Is there a "standard" bullet diameter that is used in the Smith carbines?
Is there a "standard" bullet diameter that is used in the Smith carbines?
Yes .515. That being said some folks opt for a bigger bullet. I used to shoot a .520, 500 gr short nose bullet in my orig smith because part of the lands were missing and this bullet bridged the gap
Lou Lou Lou Ruggiero
Tammany Regt-42nd NYVI
You should cast a .518 bullet and push it through from breech to muzzle with a cleaning rod. Then mike it.
Lou is correct about the .515 because you start with a .500 bore and .007 grooves plus .001 over. That assumes your barrel is not worn or made wrong.
Mine was oversized until I had it relined.
Jim Smith
Jim Smith, 10832
149thNYVI
I am shooting an original Smith. I use a .520" Moose 400 grain bullet sized to .518". I use 28 grains of GOEX 3F and lubed with MCM. This combination is extremely accurate at both 50 and 100 yards.
Mike Santarelli 03635V, Adjutant
Member since 1979
Co. B, 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry, #229
National Inspector General
Small Arms Committee
I shoot a .515 Lee cast of soft lead and one .50 .060" fiber wad, lubed with spg, over 30 gr of 2f. I tried .518 and .520. Was able to work up good loads with all of them, but as the .515 is a 6 cavity that's the one I use most.
I'm shooting a Pietta. Given the uneven number of lands/grooves it is hard to slug, but I get no leading and good accuracy with the .515 so that's fine by me.
Bob Anderson
Ordnance Sergeant
Company C, 1st Michigan Volunteer Infantry
Small Arms Committee
"I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a hand on.
I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."
- John Wayne in "The Shootist", 1976
Nothing about Civil War Black Powder is "Standard"...... There might be popular bullet types, but the sizes of Smith Bullets will range anywhere from .508 up to .525, those are the two extremes I have heard people using, and I know tons of people in between those to calibers. My suggestion is to slug your muzzle and breech diameters, because it is always good to know that the muzzle is smaller than the breech, because there are a handful of repops out there that are backwards, and are .510 at the breech and .518 at the muzzle.
As for bullet types find what works best for you, although the 515139 sized down to .002 above muzzle diameter is a great place to start.
Joe Plakis XXVIII
Middle-Atlantic Region
SAC
9575V
"Great leadership does not mean running away from reality. Sometimes the hard truths might just demoralize the company, but at other times sharing difficulties can inspire people to take action that will make the situation better." John Kotter
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