Tri-Ball Revisited!

[Dixie Slugs]

For some time now, many of you have been developing your own Dixie Tri-Ball loads indeed!
We have have had some fine discussions on wads, powder, etc. Some of you have refined your loads to match Dixie's.
However, there is one point I want to stress! Do not use the pure lead muzzlel loading balls in your loads!
These balls will upset, swage out, and cause too much sidewall pressure! We saw one barrel that had a bubble in the full choke area from a reloader trying to use ,575" pure lead balls!
Again....any hard cast balls from .575" to the ideal .600" diameter will work with the recipe I posted. Lee makes a good mold for a .600" ball...not the best, but will do for the reloader.
Follow the exact recipe I gave you and all will be well
Regards, James

[yondering]

I'll second this. I ran into pressure issues from using balls cast from air cooled wheel weights. Same load with water dropped wheel weights was fine and shot well. James' load is a real thumper!

[Dixie Slugs]

What many reloaders of shotshells do not realize is that soft cheap shot will do the same thing, everything else being to same components......James

[mikenbarb]

James, Is this whats considered the buck and ball loads? If so can you supply a link to your recipe for this load please. I have a Lyman duplex RB mold but no data to load them and im not the type to play around with developing one for a shotshell.:( Thanks.

[Dixie Slugs]

Hello Mike! The Dixie Tri-Ball is not what is considered a Buck and Ball load, but rather a multi-ball load. The original Buck and Ball load has one round ball and various mumber of buck shot. As a military round, it was issued to those that had smoothbore muskets. A fine example was the loads issued to the 26th Georgia Infantry at Fredricksburg. The shot the Irish Brigade to pieces in their three charges against the stonewall. It was a close range load indeed.
The recipe for Tri-Ball is as follows:
(1) 12 ga 3" Cheddite, Fiocchi, or Federal Gol Metal hull
(2) 28/29 grs of Alliant Blue Dot
(3) Precision Relooding Orange Wad TUPRWW123
(4) Three .600" hard cast round balls
(5) Precision Reloading buffer
(6) Thin overshot wad.
The buffer is to be vibrated around the balls. The ball tapped tight in the wad so the bottom ball is snug in the wad. Wads are dusted with Motor Mica
Regards, James

[mikenbarb]

Thanks James.:drinks:

[Pete D.]

I realize that it has been well over a year since the last post. I followed a link from another forum where this was under discussion.
Question: The wad......where to find it?
I did a Google search for Precision Reloading Orange wad TUPRWW123.
Nothing came up. (well....this thread came up but no source info.)
Pete

[BABore]

I Googled "Precision Reloading" and it was the first one. Here's the link to the wad is question.

http://www.precisionreloading.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=PRE&Category_Code=WADS_PREC_REL_STEEL

Pay attention to what James says on vibrating the spherical shot buffer in and tapping the balls down tight. Evidence of an improper job is a split in the bottom of the wad cup. A real hack job is a blown wad. I had to do a bunch of testing to find the right choke constriction for accuracy. I started with tight turkey tubes in my Mossberg 500 and had poor results. I progressed to more and more open chokes til I hit it on an extended, IMP Mod, steel shot tube. 50 yard accuracy was a 3-4 inch spread. I handed a couple to a buddy's kid to try in his 870. He had an IMP CYL deer bbl on. At 40 yards he put one hole in the target. I told him the other two balls must have went wild. We looked. All three in one ragged hole. Had to be a fluke so I had him shoot again. He made a 1 1/4" group with that shot.

[Dixie Slugs]

Another little trick in loading Tri-Ball.....drop a 20 gauge thin overshot disk into the bottom of the Orange Wad.
The sequence of loading the balls into the wad (in the hull) should be:
(1) drop the balls in and tap them.
(2) vibrate 2.2 cc of the buffer in.
(3) Hold a wood dowel on top of the balls and vibreate.
(4) add enough buffe to just cover the ball.
(5) Tap again
The key to the entire operation is to be sure there is no buffer under the bottom ball....or between the balls.
As the man says...try different choke constrictions! If you get two ball cutting out in the target, but one ball out a few incches....too tight a choke! Ideal is when the balls make a nice even triangle.
Regards, James

[Dixie Slugs]

Based on the emails I have received on reloading the Dixie Tri-Ball....I feel that I should warn the reloader again about not using soft lead balls in the load.
The reason for this is that soft lead balls will expand and cause side wall pressure.....simple fact!
Again....follow the posted recipe exact! The reloader has a tendancy to jazz up any posted load and that can get you in serious trouble with specialized loads like Tri-Ball. I ran into this situation with the Dixie Tusker load (and the smoothbore barrels for the load). It got to the point that I removed it from our production line.
REgards, James

[Geraldo]

In this era of fear of litigation, you've got to like a company owner that will give you his load data. :drinks:

[dogbert41]

:bigsmyl2:

[Catshooter]

Dixie Slugs,

Thank you very much for posting your receipe!

