Hello Kevo,

Yes. I have, and yes, there is a difference between the two. The ideal PP bullet is smooth. There are several reasons why they are better than GG bullets.
PP Bullets.
1. They are far more aerodynamic with the vast majority of drag coming from one place, i.e. the flat base of the bullet. Bullet trajectory is flatter.

2. The paper patch is in contact with the barrel along most of it's overall length and is therefore more likely to be cut cleanly, and importantly separate cleanly immediately on leaving the barrel.

3. The paper patch on a smooth bullet is a good way of getting rid of any lead in the barrel if you have been firing GG bullets.

4. It's a lot less messy, a lube cookie sandwiched between two card wads under the bullet is the traditional way of lubrication, and it works.

GG Bullets.
1. Far less aerodynamic in flight with not only drag from the base but from every single groove which builds up as the shock waves move down the length of the bullet thus slowing the bullet faster so it has to be shot at a steeper angle.

2. PP's are attached slightly damp and shrink on drying and tend to sink slightly into the grease groove. This will certainly result in the patches being unevenly cut by the lands as the bullet travels down the barrel, and it is unlikely you will get complete patch separation on the bullet exiting the muzzle, which will give you more accuracy problems as the bullet will not be completely stable in flight.

3. The consistency of the grease may also act as a tacky adhesive also preventing efficient patch separation giving the same problem as mentioned in 2 above. Dipping the patched part of the bullet into a lube after the patch has shrunk on isn't advisable as the lube will penetrate the paper patch and also act as a glue giving the same problems of patch separation.

4. GG bullets are common especially in 0.45" calibre and therefore are readily accessible but come with the problems mentioned above. I know of no large scale manufacturer that makes a mould for a PP bullet, but moulds are available from custom mould makers. Ascertain the true bore diameter of your barrel and that is the diameter of the bullet you need. Buying an adjustable mould will enable you to make bullets on any weight for that barrel. It may be more expensive buying a custom mould, but it is cheaper than buying several GG bullets and using those instead of the correct PP bullet. 
How do I know? 30 years of shooting PP's that's how.
Good luck
Harry

digitall423 wrote on Jul 24^th, 2015 at 8:03am:


Thanks for the tip on BAC stocking these PP bullet moulds, Bill. The snag is you can't change the weight of them, you have to buy another mould. The adjustable moulds may be slightly more expensive, but they're worth it.
Harry

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Doesn't the secant-ogive design give less drag because of the edge (compared to tangent-ogive design allowing wind flow right past the grooves)?   

Thank you gentlemen, your responses make a lot of sense and provide clarity.  I have been looking at the Buffalo Arms molds.
I like the sound of an adjustable mold, is there any real problems with these?

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Hello CW,
When I first started out experimenting with paper patch bullets some 50+ years ago, I didn't have the advantages of modern electrical apparatus such as Chronographs, electronic timing and even bullet detecting radar. Things like bullet designs were tested against other designs by experiment and also sound timing with a stopwatch, cumbersome by modern standards I admit, but that was all we had.

Ideally bullet designs should be subject to wind tunnel testing as are aircraft, but that is out of the range of what is available to the average shooter. Bullets both PP and GG were tested against each other using identical bullet weights in identical cartridge cases using the same batch of primers and Black Powder. The target was a 6 foot square of sheet of 1/2" steel plate at a distance of 800 yards. Timing was from the instant of discharge to the returning 'clang' of the bullet hitting the target. 

The results showed that in every instance PP bullets showed that they got to the targets first it was also noted that when firing GG bullets a change in elevation was required in order to get those bullets on target. The same rifle was used for testing both types of bullets. It wasn't NASA science then, and the humble shooter had to experiment with what was available to him at that time. Personally I am confident that PP bullets correctly made and loaded are better than GG bullets. I believe that the majority of those who shoot GG bullets at long range targets simply haven't bothered to experiment or cannot be believe their modern bullets could be beaten by designs of the 1870's. I still have to see Creedmoor long range competitions being shot by GG bullet users that match or exceed the scores shot during the great days of international competition in the 1870's. Todays rifles for such competition are permitted to be two pounds heavier than the ten pound limit of the 1870's rules, which reduces recoil considerably.

Harry

FWIW,
I have been working quite a bit with PP bullets recently.  I still haven't succeeded in getting them to equal the accuracy of my GG bullets in the match rifle (no.2 Musket), so I'm still shooting GG in that rifle.
However, in military rifle, things are different:  provided you have a pretty good bore, PP will do better than GG - even when shooting dirty, which was an eye-opener for me.
Still looking for match rifle accuracy with PP though, I'm not there yet...

OK I'm convinced I need a PP mold.  Probably an adjustable mold from Buffalo Arms about 550 gr.  I will continue to make & shoot 550gr lubed bullets and compare the differences.  I want to get an adjustable mold as I live in Australia and buying these expensive molds is made even worse by the horrendous cost of shipping to Aussie.  So I must get the mold size etc right the first time.  I will re check the bore size and then HM bigger, or how would you set the mold size from that?? Cheers,  Kevo.