Punkin Balls

[6pt-sika]

I ordered three molds from Tanner’s in the UK last year for my 8 gauge hammer gun . Well the two .415” molds do very well for 000000 buckshot and the .775” roundball does a fair to middling job as a punkin ball . But I bought a second hammerless 8 gauge that per factory letter left in 1906 choked to shoot buckshot close , so it’s a bit more open at the muzzle . I’d decided a couple months ago to go a skoosh bigger for the hammer gun and bigger yet for the hammerless gun . So today I made an order with Tanner’s for a .785” and a .795” roundball molds . Now let’s see if these get here any quicker than last year . Tanner last year had them in the mail in less that a week after ordering but it took a week to reach the USA then almost four weeks to reach me once in the USA .

[Huvius]

My 8bore takes an .835” ball.
I think you may want to go bigger than .795”

[too many things]

he died so dont look for them

[longbow]

The company is still in business:

https://www.ballmoulds.com/

I thought Jeff's son had taken over but don't see that mentioned on the site.

However, Ball Moulds is in business.

[NyFirefighter357]

The company is still in business:

https://www.ballmoulds.com/

I thought Jeff's son had taken over but don't see that mentioned on the site.

However, Ball Moulds is in business.

If you reed his Obit that is correct, his wife Chris, Jeff's son James & Clair (daughter?) are in running the show.

https://www.ballmoulds.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Jeff-Tanner-Obituary.png

[jordanka16]

The one I ordered is still 3 weeks out.

[6pt-sika]

My 8bore takes an .835” ball.
I think you may want to go bigger than .795”

The muzzle on neither of mine is close to .835” . My hammerless measures if memory serves .805” at the muzzle of both barrels so I think .795” just may do the trick . The .775” ball with masking tape wraps has done pretty well in both barrels of my hammer gun . So a step up to .785” may be a bit easier . Nominal bore diameter in both of course is a good bit more than the reading I get at the muzzle , but I have no intention of pushing a ball that fits the bore diameter thru the chokes on these guns .

[too many things]

ok i will stand corrected but at first was they would not do it . glad to hear . i will email her, she is one said they would close.
best out there for RB

[6pt-sika]

he died so dont look for them

When I ordered from them last year I had a series of emails with the lady and she told her husband had passed and that her son was cutting molds . But if I remmember correctly he has or had a regular job while the mold cutting was a sideline for him .

[jordanka16]

When I ordered from them last year I had a series of emails with the lady and she told her husband had passed and that her son was cutting molds . But if I remmember correctly he has or had a regular job while the mold cutting was a sideline for him .

Mine arrived day before yesterday, I ordered on July 20th, so roughly 4 weeks.

If it's just a side job that would make sense why it takes longer than it used to.

I'm glad someone is making them though, it's a very nice mold for the price.

[6pt-sika]

Mine arrived day before yesterday, I ordered on July 20th, so roughly 4 weeks.

If it's just a side job that would make sense why it takes longer than it used to.

I'm glad someone is making them though, it's a very nice mold for the price.

Last year I ordered three molds he had them cut packaged and out the door in about ten days . Then it took four days for them to reach Chicago where they set for three weeks I assume so the crud would die from them . Perhaps last year his main job was shutdown and he had more free time due to the crud .

[6pt-sika]

I just got a tracking number and my pair of molds are now at a Brit post office . 14 days after order was placed , very decent turn around . Now let’s see how long it takes once they leave the UK and arrive in this country .

[6pt-sika]

I got notification this morning that my pair of molds have arrived in New York City . Now how long will it take to make the 5-6 hour trip from NYC to central Virginia !

[Jim22]

Hmmm... I thought that 10 bore was the largest cartridge shotgun that is legal. ImIwrong? Or are these muzzle loaders? A hammerless muzzle loader is a curious beast.

Jim

[6pt-sika]

Hmmm... I thought that 10 bore was the largest cartridge shotgun that is legal. ImIwrong? Or are these muzzle loaders? A hammerless muzzle loader is a curious beast.

Jim

8’s are legal I several states for things other than waterfowl .

[megasupermagnum]

Hmmm... I thought that 10 bore was the largest cartridge shotgun that is legal. ImIwrong? Or are these muzzle loaders? A hammerless muzzle loader is a curious beast.

Jim

I'm fairly sure you can own any shotgun gauge, even 2 bore, in all 50 states. Correct me if I'm wrong. As for hunting, about the only thing you run into the federally mandated waterfowl regulations, and about 1/3rd of states have a rule on spring turkey hunting. Most allow anything in the fall. I'm not aware of any regulation or law that differentiates a shotgun from a muzzleloader and a breech loader, they are the same thing to the game wardens.

[6pt-sika]

My molds were in the PO Box this morning only three days in country before I recieved them this time ! Last year they sat in the Chicago terminal before they’d turn them loose .