Would you define "hard lead balls" please? Wheel weights? Linotype? Thanks.


Cat

[5Shot]

I re-read it - I see now. You want lead to lead contact and lead to wad contact without buffer in between.

[Muskrat Mike]

I'm confused and that is easy to do sometimes but just where is the buffer going if and I quote"The key to the entire operation is to be sure there is no buffer under the bottom ball....or between the balls."????:veryconfu

[5Shot]

It is everywhere except where the balls contact each other and where the bottom ball contacts the wad. You want lead to lead contact (or wad to lead contact), which is why you need to hold them down while you vibrate the buffer in. I am not sure why it is so important, but I will do as told.

[Dixie Slugs]

Let me be crystal clear on this matter of sharing recipes here on Cast Boolits. I do not agree with some posts that do not include pressure testing from a recognized test group...period! I have seen enough of that type jazz!
Now.....It is a fact the most reloaders do not buy factory ammo. By posting interesting recipes here does not cost us any sales. And.....any recipe posted here is the recipe were may our ammo to.
I am, and will always be, a reloader at heart. tThere are about 100 vaious recipes we have tested and arepressure tested.....ous ammo represents only a partial list of the total recipes.
Regards, James

[RMc]

Hello Mike! The Dixie Tri-Ball is not what is considered a Buck and Ball load, but rather a multi-ball load. The original Buck and Ball load has one round ball and various mumber of buck shot. As a military round, it was issued to those that had smoothbore muskets. A fine example was the loads issued to the 26th Georgia Infantry at Fredricksburg. The shot the Irish Brigade to pieces in their three charges against the stonewall. It was a close range load indeed.
The recipe for Tri-Ball is as follows:
(1) 12 ga 3" Cheddite, Fiocchi, or Federal Gol Metal hull
(2) 28/29 grs of Alliant Blue Dot
(3) Precision Relooding Orange Wad TUPRWW123
(4) Three .600" hard cast round balls
(5) Precision Reloading buffer
(6) Thin overshot wad.
The buffer is to be vibrated around the balls. The ball tapped tight in the wad so the bottom ball is snug in the wad. Wads are dusted with Motor Mica
Regards, James

Pressure tested.

[Arisaka99]

Do you have a load for 20ga?

[Dixie Slugs]

At present Ralph and I are working on a Tri-Ball 20. The problem is finding a study enough wad......James

[Arisaka99]

yeah, can you use over powder cards instead of wads? that may work?

[turbo1889]

yeah, can you use over powder cards instead of wads? that may work?

Since the balls are smaller then bore diameter you would also have to have some kind of support tube similar to a steel shot wad to surround the balls if you were going to go with an old school type card wad type load.

I have been experimenting with building my own sabots for sabot slug loads, single wall shot wad cups for lead/bismuth shot, and double wall shot cups with the slits on the inner and outer walls offset from each other for steel/hevi-shot by rolling my own paper tubes and cutting and gluing them in combination with various size nitro cards to build loads where the wadding is 100% bio-degradable and I'm not spreading plastic litter junk all over ever time I pull the trigger.

I haven’t yet tried this for making a 20ga. Tri-Ball load and have only tried building 20ga. Tri-Ball loads using various steel shot wads. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if rolling a 1-1/2” long brown paper tube 1/2” inside diameter and 5/8” outside diameter, gluing a 50-cal 1/8” thick nitro card inside the bottom flush, then gluing a 20ga. 1/8” nitro on top of that, slitting the resulting wad-cup with a razor knife a little more then an inch to form two or three petals, and finally dropping in three 0.490” hard cast balls would probably do the trick nicely. I know Dixie is limited as far as what he can use for components to produce commercial ammunition but for a private hobbyist with the time and dedication to literally “roll your own” that may be an option.

