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My poersonal preference for large calibre round balls is moulds made by Jeff Tanner. You need normal RCBS or Lyman handles for them. They are made on cnc machinery, and cast perfectly round balls. The blocks are brass, so a spray with teflon mould release or bullet coating works wonders.
: The best thing about Jeff's moulds is the short wait time for them to arrive, the low cost - about $30.00, the perfect roundness which neither Lee nor Lyman seen capable of these days- every time. Jeffs moulds don't have a sprue cutter, so there is a lump of lead on each one from the pour point. These are easily snipped off with wire strippers, the plyers kind with the little round circles. After that,a swipe with a rasp leaves a perfectly round ball, no spure to orient and ulike either Lee nor Lyman, the ball is the same size, everywhere.
: I'd ask Jeff for a .712" RB mould. Wait time is usually 7 days or less, with the enclosed bill being paid to an account in California. They can be ordered on-line. I have two of Jeff's moulds and like them both.
: The ball, centred with the gas check cups cut off trap wads, will shoot well in any gun that is .712" or larger.
: Now, back to the .690 mould. As normal full choke in a normal 12 bore, is 40 points of choke, ie: .040", nominal choke boring for full choke is .691", say .690" is usually noted for average on 12 bores perhaps some are .730", and not the true .729"(which would be a 1.3333oz ball- ie:583.3gr. A .690 ball will weigh pretty close to 500gr. even. I did most of my 12 bore ball shooting with a .684" 480gr. ball and that one will exit on broadside shots on moose, something a .375H&H rarely does with normal bullets.
: With back boring being common these days, 12 bores might be as big as .740", and I've no idea what the chokes measure in them. Seems nothing's standard these days.
; In American-made ball blocks, I'd rather have the Lyman .690" than the Lee .690" for your gun - Lyman does make this size as well. Lee blocks are a pain in the lockup department and alignment suffers without extra care in casting - but they do work. Try www.trackofthewolf.com. The other option is to cut your tube off before the constriction, or hone it out with a brake cylinder hone - done this many times when developing loads for overchoked goose guns, and get the .715" RB mould from Lyman.
; The .690" ball will bust both shoudlers of a 1,200 pound moose, so I suspect a black bear or elk would be little challenge, being way lighter boned. .690" is the nominal bore size for 14 gauge guns. In pure lead, that's 500gr., probably 480gr. in WW metal.

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Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

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