Cylindrical buckshot

[Avery Arms]

Provided proper care is given to crimp height and charge data, is there any reason buckshot couldn't be little cylinders instead of balls?

Granted they would have no rifling and would fly in a somewhat aimless pattern, I don’t see why they wouldn’t be just as deadly at typical buckshot ranges 10-40 yards.

The reasoning behind the idea is that by using cylinders I can fabricate a super-capacity bullet mold and make a pile of them in no time.

Round balls and buckshot are expensive to buy and slow to cast.

The cylinders in the picture are way too big and actually made of bismith but are the shape I'm thinking of.

http://www.theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/Samples/083.8/s7s.JPG


PP

[Bret4207]

Hey PP! I didn't know you were here, I'm so used to seing you at Frugals. As I said over there you can try it, but the Orvis loads didn't work so great.

Nice to see ya here.

[missionary5155]

Only problem I can see if for some reason they stop flowing through a barrel and cause a log jam. Have you considered any of the fishing splitshot molds ? The small divider can be removed and with 2 0r 3 molds you can produce a goodly amount of large shot.. many shot molds have varios sizes so you can "fish" around for the size best for your need. They are not always perfectl round but crows up high do not seem to mind.

[Curly James]

I've been pondering the very same idea. Why not make them long .30 dia pointed cylinders, namely a long bullet that will fit three to a shell, the length of the wad? I have aquired some aluminum blocks and plan on trying this idea soon. Or, like most of my brianfarts, has this been tried and failed upon by someone smarter than me. Anybody?

[KCSO]

I'm afraid that with no rifling or fins to spin them they will tumble as they leave the muzzle. I knoow that in my attempts to duplicate a flechette round the ones w/o fins would not staabalise and just flew all over.
As to moulding smal round balls get you a Whammo sling shot pellet mould. Problem solved.

[longbow]

I have thought about this as well but haven't tried yet.

My thought was to make them as long as they are in diameter (about .30 cal.)and stack end to end in the shotcup.

I doubt they would cause any jamming problems if stacked and tight ~ maybe with buffer. They would simply tumble in flight though and the spread will likely be quicker than with spherical shot... but it should work.

I would be inclined to make a mould so that 3 fill the shot cup diameter standing on end then 3 or 4 layers deep so 9 to 12 pellets. If they are about .30 - .32 cal. diameter they will weigh more than shperical OO buck so weight would have to be sorted out with powder charge.

A simple push out mould in 4 to 6 cavity would be easy to make. Probably easier though are the fishing or sling shot moulds mentioned above if they are the right diameter.

Longbow