[RMc]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=114669

[Navy_Guns]

the "recipe" says to use 3" Cheddite, Fiocchi, or Federal Gold Metal hulls. Precision Reloading is out of the Cheddite and the Federal hulls they have are one-piece, so apparently not "Gold Metal" hulls. The Fiocchi they have in stock come with magnum primers installed. The "recipe" does not specify a primer type. Is it ok to use the specified 28-29 grains of Blue Dot with the magnum primer in the Fiocchi hull?

[RMc]

the "recipe" says to use 3" Cheddite, Fiocchi, or Federal Gold Metal hulls. Precision Reloading is out of the Cheddite and the Federal hulls they have are one-piece, so apparently not "Gold Metal" hulls. The Fiocchi they have in stock come with magnum primers installed. The "recipe" does not specify a primer type. Is it ok to use the specified 28-29 grains of Blue Dot with the magnum primer in the Fiocchi hull?

Try Graf and Sons for Cheddite primed hulls:

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/category/categoryId/412?

[Navy_Guns]

I was trying to avoid having to buy the wads in one place and the hulls in another. If I can't get an answer about the Fiocchi with the magnum primers, I may have to.

[turbo1889]

I cannot speak for Dixie as far as primers that go with his loads, but last I checked primers are removable and can be replaced with a different one if needed. A little extra work compared to just using primed hulls but it can be done. Usually CCI primers fit the european hulls if you can't find european brand name primers to use in them (euro and CCI primers are slightly bigger diameter and other primers may be a loose fit in euro hulls without swaging the primer pockets back down with a special tool made and sold for the purpose).

I'm thinking swap the magnum Fiochi primers out for regular hotness primers (euro or CCI) if your worried about it. Just de-prime and re-prime on the press like loading fired hulls only save the still good magnum primers for later use in another load.

[doubledown]

What alloy are you guys using for the tri ball load ? Do you think lyman number 2 would be hard enough? or do I need to step it up a notch .

[nanuk]

I"m wondering if HT WW would work well for this also

[BABore]

IIRC that's what James uses for his commercial load. I use 50/50 WW-Pb and water drop them. You want them hard to minimize distorsion and setback.

[Dixie Slugs]

Let's talk about Dixie Tri-Ball for a moment. As you know, I have put various recipes here on Cast Boolits for reloaders (they buy few factory rounds) and have had trouble in the past by loaders wanting to use components other than those I have listed.
Now.....the first Tri-Ball loads were with Blue Dot and they worked very good. Over time we were able to buy Primex 513 and since it was a all-temp powder, we moved to that.
We have seen very little difference when sub'ing the following:
(1) Hulls...Fiochhi, Cheditte, Federal (as long as they were not tapered hullls)
(2) Very little difference in primers
(3) Most important to use the Precision "orange "wad
(4) Very little (if any) difference if heat treated balls or not....as long as they are as hard as at least 10 to 1 (lead.tin). Only those with antimony can be heat treated. Some of the best balls can be made from melted high antimony shot!
Now....Primex 513 is getting hard to get and we are now testing Primex 516 (Lil'Gun). 28 grains of Blue Dot equals 28 grains of Primex 513 equals 32 grains of Primex 516 (LiL'Gun)....all are the same volume for crimp index with a rolled crimp and pressure.
When our testing is done and I am satisfied with all the results....I will post the revised recipe....don't ask me yet! And don't ask we about other componenet either.
At present we are working very hard to keep up with nationwide orders on Dixie Tri-Ball!!!!!
Regards, James

[Dixie Slugs]

We are also testing 12 ga 3" RIO hulls but are not ready to state to use them...James

[nanuk]

this is why I like this site.

info given freely for OUR Safety!

[500cadillac]

Finally something other than Bluedot. 8-) Too cold in Canada to hunt with bluedot.

[doubledown]

Has anybody loaded the Dixie tri ball load in a 3.5" shell? I know James at Dixie sells them, I want to pick up a few boxes, I was just wondering what componants were used. I have loaded the 3" with great results.

