12 gauge "Economy RB" test with Mihec .680

[Petander]

Scoo, I'm back in business.

Casting pure RB:s tomorrow,tonight will be some 50/50 HP:s.

[Petander]

Now cooking.

[Petander]

Scoo,your package is moving.

[Scoo]

I can confirm that a package of lovely looking golden "Mozartkugeln" have arrived Nowadays there's a tiny bit of daylight as I get home from work during the weekdays so a range report and pictures will follow some time soon I hope

[Petander]

[W.R.Buchanan]

Petander: I have been doing something slightly different with round balls than you for some time now.

When I got the snot knocked out of me at a 3 gun shoot by 2 Federal High Based Slugs,,, I immediately developed a Round Ball Load.

It is my standard Trap Load in AA hulls with 18 gr of Green Dot, a Win Primer, and a Claybuster W12AA Wad. I use a 1/4" thick Felt Wad inside the wad as a cushion and then a .662 Ball (425 gr), and then close the Fold Crimp.

These produce usable accuracy out to 50-60 yards and make steel targets ring just like full power slugs do. Except since they are essentially the same payload as my trap loads, the recoil is the same as those which I can shoot hundreds of per day with no after effects. I load these on my DL266 and do everything but drop shot on the press.

The Chicken is at 50M and the three big splotches were the first three shots with this load. I determined that no sight adjustments were needed.

These have worked out well for casual shooting but I don't doubt they would knock down medium sized game easily.

Your loads look good and that Italian Machine makes nice crimps.

Randy

[longbow]

What sort of fit of ball/shotcup to bore do you get Randy?

The only wads I had that made for snug ball/shotcup to bore fit were some CSD wads I had. My 0.662" RB's are a rattle fit in any other wads I've tried. My solution was to cloth patch the RB's into an assembled hull like for a muzzleloader, then crimp the hull. The cloth patch takes up the rattle room and accuracy is very good. It's extra work but with pre-cut patches goes pretty quickly.

This is a load I'd like to try a donut wad in to see if it works as well. Dropping a donut wad into the shotcup before the ball would be quicker. Yet another test I have to get to. I am currently very far behind!

Longbow

[centershot]

Randy, if you're getting groups like that at 50 yards you've got no worries about shooting game at that range! I remember reading one of your posts a couple years ago regarding that load and I have followed suit, substituting Red Dot (cuz I have LOTS of it) for Green Dot. Makes a nice 3 dram load, RB or shot pellets. Knowing what I know today, I believe Green Dot would be a better choice. If I ever run out of Red Dot I'll pick up a keg!

[W.R.Buchanan]

Measured around the ball and wad it is .725. As the felt wad compresses the ball goes down in the wad (tapered Petals) and gets up to around .730. Any choke at all will center it in the bore.

My M500 Tactical Gun has a Vang Comped Barrel which goes from .745 to .730 at the muzzle, the choked portion is in the last 2"

Like I said that level of accuracy is more than adequate for any use I have for it. We all have myriad loads we can use for everything from Doves to Dinosaurs .

I am going to shoot my HD gun at the 3 Gun Shoot tomorrow. I have never patterned that gun so it will be interesting to see where it shoots. It has only a Big Tritium Dot for a front sight. I have been cogitating on a rear sight for it for some time now and if it shoots low with the dot right on top of the receiver I can make it dead on with an open rear sight hanging over the front of the receiver with a tang with two screws D&T'd in the top of the receiver. Still some more thought needed on that idea, but I'm getting closer. I consider Rifle Sights on a shotgun for use with slugs to be a necessity. I lobbied Mossberg hard at the SHOT Show for an 18" bbl with open sights on it but they weren't budging. They have one for the 590 series guns but they won't work on an M500.

Randy

[longbow]

Yeah I guess when you seat that felt wad with your press it probably leaves a depressed center so the ball sits in it and stays pretty well centered. That probably works as well or almost as well as a donut wad would.

I got the 0.678" mould because the 0.662" was a bit small but with Winchester wads even the 0.678" RB is a bit loose and accuracy isn't real good without a paper wrap to snug things up. I still have to get an order in to BPI and 16 ga. felt wads is part of it so I'll have to try that with just a felt wad under the ball. If the wad is concaved/cupped by the press and the ball centers then with a snug crimp that should keep it there and at ignition that felt wad is going to stay like a cup!

Our snow is melting fast now and the range should be accessibly so I'll have to get off my butt and do some shooting. Got lots of slugs loaded and waiting for me.

Longbow

[centershot]

Back when I first started loading RB's I fond that the Remington RP-12 and SP-12 wads would do much the same as what Randy described above. These wads have thick tapered ribs molded into the petals, dump 1/4 tsp. of COW or cornmeal in and add a .662" RB - works great! Only downside is that Remington wads are spooky expensive compared to others......but i you have a bunch collecting dust..............

[longbow]

Back when I was trying to get 0.690" RB's to shoot well I had Remington wads but of course the rib was a detriment for that size RB. I tried them cut down and no success for me. I went smaller and bigger with the RB's ~ 0.662", 0.678" for shotcups (no Remington wads left by then) and 0.735" for naked RB. Gave up om 0.690" RB.

[Hamish]

"I lobbied Mossberg hard at the SHOT Show for an 18" bbl with open sights on it but they weren't budging. They have one for the 590 series guns but they won't work on an M500."

You would think that would be an easy way to sell a boatload of barrels,,,,,,

[Petander]

Thanks for posting,folks.

I will figure out a full power RB load from components too one day.

[W.R.Buchanan]

The Factory Rep I talked to didn't know much about shotguns. When I told him about Vang Comp for the barrel his eyes just went in circles. No idea what I was talking about even when explained with my normal Excruciating Detail with examples.

I asked him to put the idea into the suggestion box which they are supposed to be at the show to gather ideas for, but I doubt he did it.

I saw that open sighted gun one time at a gun shop in Simi CA and I should have bought it on the spot. Went back 2 days later and it was gone. Couldn't even get the model number.

Randy

[Petander]

Bump.

I just measured,these balls are .675 Hi Teked.

[longbow]

I find my 0.678" RB's slightly loose in Winchester wads and Claybuster Win. clones (even looser fit). They cast about 0.003" oversize too.

Might work fine especially with a felt wad under but I usually find best RB accuracy with a snug fit of ball/wad to bore.

Longbow