0.715 RB in 12 ga IC/mod choke

[bearcove]

Hows this work? Loaded a lot of shot never a RB. For bear loads while Ptarmigan hunting. Have a 715 RB mold be nice to have a few of these in my pocket. Not needing a lot of accuracy just for hand shaking distance.

[longbow]

Good question! What diameter is your I/C choke?

I bought a Lyman 0.715" ball mould a few years ago with the intent of using it in my Browning BPS with I/C choke. After receiving my nice new ball mould I cast some then dropped a ball down the barrel and it stopped in the choke... DOH! I should have checked first but "assumed" it would fit based on reading about choke sizes. DOH! again!

So, I mic'd the choke and find that my as cast 0.716" ball is a little larger than my 0.710" choke.

Since BPI sells (or used to sell) 0.715" round balls I got hold of them to ask their opinion and the response was "Brownings are pretty tough shotguns so it should be alright..." A little indeterminate for my liking.

I also checked with a couple of knowledgeable people and was told that with that much interference, the ball would probably damage the choke with repeated firing and may even split the muzzle.

I decided not to shoot them.

Now, having said that, I have had no problems shooting 0.735" balls through my 0.729" cylinder bore barrel. However, they swage at the heaviest part of the barrel as pressure is building rather than slamming into a reduced bit of barrel at full velocity.

My solution to date is to shoot balls that are smaller than the choke or use the 0.735" ball in cylinder bore barrels.

So, back to your issue. If the ball is no more than about 0.003" over choke diameter I would be inclined to try it. if more than 0.003" larger than the choke I would be hesitant. Maybe someone here has tried larger than choke balls and can weigh in with actual results.

Longbow