Correct Ball size for .69 Pedersoli

[Przybysz1]

I have a Pedersoli repro of a 1820s French musket. It is sold as being a .69 caliber smoothbore. Does anyone have expeience with these as far as what the best size ball to use? I imagine that all there .69 cal products use the same bore. Thanks

David

[Ken Hansgen, 11094]

And what size ball mould should I get for a Whitacre drop-in barrel on my original M1842 smuvbo?

[Lou Lou Lou]

Due to the vagaries of manufacturing, you need to mic' the bore. The good news is it is a smoothbore so the task is relatively simple.

[Chuck Garvey 11311]

Hello Ken,

I have a Whitacre smoothbore barreled 1842. I have been told that it is a .687 bore. I have been using the Lyman .678 mould, file off sprue and then roughen the balls between two horseshoe rasps and then one coat alox and shoot with 45 grains swiss fff or a little more with Goex fff. That load has been very accurate at 25 yards. At 50 it has been good some days, some days not so good. My theory is that at 50 yards the rounds sometimes spin and the bullets do like a curve ball. At present I am experimenting with more powder for 50 yards but that load should be good for 25.