Mould question---newbie

[Rick]

Hello,
Not an N-SSA shooter yet --- hope to be. I shoot black powder--roundball only. I am expecting delivery of 1861 Springield later this month and want to get a mould that would also be N-SSA accepted. I cast roundball but never a minie. The catalog lists the following:
LEE MINIE MOULD .575-500M
also LEE IMPROVED MOULD----TRADITIONAL DESIGN WITH AUTO CENTERING CORE PIN
.575-472m AND
OS .578-478M it says OS MEANING OVERSIZED

Which of these would you recommend to start my leaning curve? I am not sure what the M numbers stand for, but I guess the main difference is the .575 versus the .578. I know the Lee moulds are aluminum blocks but figure they would be good to start. Appreciate any suggestions.

[Francis J. Miller Jr, 02601]

Rick,

Welcome to the N-SSA Bulletin Board. Hope you do find a team and become a member, you'll love it.

Before buying a mould, the first thing you will want to do when you get your rifle is to slug the bore, or find someone or a reputable gunsmith that has bore pins or gauges to measure the bore size. Even though it says it is 58 cal. it can vary in sizes within the 58 cal. range. Example would be your bore could measure anywhere from say .573 to .585, then you would purchase a mould that would be a little above your bore size and then size your minie 1 to 2 thousandths below you bore size.

Example: If your bore would measure .577, then you would want a minie at a size of .575. Sounds complicated, but it is not really. The best thing to do would be to find and try some different styles of minies and see which one performs the best be fore buying a mould out right. Then get youself a mould of the design that worked best in your rifle.

The OS in the mould number stands for Old Style.

Hopefully there might be N-SSA members near you that read this thread, and would be more than willing to help you.

Hope this helps you out to start with. Believe me, you will be inidated with help here.

Sincerely,

[Francis J. Miller Jr, 02601]

Rick,

Wanted to add some info I missed. The M stands for Minie Ball design. The mould number is the diameter & weight. ie. 575-500M is .575 is the diameter, 500 is the weight in grains, M is Minie Ball design.

[Ron/The Old Reb]

Spend the extra money and buy a good steel mold like a Lyman. You have to remove the core pin by hand and that makes it a little slower to cast with. But if you take care of it the mold will last you a life time. I have two Lee molds and I am not overly impress with them. Raypine makes a good mold and has the auto centering core pin, but he went out of business. So you will have to post on this board to see if someone has a good used one they want to part with or check on Ebay.

[George Gompf]

First, find a local N-SSA team if one is close by and they can assist you with a lot of your questions. Second, I have to heartily agree that the bore must be slugged to find out what diameter barrel you have. I have seen them from 575 to 585 and shooting the wrong size minie will only frustrate you.

I can provide you with a high quality double cavity mold to the diameter you need for your musket, once you find out what it is. I make custom molds (Tennessee Bullet Molds, LLC). You also need to consider if you want to use a traditional style minie and throw a lot of lead or if a wad cutter shoots in your musket saving some of cost of shooting. If you intend to shoot muskets, you will find you will end up a mold collector with a shooting habit.

On the off chance you are in the Deep South Region, I will be happy to invite you to our upcoming skirmish at Brierfield, Alabama, near Tuscaloosa. I can check the bore diameter for you as well should you be able to attend.

George Gompf
Tennessee Bullet Molds, LLC
tnmolds@gmail.com
731-234-5490

[Lou Lou Lou]

Since he is in Rome, NY he would be in the North EAst Region. Lots of fine folks up there. Suggest you locate the Northeast Regions Webpage and reach out to them. Unless John Holland is monitoring the BB and can lend a hand.

[Rick]

Thanks to all for the responses and good information. I will keep checking back. I have been contacted by one of your fine members from the Northeast Regoion. He has graciously offered to help me out in my new adventure into the world of N-SSA. Really appreciate the help. Rick

[Ron/The Old Reb]

[QUOTE=George Gompf;23076]
you will find you will end up a mold collector with a shooting habit.


I know what you mean George