[Blood Trail]

If this helps, I shot .740” rb in my rifled 12 ga that’s around .728”-729” at the muzzle and I’m got outstanding 100 yard accuracy at 100 yards. The pressure tested safe as well.

Maybe you can apply the same principle to your should cannon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[6pt-sika]

If this helps, I shot .740” rb in my rifled 12 ga that’s around .728”-729” at the muzzle and I’m got outstanding 100 yard accuracy at 100 yards. The pressure tested safe as well.

Maybe you can apply the same principle to your should cannon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not really but thanks just the same . The hammer gun is choked quite tight but the hammerless left the factory in 1904 or1906 and the letter stated to shoot buckshot close . I dare say not many 8’s were ordered specifically to shoot buckshot . Anyway I don’t want balls going thru the chokes of steel twist barrels that are 110+ years old to tight if the ball is .010” under bore diameter that’s tight enough for me as it’ll have a mylar wrap to make up the difference .

[6pt-sika]

I’d planned on shooting sporting clays Friday but that’s been shot in the foot so I may be able to cast a small supply of all three sizes of punkin balls as well as enough 000000 buck to load ten more shells .

[longbow]

Have you tried donut wads under the balls that fit through the chokes?

Donut wads should keep the undersize ball centered in the bore and the wad will squeeze through the choke.

BPI has felt donut wads.

Having said that, I have not tried it myself but it is old technology that supposedly works.

I'd use an all hard card wad column with the donut wad on top then RB nestled in the donut hole.

I think cushion leg wads do not provide a stable launch platform.

Longbow

[6pt-sika]

I saw nothing wrong with the groups I got from the .775” punkin balls and slugs I shot in my hammerless 8 gauge a few days ago . My parameters are not as hard to meet as some of you want rightly so from rifled barrels . I am happy with 30ish yards for both balls and slugs . With the buckshot about thirty yards as well . Granted my hammerless 8 was ordered to shoot close with buckshot and it does very well with very corse buckshot . Quite frankly I was expecting it to do half way decent with 000000 buck but it actually did very well in the right barrel . The punkin balls snd slugs both at .775” really surprised me in the left barrel . I shot two slugs from the left they were 2” above POA and about an inch apart , the two punkin balls from the left barrel were about half inch above POA and within 1/2” of each other . I’m quite pleased and now thinking I may have wasted $100 to get the .785” and .795” molds .

[longbow]

I figure RB groups from smoothbore of under 6" at 50 yards is decent and 4" or less is good.

Mostly my round ball shooting has been from cylinder bore or I/C choke so I haven't dealt with full chokes.

I wouldn't say having two nice new round ball moulds is a waste of money but then I love round balls of all sizes. I don't know why but I do!

I sure you'll find a use for them.

Longbow

[6pt-sika]

Friday I cast about twenty of the .795” ball , twenty of the .785” ball and ninety of the .415” balls . Think Tuesday I’ll load eight of the .785” balls and four of the .795” balls . The ninety .415” balls will give me enough for ten rounds of 000000 buck .

[6pt-sika]

If I have a modicum of success with the punkin balls in my pair of 8 gauge guns I might look into a couple round ball molds for a couple of my 10’s . Doubt I go any lower but one never knows .

[6pt-sika]

Loaded some of the .785” and .795” punkin balls today . Also tried a few of the 000000 (.415”) buck using the Gualandi wads . Just went out and tried a load of buck thru the right barrel at thirty yards and it looked good . Then tried two of of the .795” balls thru the left barrel also at thirty yards and they looked very nice but about 3-4” above POA . The increase in elevation maybe caused by the charge I put about one extra grain of Universal Clays in each shell .

[6pt-sika]

Loaded a few more today ! But cut back to the 40A bushing got Universal Clays rather than the 41 bushing I used the other day . I also used the older Remington Corrugated hulls . I’m finding just a minute bit of lubricant on the case Edgar turns out a far better roll crimp . Loaded four of the .785 and six of the .795 . Then when I did the 000000 I put ten pellets and 1 1/2 scoops buffer . Made five with ten pellets and one with eight pellets . The one with eight got 1/4” of 10 gauge nitro card in the shot cup with everything else staying the same . Maybe I can try a couple later this evening on paper .

[6pt-sika]

Took a slight turn today . Loaded some punkin balls with fiber and card wads . Card over the powder then a few fiber wads . They seem to fit very well . I’d picked up a bunch of 8 gauge stuff couple months ago so why not try it . Loaded two with the .795” ball , three with the .785” ball and four buckshot with the Gualandi wad . All in nice new Remington hulls . I’ve also found putting just a skoosh of white grease on the end helps quite a bit in the roll crimping process .

[6pt-sika]

Shot all the roundball loads and didn’t care for the results . Shot 000000 buck in the right and left barrels as well . The buck loads looked very decent at 30 yards . Tommorrow I’ll load some more punkin balls with the SP-8 wads in new hulls then try two out the left barrel of both .785” and .795” . And hopefully we can go from there .