Where to put the cast nipple?

[Mach_Cat]

On my last thread about ROA. A member mentioned he makes sure the cast nipple is straight up. Does it make a difference whether straight up or straight down.
After casting do you do anything to smooth the cast nipple?

thanks

[Horace]

They must be positioned ,I go with up.

Horace

[Beagle333]

Shoot a couple of cylinders with them perfectly straight up, then shoot a couple with them randomly turned..... I will be surprised if you can tell the difference. :Fire:

[pietro]

A member mentioned he makes sure the cast nipple is straight up. - FWIW, the correct term is "sprue", not nipple (which is the ignition channel of a caplock).

Does it make a difference whether straight up or straight down. - It makes no difference whether the sprue is straight towards the muzzle or the rear (IOW, YMMV) - just as long as it's not cocked to one side.

After casting do you do anything to smooth the cast nipple ? - The sprue can be minimized with the proper timing between the pour & operating the mold's sprue cutting plate. Also some folks roll the RB between 2 flat steel plates to iron out the irregularity (I never bothered, also YMMV).

thanks


I like to use .457" RB's in my ROA, since that size shaves a thin ring of lead when the ball is seated into the chamber throats, leading IMHO to better accuracy.


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[Beagle333]

One trick that some folks use to get rid of the sprue is to take a cardboard box and cover about 1/3 of the bottom with the cast round balls and put the box in the trunk of the wife's car. After rolling around in the box for a couple of weeks and bumping together, the sprues will all be smoothed out. :cool:

[mooman76]

I don't think it matters all that much and in a revolver where you are pressing the ball in changing it's shape, it matters even less. Most people wouldn't even notice the difference unless they were a bench shooter or shooting in competition.

[oldracer]

I am not sure it makes any difference either? I shoot my round ball guns in off hand matches where max distance is 100 yards so my ability to get a great sight picture and the timing of getting the shot off makes the positioning of the ball a minor part of the whole equation. I guess if was in my 20's and could hold a 50 caliber muzzle loader study at all times in a 3 hour match I would worry about that? But I am not!!!

[Golfswithwolves]

A gentleman on the "Muzzleloading Forum" site observed that the sprue was useful so that you know which end of the round ball is the front.

[Nobade]

A gentleman on the "Muzzleloaders" site observed that the sprue was useful so that you know which end of the round ball is the front.
[smilie=l:

[Sharpsman]

When the sprue is up....you're also placing the part of the ball that produces the most drag!

[Omnivore]

I came here interested in what a "cast nipple" might be, what they could be made of, and who in their right mind would be peddling these new-fangled nipple molds.

Anyway, if you place the sprue on top, you can see its orientation. If it's underneath, you can't. Not sure it matters in most cases today. Some older molds left a prominent sprue sticking out from the ball. In that case it would be something to deal with. Most molds' sprue plates nowadays sheer the sprue off entirely, and then some, leaving a small flat spot on the ball. Totally different. Others sheer off the sprue at a tangent, leaving a flat spot that protrudes slightly at the circumference. If your ball is large enough, and you have the flat spot that doesn't protrude, it probably won't matter it's orientation. If the ball is marginal in size, the flat spot, if it's facing the chamber wall, might, maybe, possibly, leave a flash channel for a revolver to chainfire.

You shouldn't be using a ball of marginal size in a revolver anyway. For all the current, modern repro 44s, use at least a .454" ball and you probably don't have to be concerned with the sprue. .457" balls work nicely even on the small chambered Pietta 44s.

Just to be clear, there are three possible types of sprue on a round ball. I'll call them "tit" (a full protrusion - all of the sprue being outside the ball's circumference), "tangent" (a slight protrusion, flat spot intersecting the ball's circumference at the center) and "flat spot" (sprue cut off entirely, and the flat spot being fully inside the ball's circumference. All my ball molds are of the "flat spot" sprue type (Lee).

I load with the sprue sticking up, admitting that it may very well be entirely the result of a case of Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder.

[koger]

I would either place up or down, you want a round ball filling out the patch into the rifling. I always used up, centered, did me well in local, state and national competition. I have tried them different ways, groups opened up, especially at 50yds. Just my exepreience.

[johnson1942]

good reason to use swagged roundballs for a match. when i shot roundballs i could buy swagged one cheap and saw no reason to cast them. i dont shoot them any more in a long gun and i have noticed the price has gone up. i shoot them in my three cowboy hand guns but i resize the cast ones i buy and the distances i shoot at the sprue if it survived the resizeing has no negative effect. if one is going to cast and wants perfect roundballs corbin or his brother can make a die that you put a cast round ball in and true them up to a perfect round ball. i have one of those from 25 years ago for a over sized 50 round ball. some where on the muzzle loader area of cast boolits recently some one mentioned that 4 inch groups at 100 yards was acceptable with a round ball gun. maybe for some but if i got 4 inch groups at 100 yards with a roundball gun off of a rest i would think i was doing something wrong. i have a high end side lock that im going to have the barrel relined to a 45 roundball when i get the money to do it. and i hope to get better than 4 inch groups at 100 yards with it. it will shoot from a rest and not be off hand. may have to go to swagged roundballs for that though.

[Squeeze]

I stick a decent batch of balls in a rock tumbler from harbor freight and let them go for about a day. afterwards they are totally round and no sprue

[johnson1942]

thanks, will try that.