My New Minie Bullets

[Jud96]

I have been tinkering around for a little while and have come up with this bullet design. I modified an old Challenger mould to make a .580 diameter semi wadcutter that looks very much like the Lyman 315gr wadcutter but this one weighs 510 grains, just like the Lyman 575213 and other traditional minie balls. I am really liking this bullet design for a few reasons. First, it has 4 grease grooves and holds plenty of lube and has a thin skirt which is great for skirmishing and target loads. Secondly, it is a semi wadcutter design and everyone knows how well those shoot and the clean holes they cut in the individual targets. Last but not least, it is 510 grains which means the wind won't toss it around like the 315 grain bullet and the longer design gives it a larger bearing surface which aids in accuracy.

I am planning on doing extensive testing with these bullet's after the Halloween skirmish and before the Spring National. I think they will be a great bullet and they should shoot really well just like their smaller brother the 315gr wadcutter but with the added benefits I mentioned above. Looking forward to trying them out and seeing how they do. Tell me what you guys think about them, thank you.

47904791

[bobanderson]

Don't be surprised if they don't group as well in your rifle that shoots the smaller wadcutter so well.

Greenhill proved that to stabilize a longer heavier projectile, you need a faster twist. He published his formula in 1879, after the hollow base minie was obsolete, but his principles should hold.

It also seems that you can spin a lighter bullet faster, but accuracy suffers with a long heavy bullet in a slow twist barrel.

I'll bet that would be a devastating deer hunting bullet.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_George_Greenhill

[efritz]

Your design sounds intriguing. I myself like semi wad and wad cutters when I can get them to shoot in whatever I'm using. The fun of the sport is trying them and defy the logistics. One caveat to consider. I have found that cold weather will effect accuracy. Go ahead and try them now and next Spring but hotter June, July, August stuff may yield different results. The Greenhill formula and others are thrown out the window when you talk about hollow based and round ball bullets. Dave France knows quite a bit about the subject. If he reads this and would like to comment, I'd be interested to be re-informed. Good luck, hope it works out. Let us all know.

[Maillemaker]

I bet these things would be awesome in a P1858 Enfield with its 1:48 twist!

I wish I could get about 100 of these to test!

Steve

[Jud96]

I actually don't shoot the 315 wadcutter. I have just heard how well they shoot and my bullet is basically a stretched 315 bullet haha so I hope they shoot great for me like the small semi wadcutters do for other fellow skirmishers. The muskets I will be trying them out of are my Armi Sport 1853 Enfield with a 1:48 twist and a Parker-Hale with a 48 twist as well. My normal bullet is a Lyman .580213 that I size down, my Armi Sport uses a .577 but I am thinking about getting a .578 sizer because sometimes my first couple shots don't hit at point of aim or they key hole. The Parker Hale 1858, that my brother uses, loves a .576 bullet and is a dead ringer even with the 30+ year old barrel that my Dad started using in 1982.

efritz, you may be seeing accuracy loss in colder weather because your bullets could be on the edge of stability. I shoot a lot of long range with high power rifles, and you really have to pay attention to what twist your barrel has and what bullets you are using. In the summer months one bullet might work but in deer season it may be unstable. This is all caused by atmospheric conditions and changes in air density and so on. I am pretty knowledgeable on bullet designs and barrel twists, so that is why I am having high hopes for this minie in the 1:48 twist barrels. I think someone with a 1:66 or 72 twist may have issues with a long, heavy bullet like my design but the small 315 grain bullet may work for them. I like to be over twisted than be too slow haha.