Daryl,

Looks like I'm getting .5865" after patching and drying. I must confess I don't remember the groove diameter of my rifle. Of course, it's a Henry rifle, so the tubes will be slightly tapered from breech to muzzles. With Henry barrels I believe the relevant measurement is just ahead of the chambers and the leade. Everything else takes care of itself. I would have gotten those measurements when I did chamber casts.

You probably know that with paper patched bullets the actual measurement is not the whole story. Thickness of the patch has to be manipulated using different weights and compositions of paper until everything works just right.

I have two nice A. Henry .450 BPE rifles, one of which is accompanied by its original mould, numbered to the rifle. I've not yet poured lead into that mould, but I do intend to do so. It's a PPB also. Shamefully, I've been shooting jacketed bullets in those rifles.

The .577 is on the left and the hammerless .450 on the right, both with their original moulds.

Curl