Using Roundballs in Rifles??

[ohiochuck]

Anyone experimenting using roundballs in a lever action rifle for short range target/small game hunting? Results?
Thanks!

[btroj]

I have shot 457 round ball in my Marlin 45-70. It was interesting but accuracy wasn't the best. It is fun to play with loads Ike 3 RB in a 45-70 cases with around 10 gr of Unique. They will hit within 5 inches of each other at 25 yards. Not sure what they would be useful for but they are interesting to play with.

[Ziptar]

I haven't yet but, I'm looking to try some .454 round ball loads in my 1894 just for fun. I've got to get a mold and some soft lead still or trade for some I guess.

[LWSTARKS]

I keep thinking about trying it. My dad said that they are forging rounds. I have thought about it for the 45-70 and 38-55. I just don't know how I would set the final ball and crimp. Also, would I have to put a carboard wad in between the powder and the balls?

[shooting on a shoestring]

I keep a box of round ball 30/30s for skunks. 2 grains of Bullseye, .310 round ball seated to recieve a crimp at its middle works great. Makes dead skunks w/o much noise. My 94 shoots them to point of aim at about 25 feet...skunk range. They don't feed, so I single shot. Thats OK b/c skunks don't give you a second chance anyhow.

[MakeMineA10mm]

I load 2 RBs in 44mag and 3 in 444 Marlin. They work OK. Fun to surprise people with at the range - put up a clean target, fire one shot, and say "I think somethings wrong with my rifle - look at my target..." :mrgreen:

In my 444, I get about 12" of dispersion at 100 yds, so they're definitely a short-range proposition.

Do NOT load a card wad under (or in between) the balls. The gas from the powder charge will push them out fine. The card will open an opportunity for Mr. Murphy to ring the chamber with the air trapped between the card and the bottom ball.

[NickSS]

The original 3 RB load for the 45-70 was intended as a guard cartridge. The intent was to limit range and penetration if a guard had to shoot someone. The full power loads were considered too dangerous to bystanders. They work real well for close range and home defense loads if needed. The forager rounds were loaded with bird shot and a hollow wood bullet to get more shot in the cartridge. I have made some of them minus the wood bullet and they work OK out to 10-15 yards but not further. The army did not consider these cartridges adequate so they built some trapdoor 20 ga shotguns and issued about 4 per company so the soldiers could shoot game like birds and rabbits to supplement their rations.

[blackpowder man]

+1 Shooting on a shoestring. .30-30 roundball loads are great. I also shoot them in .44 mag and .45 colt a pretty good bit. They will actually feed in my Marlin 94 cowboy .45 and my Iver Johnson SAA (Uberti) .45 shoots them into pretty good groups at 25 yards. They also did well in .45-70 and .38-55. I only shoot the single ball loads and they are accurate at shorter ranges. Unique has worked for me in all of them.

[MakeMineA10mm]

In retrospect, I should have read the question more carefully. I shoot these from my revolvers, except for the 444 load. The 444 load is a different animal and pretty safe. Thinking on the 44Mag and a 20-24" barrel combined with necessarily light powder charges, gives me pause to think about sticking a ball in the barrel... Also, there's prescious little firm space to crimp on the equater of the top ball, so telescoping in the tube mag might be a potential problem. (In my revolver loads, I just had to crimp at, or ahead of, the equater, but in leverguns we have to prevent the boolit from moving either in or out...)

Better go slow and careful on this combination, folks.

[1kshooter]

In retrospect, I should have read the question more carefully. I shoot these from my revolvers, except for the 444 load. The 444 load is a different animal and pretty safe. Thinking on the 44Mag and a 20-24" barrel combined with necessarily light powder charges, gives me pause to think about sticking a ball in the barrel... Also, there's prescious little firm space to crimp on the equater of the top ball, so telescoping in the tube mag might be a potential problem. (In my revolver loads, I just had to crimp at, or ahead of, the equater, but in leverguns we have to prevent the boolit from moving either in or out...)

Better go slow and careful on this combination, folks.

thanks so much for the PM and for all the info regarding the round ball loads!

[woody1]

.311 round ball over 3.1 gr. Bullseye. Good short range load.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=41305&highlight=bob+kracks+balls :smile:

Regards, Woody

[rintinglen]

Using them as single-shot and loading them one at a time in my Marlin CB, I shot up a couple of boxes of them in my 45-70. I consider the experiment a failure due to the frequent flier problem. About one shot in six would land 4 to 10 inches away from the main group at 50 yards. I tried Unique, 2400, and IMR 4759, with the 2400 loads giving the best results. I have had excellent results at 50 yards using the 311-245 over 8 grains of herco in the 30-30. I had some "Single-ought" buck which I tried in the 30-30, but that was a total failure, though I did later use the left over buckshot in making soft-nose boolits ala Bruce B.

[Suo Gan]

I have linked this one at least a dozen times. Thanks again Junior!

http://www.castbullet.com/shooting/rb30.htm

[BAGTIC]

I load them single shot in my M92 and M94. The open top action makes thems easier to load.

Also I seat ball directly on powder. The problems with the fliers may be due to the small charges of powder being too susceptible to variations in location. Seating the ball deep makes sthe charge position much more consistent with better burning. Use as large a ball as you can get to chamber.