Lyman .69 Minie

[hobbler]

Does anyone here shoot a barrel that the Lyman .69 minie fits?
If so, what kind of accuracy have you obtained?

[John Gaskill 3037V]

I shot the lyman 69minnie out of a Armisport rifled 42 with good results. No problem breaking pigeons. Jut couldn't afford the lead and powder.

[hobbler]

Do you recall what charge worked best for you?

[Scott Lynch 1460V]

I shoot an original Belgian version of the Whitney Plymouth with a Hoyt liner. I shoot 54 grains of 3 F and it shoots very well. I have medaled with it many times. Recoil is very tolerable. Scott

[hobbler]

Thank you for the input.
My Armisport two bander has a .696" bore diameter. So, been shooting either a paper patched round nosed adjustable length hollow base or patched round ball. With the round nosed paper patch <0.9" is about as long as will reliably stabilize and not try to tip. With round ball hardened lead shoots better than soft though a pain to load.
After studying photos of recovered original bullets and seeing the great variety of the lube groove and paper patch designs that were used from 1861 to 1865 it would appear that the majority are approximately duplicated by Lymans mold. So, thought to inquire about what results folks have had with it.
One of the 68569 molds could be adapted to my barrel by enlarging the bands in the mold blocks but I've been researching the designs before going that route. The "wadcutter" minie molds that are made for close range shooting appear to be intentionally as light of weight as can be made to work, the Lyman appeared to be heavier than needed... but there isn't yet a commercially produced Goldilocks mold in between as reflected by numerous of the battlefield relics. So, I've been cobbling together my own to be mid-range in weight.
Again, thanks for the input so far. Appreciate any other info that's forthcoming.

[gemmer]

Thank you for the input.
My Armisport two bander has a .696" bore diameter. So, been shooting either a paper patched round nosed adjustable length hollow base or patched round ball. With the round nosed paper patch <0.9" is about as long as will reliably stabilize and not try to tip. With round ball hardened lead shoots better than soft though a pain to load.
After studying photos of recovered original bullets and seeing the great variety of the lube groove and paper patch designs that were used from 1861 to 1865 it would appear that the majority are approximately duplicated by Lymans mold. So, thought to inquire about what results folks have had with it.
One of the 68569 molds could be adapted to my barrel by enlarging the bands in the mold blocks but I've been researching the designs before going that route. The "wadcutter" minie molds that are made for close range shooting appear to be intentionally as light of weight as can be made to work, the Lyman appeared to be heavier than needed... but there isn't yet a commercially produced Goldilocks mold in between as reflected by numerous of the battlefield relics. So, I've been cobbling together my own to be mid-range in weight.
Again, thanks for the input so far. Appreciate any other info that's forthcoming.

Moose makes a wadcutter in .695.

[hobbler]

To increase the as-cast diameter on the .69 minie mold, I'm gonna try valve grinding compound on hard cast minies spun with a drill.
Need to increase the size about 0.009"-0.010". Figure to lap, cast a new lap, lap some more, cast a new lap, lap some more...
Any yall tried doing it that way?

[John Bly]

I think trying to lap that much out of a mold will get it pretty far out of round and possibly ruin it. Lapping is generally used to increase diameter by very small amounts on the order of .001" to .002" and to smooth up any burrs at the mold half interface to get the bullets to drop out easier. To get .009"-.010" diameter increase it should be chucked in a lathe and the grooves carefully recut deeper. There is someone who does that but I don't know who it is.

The British had a procedure called beagling to increase mold diameter. I don't know how to do it either but you might try to Google it.

[hobbler]

You could be right. I'm hoping to cast, lap, cast, lap, cast, lap.... as Popeye would say until I can't laps no more... and get it useable configuration.
The idea being that the newly cast laps will constantly increase the major dimension on the laps, causing any narrower dimensions in the mold cavity to get hit first. If the required increase in diameter can be achieved in this manner it will be interesting to see if the skirt thickness is grossly different from one side to the other.

[John Gaskill 3037V]

Do you recall what charge worked best for you?
Is shooting 60 grains of 2F

[hobbler]

Thanks on the load info. Is that two bander or three? Don't know if it will matter but I will put it in my notes for reference.

On the lapping, I think it would probably lap evenly as far as the mold cavity goes because the cylindrical hole in the bottom of the blocks (for the base plug) would be the non-lapped bearing surface. And, the shrinkage hollow extending through the trunk of lead when the pour is made from the bottom would be the initial start for making the bolt hole to turn the lap with.
However, it would take me forever to lap, measure, lap, measure... on and on until the individual rings had been lapped into uniformity at the diameter sought.
So, I'm taking the easy out and sending it to the fellow that ground the adjustable paper patched blocks that I've been using forever.
He has the technology. He can make better and faster.
And I will pretty much have the mold the rifle was made to use, in the diameter that the rifle needs.
:-)

[John Gaskill 3037V]

That was with a full length 3 band barrel