Pumpkin Balls

[GregLaROCHE]

I was just curious if anyone shoots pumpkin balls anymore? Has everyone gone to rifled slugs?

[megasupermagnum]

There are 3 threads on the first page alone that say round ball in the title of the thread. Almost every thread in the shotgun section mentions a round ball in some form. Yeah, we still use them.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Here's one. .662 round ball, 1/4" felt wad, WAA12 wad, Trap Load.

Randy

[GBertolet]

A full diameter RB, with a proper load, will shoot as good as a forster type slug will, sometimes better. 2" groups or less at 50 yards from a rifled barrel, are not uncommon.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Not uncommon from a smoothbore either. Offhand!

Randy

[longbow]

Round balls are still my favourite! Easy to cast, easy to load and shoot well to boot!

Longbow

[FullTang]

I shoot various sizes all the time. They are very cheap and easy to cast, and while I don't find them to be quite as accurate as slugs, nothing beats them for penetration.

[GregLaROCHE]

It is interesting to hear they are that good on penetrating. Better than slugs? Are there any videos with them being shot into ballistic gel?

I haven’t shot slugs for over thirty five years. Today there are so many different kinds out there and everyone is talking about them. I haven’t stumbled over anything about Pumpkin Balls. It is interesting for me to learn more about them. Anymore info and details would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Ginsing]

Use the advanced search and look for round ball.
You will have all the info you will need

[longbow]

My favourites for 12 ga. are 0.662" RB cloth patched into shotcup, 0.678" RB in shotcup (paper wrapped to snug fit when required) and 0.735" RB on hard wad column. The shotcup loads use a 16 or 20 ga. nitro card wad or two under the ball and a scoop of COW. They are easy to load and give quite good accuracy to at least 50 yards.

Ajay has posted lots on RB loads as have many others. As Ginsing said... use the search and you should find lots of info.

Longbow

[GregLaROCHE]

What chokes are normally used?

[Potato boy]

I had good results today with cloth patched .690 round balls. I would hunt with that load to 50 yards no problem. I will try lubed patches soon.

[longbow]

Chokes... depends on the ball.

My Browning BPS has an I/C choke but tight for I/C at 0.710" which may be good for buckshot but not so good for round ball. I normally shoot my round ball loads through my cylinder bore single shot and will start using my new to me Mossberg Slugster with cylinder bore.

If you are loading round ball in shotcup the combination should be no more than about 0.003" over choke diameter. That is by general consensus but I don't think anyone has done any actual testing. Basically you want a snug push through the bore and with choke then that snug push through will be at the choke.

A 0.662" RB gives lots of options. It is exactly 1 oz. in pure lead and a little under in wheelweights. It is a good fit in steel shot wads like CSD, It is much too small in standard shotcups but can be cloth patched into a hull with wad inside muzzleloader like. That works very well and you can set the fit to suit a choke.

0.678" RB may be too big for some chokes depending on constriction but is good naked or with a paper wrap or two in many regular shotcups depending on petal thickness. I suspect a 0.678" RB in shotcup could be shot through a full choke safely as the plastic should extrude out of the way. However, that is speculation on my part. Best to check ball/wad fit at the choke.

Regardless of what ball is loaded, but especially in shotcup, a nitro card wad or two should be put into the shotcup first to stop the shotcup from extruding around the ball. A scoop of Cream 'O Wheat on top then the ball also helps by giving the ball a cushion seat and more support to the shotcup.

Another simple option is either of the Lee Drive Key slugs as they drop into shotcups. Again, best to put a nitro card wad under to keep the shotcup out of the hollow base though this time. They are as easy to load as a round ball and seem to produce similar accuracy out to 50 yards or so.

Good round ball loads should give something in the order of 4" groups at 50 yards. The groups do tend to open up unpredictably much farther than 60 or 70 yards though.

Easy to cast, easy to load and hard to beat for close range work anyway.

Longbow

[longbow]

Potato boy:

Are those patched straight into hulls?

Wad column?

Roll crimp or fold crimp?

Group size? At what range?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Longbow

[45workhorse]

I might just try some of these, I might have BALL doing so!

[725]

Some time ago I wrote a thread titled, "12 ga roundball success" or something close. An archive search might uncover it. Photo's, load, hull trimming device, etc. I love my .702 pure lead round ball load from a rifled barrel. Super accurate, great penetration. As a matter of fact, I'm going to sell my Lyman 12 ga. + 20 ga. molds. I don't use them anymore.

Just looked it up ------------ casting for shotgun thread, search "12 ga round ball success"

[Potato boy]

Potato boy:

Are those patched straight into hulls?

Wad column?

Roll crimp or fold crimp?

Group size? At what range?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Longbow

See my last post. “ paper patched round ball”All results are there. I’m pretty exited with the results. I had a few groups at just under and just over 4” at 50 yards