[Dixie Slugs]

OK! Here is the exact recipe for the Tri-Ball in 3 1/2" hulls.....note I sat exact!
(1) Cheddite 12 ga 3 1/2" primed hull.
(2) 32 grains (3.4 cc Lee Dipper) Alliant Steel powder.
(3) The Precision Reloading Orange (TUPRW123) wad.
(4) Most Important!....a 20 ga overshot disk in the inside bottom of the Orange wad. If you do not do this, the wad base will blow!
(5) Three .600" hard cast round balls.
(6) Buffer
(7) Important!....a 1/8" pure cork wad over the buffered balls
(8) Fold Crimp
This load runs about 1175'/" and patterns excellent!
Regards, James

[missionary5155]

Good morning
It sure would be fun to find some large free roaming raptures to try this load on...
Anyone have a herd of beefys that you want thinned out ?
Mike in Peru

[doubledown]

James, thank you for sharing your recipes with us. I have loaded and shot both of your Tri-ball loads now, the 3" and 3.5" both with great sucsess! The 3" load I shoot out of my Remmington 870 with a 18.5" barrel (the forcing cone has been lengthened) its short light and east to carry and I get an honest 1000 fps out of it. At 50 yards it will keep all three balls on a pie plate, and boy does it smack the target HARD!

The 3.5" load I have only shot a couple dozen, but they give a little more range. I shoot them out of a 26" barrel autoloader and get 1200 fps. I have knocked over a three foot 12x12 standing on end at 50 yards! This load hits like a truck! I am going to leave my lever guns in the safe and take my shotgun with me on my next hog hunt useing one of your triball loads, I cant wait.

In the beginning I would get two balls hitting together and one 4"-6" away. I tried spreading the wads by hand before loading, to help release that last ball, but it seemed to make the groups worse in my case.
Then I started to lube and mica dust the balls to get them to release from the wad uniformly. I found with my loads, in my guns. Slicking those lead balls up seemed to help me.

Great info on a great load, thanks again James.:-D

[Dixie Slugs]

We have tried to keep our friends here on Cast Boolits informed on our load recipes and development. We found the if two ball hit close and one out a ways was caused by too tight a choke. Also there was one run of orange wads that were not cut far enough down. This was quickly corrected at the wad maker.
We are now testing a new powder that is available to the reloaders. We do not know the complete results yet, but it looks good so far.
The hunting results from all over are outstsnding indeed. Looks like another good year for Tri-Ball......Regards, James

[doubledown]

[QUOTE=Dixie Slugs " We found the if two ball hit close and one out a ways was caused by too tight a choke".


James, both shotguns are cylinder bore. Even with the 20 gauge overshot disk in the wad, if I load all three balls in the wad and turn the wad over only two come out, the bottom ball has to be tapped out. In my mind thats the ball thats late to the party, but that is nothing more than a "guess" on my part. I also like a challenge, if it was easy I would probably lose interest.

[waksupi]

I wonder if coating the lower ball with talcum powder may let it release a bit easier?

[Dixie Slugs]

Interesting indeed! Be sure the cuts in the wad sidewall are all the way down to the inside of the wad. The bottom ball should be tight, but not so that it will not release as the wad opens up......James

[Dixie Slugs]

To answer the post about powder on the bottom ball.....I would not do that. There is always the chance that the wad would be push forward over the balls...as what happens many times with sabot loads with a bullet inside.
I would rather think the wads were not cut all the way down the side. We ran into that problem with one run of the orange wad, but they were suposed to have correctted (sp) that.
Alsp check the diameter of the ball. Some that are cast a little over .600" will stick. Too tight! Better patterns if the balls are from .590" to .600". We have even seen good results reported from the field with casters using hard .575" balls. Our production molds drop .599" balls from our harder alloy. We have gotten no reports of the balls sticking except when the run of orange wads were not cut properly (sp)......James

[phatman]

