.45 cal Lyman .457132?

[fullertc]

Does anyone have a Lyman .45 cal mould .457132 Postell in good condition laying around that they'd like to sell? Also, a Thank You to John Holland and Jack Conway for taking the time to educate my teammate and I about the variations of the Ballard Rifles.

[bobanderson]

Are we teaching some old dogs some new tricks?

[Jack C., 69th NY]

Tom,
Thank you for your kind words. Actually, talking about Ballards is helping me deal with my addiction. :D

Are you looking to shoot the Lyman .457132 in a .46 caliber Ballard? I am not too learned about the loading of the .46 (45) but that particular bullet might be a bit too heavy. There are some out there that are using heavy bullets but these MAY(?) lead to cracked receivers.

What loads are other Ballard shooters using?

Tom, Thanks again.

Jack

[rachbobo]

Consulting the mimimum twist chart of the RCBS exterior ballistics program I found the following holds true regardless on bore diameter.
The heavier the bullet, the faster the twist rate has to be to stabilize it. A 240 gr .458 slug needs a minimum of a 1 in 37.1 twist where a heavier 400 gr needs at least a 1 in 28.9 twist.
At the end of the chart a 500 gr needs a 1 in 23.1 .
The chart only goes up to .45 cal but the rule is still the same regardless of diameter.
You need to find the rate of twist of the weapon and that will determine the heaviest slug you can shoot through it.

Bill Cheek
Cockade Rifles

[Jack C., 69th NY]

Bill,
My concern is that too heavy a bullet will raise the chamber pressure to a point where the cast Ballard receiver might crack. This is a weakness in the pre-Marlin Ballard rifles and carbines made by Ball & Williams, R. Ball, Merrimack & Brown Mfg. I like to keep the bullet approximately 250 grains and the powder 25 gr. or less. Perhaps I'm a bit too cautious......... but that is me.

[rachbobo]

Jack,
Nothing wrong with being cautious. My point is that whenever anyone starts changing bullet weights you need to know the rate of twist your rifle has.
Too heavy a bullet with even a light charge will not stabilize if the twist isn't fast enough.

Bill Cheek
Cockade Rifles

[fullertc]

I'm sorry if I mislead anyone. I'm looking for a .457132 to replace the one I apparently screwed up. I'm using it in my Browning Hi-Wall ..45-70 BPCR. AND, I wanted to thank the men who gave their time to educate us re the Ballards. It's on my wish list. See you at Alma, Bob. Looking forward to the BBQ onions.