My bullets are loaded out as far as possible. In fact, in target rounds, I have only 0.09" of the bullet's base in the case. This is pretty close to breech seating, and it certainly allows for near perfect bullet alignment when the cartridge is chambered. Larger bullets of the .450-.452" variety, will be .457-.460" when finally patched. These bullets must be seated deeper in the case, which conflicts with my belief that more powder is better. More importantly, it also means the bullet and patch must navigate the throat in a perfectly straight line. It can be done, and is done regularly, but it is not the optimal solution in my opinion.

Swaging, casting, and buying bullets

To begin with, you need to make or buy a bullet.  Montana Precision Swaging sells parallel-sided bullets in several calibers including 40, 44, 45, and 50 calibers. They are of a slightly hard lead-tin alloy and with only cupped bases and 1e round noses. MPS will make pure lead bullets if you ask however. MPS also sells a tapered spire point bullet with which I have never been able to hit anything. It is, however, something that might work in another rifle. MPS is well advertised in the Single Shot Exchange or the Black Powder Cartridge News.  I believe that Cabelas and Buffalo Arms also sell MPS swaged bullets (both are easy to find with Google). Of course, you can cast bullets and lots of folks will make you a mold.  For a long time, I resisted casting but eventually, I succumbed so that I could more cheaply and easily make up cores of different alloy that I then swage to a final bullet.  So, you can get around casting, but consider that it may make some things easier and cheaper, because it is difficult to find a good source of a given alloy of lead wire that is just exactly the right diameter to make your swaged bullets.  .

While I have had decent results with both .452" and .450" bullets, I decided to make my own bullets in a .443" diameter. My patching material (Eaton's 9 pound airmail paper, 25% rag) will add .007" of diameter to the bullet, making my finished projectile exactly bore diameter.   Unfortunately, this paper is no longer being made, so other sources of suitable paper are needed.  One paper that will work well and which will produce the same thickness as the Eaton paper is cooking parchment.  This paper feels quite different, as it has no cotton, but it works very well when wrapped dry (more on that later).  I believe that most, if not all, of the original buffalo rifles shot bullets that, as patched, were bore diameter or just slightly more. I have it on the good authority of Dr. Dick Gunn that Sharps' paper-patched, long-range and hunting bullets were designed to be about .002" greater (as patched) than bore diameter, but considerably less than the typical .458" groove diameter.  A drawing, by Dick, of an original Sharps 45-550 is shown in the figure below. These bullets were designed to be thumb-pushed directly into the bore of rifles with very short or nonexistent throats.

Sharps Long Range Bullet.  This was drawn from an original Sharps long range bullet such as that shown on the left side of the first photo on this webpage.  Note that over half of this bullet's nose is unsupported.  It was originally made in 16:1 Lead:tin alloy and was therefore probably quite resistant to slumping.  Pure lead versions of this will only shoot about 1.5-1.75” for me at 100 yds.