If you go to the Dixie Slugs website you will see James talking about Hogs being dangerous game.
A lot of people blow this off, thinking he is just trying to sell something.
Let me tell you, He is not.
My brother has a skull mount of the 450 pound hog that almost killed me. He didn't want to mount it since it did so much damage but I insisted.
We were in the heart of the Green Swamp in north Polk county Florida. Its a long way from a road and we were after trophy class hogs. I thought it would be a great place since there was no hunting pressure.
The palmettos are very very thick there, your longest shot will be measured in feet not yards.
The plan was we would move about 100 yards apart and push the game together. BAD PLAN.
I had a good size hog show its self and I hit it twice with a Browning Auto5 two shots at about 10 yards with 000buck loads. It went down with out problems. In the next second everything changed. A massive black hog came tearing out of the palmettos at my right. It moved in a fast arc my way. I fired 3 times hitting it twice in the right shoulder area, it never slowed down. The hog took out my right knee and cut my right let to the bone. I fell behind it, the hog turned and went after my head. I covered my face with my arms and rolled over exposing my back that he promply attacked.
Now this felt like it went on for days although a think it was just about 10 to 15 seconds. My brother shot it off of me with his 30/06 with a miricle shot as far as I'm concerned since there was no way he could see us.
My brother is quite the survivalist and when he wiped out the duct tape and Stay Free MaxiPads I knew what they were for, I was bleeding pretty bad.
Fortunatly we had Cell phone reception and called for help. I was in the hospital about 3 hours later via chopper.

Dont ever believe these Hogs are a joke, or you'll end up with 52 staples and an a hole in your shoulder blade. I honestly have no idea how many stitches I had, to many to count, I only counted the staples.

Cheers, John

[Dixie Slugs]

First of All, Thank goodness you are alright! I know the area you hunt in as I was born and raised in Sumter County. Thank you for your kind words indded! I post recipes here as I know most reloaders do not buy finished ammo...and because I have many loyal friends here!
Now. I have seen people sewed up with over a hundred stiches! The problem is that many hunters only see these small (less that 100 pound feral) hogs and then one day run into a real Tusker!The real Tusker may have as much as 2 inches of shoulder shield, plus a very small brain. They are much slower nerve animals indeed. They do not have as much blood system as deer!
I have been told that to posters have killed big hogs, in a pen, with a 22 Short in the ear. So what? If a true wild is under your feet, it takes a lots of punch to put him down!
I have been hunting true wild hogs in the Florida swamps since 1956 and can tell you that they are the finest big dangerous game anywhere. And....you better learn to shoot quick and accurate!
Regards, James

[diehard]

I am insanely jealous that there are no hogs where I live. There were at one time some Russian boars that escaped from Corbin Park Game Preserve in Croydon, NH (after a hurricane in the 1930's), but the last I've heard of anyone seeing one in the woods was 1994. Of course that doesn't mean they aren't there, but news about big game animals like that is very hard to keep secret. If anyone does know if they still exist and where where I can find them...please, I am all ears!


Anyway, I just want to to chime in here and thank James for sharing his load data on the Tri-ball. I shot my first 10 rounds of Tri-ball ever last Monday. I loaded these rounds using your information (I've been following your posts and the evolution of this awesome load) and very hard cast .575"round balls. What fun! My results were awesome for close range: four shots at 25 yard averaged in the neighbor hood of three inches each (I'm writing this from memory), three rounds at 35 yards averaged about 8 inches each, and at 50 yards I would only get two balls on a 12"x 16" target board. Any idea where the third one went? :)

Anyway...thanks again for the data. I am going to have fun with this load.

[nanuk]

up here, we are getting more and more areas "Contaminated" with wild boar

seems the locals can't kill 'em fast enough

my hunting buddy and I are planning a hunt one day.

I hear they make GREAT sausage and chops

[diehard]

up here, we are getting more and more areas "Contaminated" with wild boar

Yes, I can see how they could be considered "invasive species" (as some states classify them here). After all, I suppose they compete with deer and other game for the same food, not to mention crop damage etc, etc.

I just would like something to hunt (besides coyotes) between March 31 (end of hare season) to Sept 15 (beginning of bow season for deer). I'd move down South, but I'd miss ice fishing too much. :-)

[Dixie Slugs]

