Pure lead for patched round ball?

[whenindoubtfixit]

I'm wondering why pure lead is called for in a patched cast round ball? The ball doesn't contact the bore so I'm wondering about the reason.
Thanks in advance

[Ozark mike]

If hunting a soft lead ball will mushroom without breaking pieces off retaining most of its weight. Some will also say that the explosive nature of bp will bump it's dia up a little

[jdfoxinc]

Much easier to ram down the bore.

[1Hawkeye]

Because if it's properly loaded you will see the patch has left a pattern of its weave on the ball. Meaning you have a great seal between the ball and the barrel.

[waksupi]

I've used wheel weight round balls for 44 years. Shoot accurately enough to win several world championships. They are soft enough to expand a bit, while giving deeper penetration in larger game like elk.

[dondiego]

I have used wheel weight alloy with good success. I don't like real tight loads anyway.

[Crowkiller]

Well, in my .54 Renegade, I can use a pillow ticking patch and either a .530 or .535 round ball of pure lead. If the lead is much harder, a .535 ball might be able to to be seated with a hammer.
It probably doesn't matter with the right diameter and patch fit. Hornady used to sell a Hardball in a sabot for penetration.

[KCSO]

Way back when to tet if you had the right patch ball combo you would push a patched ball into the barrel and pull it back out. Then examine the impression of the cloth weave and lands on the ball. Soft lead worked best for this. Also in the real old days there were NO wheel weights and all lead was soft lead unless you somehow got a hold of type metal. Plumbers, glaziers ect all used dead soft or pure lead it was most common. The habit carried through into the 30's as my Grandfather told me that plumbers lead was what to use in a muzzleloader and he shot an original until at least 1930.

It depends on the gun I am using I like pure lead for my cap and ball revolvers as it shaves a nice ring with little effort. As to other guns it depends on what shoots best from that gun. My current go to is a mix of wheel weight and pure lead that I got free and I use it mostly in my 50 hawken. For the trade gun I use whatever I have the most of in the lead piles.

[RU shooter]

Same here . Mine are cast from a 30-1 alloy just because i had 2 big ingots of it no problems .

[1Hawkeye]

Yep you can use either hard or soft just not at the same time or you'll have some crazy groups.

[triggerhappy243]

I'm wondering why pure lead is called for in a patched cast round ball? The ball doesn't contact the bore so I'm wondering about the reason.
Thanks in advance

Sending you a pm.

[LAGS]

Maybe the impressions of the patch in the soft lead balls is like the Dimples on a golf ball.
They could cut down the wind resistance and make it fly straighter.
Just a thought.

[indian joe]

I'm wondering why pure lead is called for in a patched cast round ball? The ball doesn't contact the bore so I'm wondering about the reason.
Thanks in advance

heres a few thoughts
1) the appropriate soft lead ball is almost always a more effective game getter
2) werent no wheel weights around in Danl Boone's days
3) cost of metals - the alloy metals (tin, antimony) cost more than the base metal (lead)
4) it works (aint broke dont fix it theory applies) maybe hardball works as well in some places for some shooters - but all in all - soft lead works better most times most places for most shooters

[taco650]

I've used wheel weight round balls for 44 years. Shoot accurately enough to win several world championships. They are soft enough to expand a bit, while giving deeper penetration in larger game like elk.

I plan on casting my RB's from the range scrap I've picked over the years because it's what I have. If Ric says WW lead works, I believe him. I'm also too practical to spend my hard earned $$$'s on scientifically designated pure lead when the WW's and range scrap is what I have on hand.

[Ozark mike]

In my 58 it's harder to load a ww alloy than pure lead worried I might break my loading lever

[waksupi]

In my 58 it's harder to load a ww alloy than pure lead worried I might break my loading lever

Definitely use pure in revolvers.

[indian joe]

I plan on casting my RB's from the range scrap I've picked over the years because it's what I have. If Ric says WW lead works, I believe him. I'm also too practical to spend my hard earned $$$'s on scientifically designated pure lead when the WW's and range scrap is what I have on hand.

believe nothing until you see it work better in your situation - all the stuff thats written here by whoever is food for guidance - lets us cut out some of the legwork and get to the pointy end quicker - but its almost impossible for any of us to duplicate exactly what the other guy is doing - every gun is different, every range is different, every shooter does things a little different, even when he thinks he is copying someone else precisely.

[StrawHat]

Baker and others wrote of alloying their lead to provide better penetration on African and Indian game animals.

Kevin

[yeahbub]

I tried WW RB's in my .50 ML and they worked okay on the day they cast, since they were still soft. A week later and they were noticeably harder to load as age hardening made itself felt and I had to use thinner and thinner patch material to get them down the bore. Accuracy was also reduced at distance. I'd expect that within 50 yards it may still be within minute-of-deer, but mine does best with dead soft lead.

I routinely use air cooled WW .456 RB's in my 8" barrel '58 Remington with .447 chambers. They're stiff going in, but the loading lever is up to it. The lever on the 5.5" is still up to it, but I need a shop rag to put over the end of it because it's rough on my hand. Even though they're WW, recovered examples show they still obturate to full groove diameter, but they're at the limit in that regard. Any harder and they won't. These days, I'm inclined to go no harder than 1:1 WW/lead. Quenched WW would be great if the chambers were properly .002 over groove diameter as on the originals.