Round ball in a 500 S&W, anyone try it yet?

[15meter]

Tried several searches, both in and out of the forum and get massive number of suggestions, none which I'm looking for.

Has anyone tried round ball in a 500 S&W. I've loaded RB in several different calibers just for tin can executions. I'd like to try it in 500 S&W.

Hoping to find load data and recommendations for RB diameter. I was planning on using Ben's Liquid Lube. I've got .495 and .500 pure lead RB.

Is it possible to load a RB into a fired case and crimp with a Lee crimp die?

Or is this just authentic frontier gibberish?

[Jedman]

I have played around with round balls in strait walled and bottle necked cartridges and shotshells.
For plinking loads I use about any fast burning pistol or shotgun powder and only use a small amount.
With a case as large as a 500 S&W I might start at 5 grs. and load a .500 dia. ball coated with LLA and if it goes in the case with a little neck tension being the same dia. as a jacketed bullet I would seat it just maybe 5 or 10 thousands past the equator and your regular seating die should put as much crimp on it as you need.
I haven’t used any filler to keep the small powder charge close to the primer but it might help with such a large case like a 500 ? You really don’t want much velocity as your barrel will have way to fast of twist for a round ball and it most likely will strip thru the lands and grooves anyway.
I have done exactly what I just described with a 45/70 with a .457 round ball and it worked well enough to hit soda cans at 25+ yards. I also made a push thru die with a taper pin reamer where I push a .490 ball thru the die and it comes out with a small band about .460 dia. and coated with LLA shoot even better than the round balls.

Are you going to shoot these thru a revolver or something like a single shot handi rifle ? In a revolver it might have enough recoil to make the ball move deeper into the case ?

Jedman

[Jedman]

I was thinking of how the inside ID of a strait walled case tapers as it gets closer to the web area so maybe a .500 ball would drop into a fired case and then lodge at some point lower in the case.
That would make the powder space smaller which is good and with just a small push into the tapered section would keep the ball secure without any need to crimp.

Jedman

[15meter]

This is for a revolver and a "we ain't got ice" project.

Buddy has a S&W revolver, I've got the reloading stuff and I was given a couple dozen pieces of once fired brass.

I was hoping someone had already tried this and had first hand experience.

[rockrat]

Loaded some in a 50 ae revolver. Was using 8 gr. unique, but it was pretty dirty. Shot well at 50 ft at our indoor range. Red Dot or bullseye might work better by being cleaner burning. I was using powder coated .500 rb, which came out to just shy of .502"

[TurnipEaterDown]

Not exactly what you are looking for, but further comment might get your kinoodler going to a place that you feel comfortable with:

The 500 S&W uses a .500 bullet, so you'd want the .500 ball.
Unsized cases, the .500 ball should fall in, which could be a problem w/ case volume. Things have a tendency to stick unpredicably w/ a sprue like I usually see on RB castings.
Recoil will Pull a bullet in a revolver, IF great enough (light for cal ball, low velocity, it MIGHT not) so it won't seat deeper from recoil.

I have a 500 Linebaugh long (really an ancestor to the S&W), which uses a 1.600" case and 0.512 bullets (nominally).
I have light loaded 425 gr & 355 gr bullets over trail boss 8-10 grains, and 2400 with higher charges. Some loads really good accuracy.
Was going to soon try a swaged 240 gr Hornady PA Conical made for BP 50 rifles, as the weather warms up. Planned on starting w/ 8gr Trailboss. If I can turn the 500 into a large 44 Spl, might be fun...

[DanLee]

Prime the unsized case, add the powder charge, drop the lead ball into the case. It will lodge somewhere below the mouth. Now run your case into a sizing die (with the priming punch removed) about a third or half way down from the mouth, stopping just above the ball. Now your round ball won't roll out of the case.