I have been hunting true wild hogs for a loooong time indeed! So...lets talk about wild hogs 101.
First of all, a sow pig can breed at 6 months, and every six months there after. A little math can show how many hogs you have in a year from one mama sow. And consisder how much a hog eats in a day.....and you can see that where they take over an area, everything else has to move for food. In the Southin the Fall, it's acorns indeed. A medium size herd of hogs can clear out the supply quick!
Now, if you see a place rooted up, it only shows where they have been! In areas where you can get away with it.....baiting works. A putty bucket full of whole grain corn that has water and yeast added, and set in the sun for a few days works extra good. A putty bucket of dry whole grain corn with a little diesel (sp) (about a cup) mixed well will work and not hurt a hog at all...but will keep the Coons away. Left over oil from a fish fry is excellent indeed! Dig a hole about a foot accross and a foot deep....pour in the oil. By the time you get back it will look like a bomb crater! OIf you are hunting from a stand, carry a tin of cheap sardines and scatter them around you stand. In fact I have kill a hog and field gutted it, only to find the herd came back and ate the guts! The will eat a dead human body also! In tidal areas the fiddler crads breed on the full moon...millions of them turn red and swarm at low tide. Hogs will coome from miles to eat them...but the hogs meat will be fishy for about a week. The best pork comes during the acorn fall. Wild hogs are not as fat a tame porkers though. The real hog hunter after meat will always shoot the smallest in the herd. To find out how much *** you have in you pants.....take on the leader Boar hog!
So much for the nice stuff about that critter!.....Regards, James

[Multigunner]

When they probed the gunshot wound in the back of Abe Lincoln's head one doctor found his probe went in one direction while they other dr's probe went in another direction.

John Wilkes Booth's diary says he "double loaded" his deringer. They always figured that meant he used a double charge of powder, but from the nature of the wound I'm pretty sure he loaded two balls.
No way to know unless they opened Lincoln's head during autopsy, if they did one, and even then a extra bullet might get lost.

The old half round smoothbored buck and ball guns some hunters prefered over the long rifle were often charged with two or more bore sized balls for close range Deer hunting.
The impact of multiple hits within a few inches of each wound can be devastating to the nervous system , ensuring rapid takedown or at least a short chase.

[Dixie Slugs]

Seems like at one time I saw a half-ball the pull out of his head????.....James

[nanuk]

I have been hung true wild hogs for a loooong time indeed! So...lets talk about wild hogs 101.
......
In areas where you can get away with it.....baiting works.

A putty bucket full of whole grain corn that has water and yeast added, and set in the sun for a few days works extra good.

A putty bucket of dry whole grain corn with a little diesel (sp) (about a cup) mixed well will work and not hurt a hog at all...but will keep the Coons away.

Left over oil from a fish fry is excellent indeed! Dig a hole about a foot accross and a foot deep....pour in the oil. By the time you get back it will look like a bomb crater!

OIf you are hunting from a stand, carry a tin of cheap sardines and scatter them around you stand.

The best pork comes during the acorn fall. Wild hogs are not as fat a tame porkers though. The real hog hunter after meat will always shoot the smallest in the herd.

To find out how much *** you have in you pants.....take on the leader Boar hog!

James

Good stuff here James. Thanks for that!

[Dixie Slugs]

Seems we drifted away from Dixie Tri-Ball data, but this general info is needed when dealing with Tuskers indeed. True wild hog hunting is new in many areas and some hints always help.
The fact is.....there are more people cut up each years from wild hogs than Griz! You just don't hear much about it. The other problem is this 1st or 2nd generation ferals hogs!!!! The hunter gets used to them and then runs into a real Tusker!
We have been hunting hogs down here for a long time indeed! They are nature's tanks and never...never under estimate them!.......James

[HiVelocity]

Folks,

I've known James for quite awhile and he's probably the foremost known hog hunter/caster/ballistician I know. I wish he would write a "How to Hunt Hogs" guide since he has a warehouse of knowledge how to safely harvest this menace.

Wild hogs are rapidly becoming an epidemic here in SC. Many farmers and landowners are trading out seasonal hunting rights for "depreadation" services for those who come and erradicate feral hogs and coyotes [another problem predator]. I've hunted hogs a few times and have yet to find one in range; but I agree with James, "Don't take these animals lightly".

I have an 870 Remington with a fully rifled barrel in which I use Dixie Slugs; on other occasions I've been known to use my Marlin 45-70. I've talked with the locals who displayed their battle scars from shooting feral hogs with sub caliber weapons to suffer the wrath of the hidden tusker in the bushes.

SC Dept of Natural Resources report on feral hogs:

http://www.dnr.sc.gov/news/yr2011/march17/march17_pig.html

Keep doing what you do James, more is definitely better!

John Kirk in SC
HiVelocity

[DLCTEX]

Anyone who is jealous because he doesn't have any wild hogs in his area should count his lucky stars. The damage they do to the habitat, quail and other ground nesters, fawns, crops, and other things is just not worth the hunting benefits. That said, I do enjoy hunting them and do so at every opportunity.

