Wanted Rapine Round Ball .685 Mould

[Stan Hungness]

I have a smooth bore Armisport 69 cal. and have been told that I need a .685 ball to be accurate with this gun. I will be attending Nationals so hope to pick up one there. Let me know if you have one available.

Stan Hungness
56th Virginia

[S.Sullivan]

Stan,
You may want to bring the Armisport and have the bore miked, if you have not already done so.
When we of the gallant 46th some years back got a second place in smoothbore at the Nationals, we all used Armisport '42's, most of which shot a .678 ball.
Could be a difference worth noting.
S.Sullivan

[SgtRon]

The 678 ball is a better choice because while the 685 is a tighter fit it also fouls faster. I found the my smooth bore 1842 fouls faster than any of my rifled musket. Minie balls have lube on them and are smaller than the bore by design. I don't know an easy way to lube a round ball without a patch. Just my two cents worth.
SgtRon