 2 banders as the Hogden or "skirmisher" bullet from RCBS
    My apologies - typo. The RCBS mould was advertised as .575.
    Semper Fi,
    Rob Freeman
    Col, USMC (Ret.)
    1987-2019

    The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor. - Vince Lombardi

  10. #10
    Lou Lou Lou is offline
    Team:
    Tammany Regiment, 42nd New York
    Member
    4869
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Lung Island, New Yawk
    Posts
    1,965
    Region:
    New England - New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts
    1. What size were the recast Lyman Minies? You said they were slightly larger.

    2. You want to size to .576, correct? Check the die. Is it clean? Is it the right size? Shouldn't have any problems sizing down up to .003 without deformation.
    Lou Lou Lou Ruggiero
    Tammany Regt-42nd NYVI

Similar Threads

  1. Best twist for 54 and 58 RCBS/Hodgdon minie?
    By Kevin Tinny in forum Shooting Techs, Tips, & Tricks
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 02-18-2017, 01:24 PM
  2. WTB Lyman or rcbs hodgdon style minie ball mold
    By Timmeu in forum Wanted/For Sale Items
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 02-10-2017, 08:23 AM
  3. Thin skirted minie ball mould advice
    By BoonieStomper in forum Small Arms
    Replies: 22
    Last Post: 03-23-2015, 08:13 PM
  4. WTB RCBS Hodgdon Minie Mould
    By Jim Leinicke 7368V in forum Wanted/For Sale Items
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 08-30-2013, 01:01 PM
  5. WTB used Lyman .69 Minie Ball Mould
    By Timothy O'Sullivan in forum Wanted/For Sale Items
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 03-26-2009, 09:02 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •