Ball size?

[DaveJW]

I am very new to this firearms scene and have ony just got my ticket. I now have a Ruger Old Army .45 which came with some "extras". I have 777 powder and a good few pistol balls in 451 and 457. My club sells 454. Can anyone advise me as to which size ball I should be looking to use? I have not fired it yet, I have been scouring the BBS looking for tips. 15 grains of 777 was advised, does that sound about right?

[loiner1965]

I am very new to this firearms scene and have ony just got my ticket. I now have a Ruger Old Army .45 which came with some "extras". I have 777 powder and a good few pistol balls in 451 and 457. My club sells 454. Can anyone advise me as to which size ball I should be looking to use? I have not fired it yet, I have been scouring the BBS looking for tips. 15 grains of 777 was advised, does that sound about right?

pm colm aka roughshooter on here as he as one...easiest way to find out apart from shooting is to push one of the balls through the barrel with a piece of dowel then measure it when it comes out of the other end......nice pistol by the way

[harricook]

I am very new to this firearms scene and have ony just got my ticket. I now have a Ruger Old Army .45 which came with some "extras". I have 777 powder and a good few pistol balls in 451 and 457. My club sells 454. Can anyone advise me as to which size ball I should be looking to use? I have not fired it yet, I have been scouring the BBS looking for tips. 15 grains of 777 was advised, does that sound about right?

I use 457 balls in my Pietta Rem 44 cal NMA with either 20 grains of 777 or 25 grains of smokey stuff



Cheers

Roy


.

[fcat]

Don't personally own an ROA but my club has one for use by members. The advise I've had is .457 balls with 18 grains Swiss No2, Remington 10 caps, then play around with filler to minimise the gap between the ball and the barrel. Good luck.

[Simon G]

You need .457 ball for the ROA. 25 grains of 777, BY VOLUME and an ox-yoke wonder wad.

[DaveJW]

Thanks for all the advice guys and sorry to be a bit thick here but what do you mean by "25 grains by VOLUME". Are the other recommendations (15 to 20 Grains) by weight?

I will buy a set of scales and I already have a set of Lee Dippers. Having done some reading on the BBS by way of a search the thing to do seems to be to weight out the powder and then make up a measure from an old brass case?

[Simon G]

By volume means, the amount of 777 that will fit into a 25 grain BLACK POWDER measure.

In short, you take a Black Powder measure, in this case a 25 grains and fill it with the 777. That is then the load. You'll find that the weight of this charge of 777 will not be 25 grains, but the volume that would require 25 grains of black powder to fill it........ if you see what I mean?!!!

That is how BP subsitute is "weighed" regardless as to whether it is 777 or Pyrodex.

[harricook]

I use 457 balls in my Pietta Rem 44 cal NMA with either 20 grains of 777 or 25 grains of smokey stuff



Cheers

Roy


.

Thanks for all the advice guys and sorry to be a bit thick here but what do you mean by "25 grains by VOLUME". Are the other recommendations (15 to 20 Grains) by weight?

I will buy a set of scales and I already have a set of Lee Dippers. Having done some reading on the BBS by way of a search the thing to do seems to be to weight out the powder and then make up a measure from an old brass case?

20 grains of 777 is the same volume as 25 grains of BP - well thats what I get on my scales after measuring the same volume of both out anyway !!!



ATB

Roy

.

[DaveJW]

Thanks for all the information; between 15 and 20 grains of 777 it is then with the 457 ball size as a starting point.