.44 Kentucky Pistol Ball Size Question

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Feb 9, 2016
Messages
406
Hi all,
A friend of mine lent me his .44 caliber Kentucky pistol made by Pedersoli to try out. i was assuming that .45 balls would work, but does the .44 take a smaller size usually? I put a .440 ball over the muzzle, and it fit, but didn't fall down he barrel like .530 balls do in my 54 cal Lyman plains pistol. Makes me wonder if a .440 ball and a .45 cal .010" patch will fit correctly.

Any thoughts?
pic 1.jpg pic 2.jpg
 
As long as you can force it down on top of the powder that will work.
Even if you need to hammer it down on top of the powder with a dowel, once you start loading it, you must complete the ramming procedure all of the way home.

But you can also use a .433 ball which Hornady & Speer makes.
Or Track of the Wolf sells .429 cast balls.
Then you may need a thicker patch.

You can try it with only that bare ball and see how it goes.
But you should probably have at least a .005 lubed patch.

See pages 1 and 2:--->>> https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Search.aspx?search=round balls
 
Last edited:
As long as you can force it down on the powder that will work.
Even if you need to hammer it down on top of the powder with a dowel, once you start loading it, you must complete the ramming procedure all of the way home.

But you can also use a .433 ball which Hornady & Speer makes.
Or Track of the Wolf sells .429 cast balls.

See pages 1 and 2:--->>> https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Search.aspx?search=round balls
Thanks Articap. I probably wouldn't be able to use a patch though with the .440's, right?
 
Start with a bare ball and keep the muzzle pointed up until you shoot it.
If you can find a lubed .005 patch, that should also work.
The ball gets engraved and easier to ram as it goes down unless it's too oversized.

That's why you should use a plastic mallet if needed to tap tap tap it all of the way down.
But bare balls can work, there's just no lube and not a great gas seal for the hot gases and to help keep powder fouling soft.
 
Last edited:
Start with a bare ball and keep the muzzle pointed up until you shoot it.
If you can find a lubed .005 patch, that should also work.
The ball gets engraved and easier to ram as it goes down unless it's too oversized.

That why you should use a plastic mallet if needed to tap tap tap it all of the way down.
But bare balls can work, there's just no lube and not a great gas seal for the hot gases and to help keep powder fouling soft.
I'll try that, thanks.
 
Well, on second thought, I think I'll just order some of the balls from the links Articap provided. I was thinking I could just load the gun, and if the ball got stuck, I could use a bullet screw to pull it out. I've had to do it with a stuck ball with a patch, but if it's a dry ball that could be an issue since it will most likely have a good grip on the rifling. A .429 ball with a .010" patch should have a pretty good fit.
pic1.jpg
 
Well I got some .433" lead balls and they turned out to be to large. I used a .45 muzzleloader shooting patch as well, so that could've been part of the problem. Regardless, as I was trying to get the ball started with a short starter, the jag came off with the ball and I had to drill both out...:thumbdown:
If anyone wants to sell any .429" or .430" cast balls, I would buy some. I have a wtb post open in the buy/sell section.
 
Well I got some .433" lead balls and they turned out to be to large. I used a .45 muzzleloader shooting patch as well, so that could've been part of the problem. Regardless, as I was trying to get the ball started with a short starter, the jag came off with the ball and I had to drill both out...:thumbdown:

Did your friend not tell you what size was the ammunition?
Is there a size marked on the side of the pistol barrel?
Does the .433 drop into the barrel when not patched? If it doesn't then it's very much not a .44 or .45
That looks like an old Kentucky Pistol, which currently is listed as taking a .445 bullet, but Pedersoli also sells .440, .437, .435, and .430 round ball.
I'd suggest that you try a thinner patch, perhaps with about 20 grains of corn meal between the powder and the patched ball.

LD
 
It's a .44 cal. I dropped a .433" ball down the barrel and it got stuck halfway down the bore, with a push from a ramrod it'll go the rest of the way . Should've down that before lol.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top