[peter nap]

James, thanks for the information. I've been following it for a long time.

Question for anyone.

Has anyone tried these in a rifled barrel and what were the results.

I want to load some for my H&R slug gun.

[Dixie Slugs]

Well........Thanks for some of the comments here! Yes, I have hunted wild hogs since 1956, mainly in the swamps along tge St Johns River, then later overseas, and then back in the States.
This year we plan a section on Dixie Slugs where manuscripts can be sold at a resonable price......no syndicated writers or advertisings!
We have about four ready, but as of yet not a complete write-up on wild hogs.
Wild hogs are both a curse and blessing indeed!
Regards, James

[Al in Mi]

Let's talk about Dixie Tri-Ball for a moment. As you know, I have put various recipes here on Cast Boolits for reloaders (they buy few factory rounds) and have had trouble in the past by loaders wanting to use components other than those I have listed.
Now.....the first Tri-Ball loads were with Blue Dot and they worked very good. Over time we were able to buy Primex 513 and since it was a all-temp powder, we moved to that.
We have seen very little difference when sub'ing the following:
(1) Hulls...Fiochhi, Cheditte, Federal (as long as they were not tapered hullls)
(2) Very little difference in primers
(3) Most important to use the Precision "orange "wad
(4) Very little (if any) difference if heat treated balls or not....as long as they are as hard as at least 10 to 1 (lead.tin). Only those with antimony can be heat treated. Some of the best balls can be made from melted high antimony shot!
Now....Primex 513 is getting hard to get and we are now testing Primex 516 (Lil'Gun). 28 grains of Blue Dot equals 28 grains of Primex 513 equals 32 grains of Primex 516 (LiL'Gun)....all are the same volume for crimp index with a rolled crimp and pressure.
When our testing is done and I am satisfied with all the results....I will post the revised recipe....don't ask me yet! And don't ask we about other componenet either.
At present we are working very hard to keep up with nationwide orders on Dixie Tri-Ball!!!!!
Regards, James

James, anything come out of your testing of those new powders?

[Dixie Slugs]

We just got another shipment of primex 513 and that has delayed our testing with Primex 516 (LiL'Gun).
We are very pleased with our testing of LiL'Gun (Primex 516) in both thr 222 Hornt and .44 Magnum!
If Primex 513 dries up, we will re-continue the tests on Primex 516....Regards, James

[plumberroy]

Anyone who is jealous because he doesn't have any wild hogs in his area should count his lucky stars. The damage they do to the habitat, quail and other ground nesters, fawns, crops, and other things is just not worth the hunting benefits. That said, I do enjoy hunting them and do so at every opportunity.

Amen to that ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Phatman I have hunted greenswamp and richloam and know about ranges being measure in feet There are some big hogs that are no dummies too I know of a hog that would slow down and let the hounds fight him in open areas so you couldn't get a shot as soon as he got in the brush he lost the dog and headed for the dairy farm /privite land
James the last place I lived in Fla. was center hill
Roy

[Dixie Slugs]

I am very familar with Center Hill as I was born in Wildwood and grew up in Bushnell. I am also very familar with Grren Swamp, etc.
Now...If you live in a woodland area or near a river...if you do not have hogs, wait awhile, they are on the way.
I do not agree that wild hogs are a curse.....what about cayotes (sp), fire ants, big snakes, etc. They are just another group od animals. I have said many times that the real wild boar hog is this county's dangerous game. I am not taliking abour the small 1st generation feral hog, but rather a full growm wild Tusker.......James

[plumberroy]

well I now live in ohio in the late 70's early 80's we did not have coyotes we did have a lot more rabbits, ringneck pheasant, quail and fox In 1981 I trapped and shot 90 foxes and saw many more Today we have coyotes no pheasants fewer rabbit very few quail and I have not seen more than 2-3 foxes in the last 2 years. If I'm out hunting and see a coyote no matter what I am hunting at the time . I switch to coyote hunting. by the way the 20 ga slugs I got from you will just flat ruin a coyotes day :mrgreen:

My late son and I took hunter safety course at the wildwood trading post. Things were going on that made My wife want to raise our son back up north so we left.
There is an other wildlife management area down in that area that I hunted, jumper creek maybe
Roy

[Smoke73]

A question for James. Have you ever used or shot a tri-ball load from a rifled muzzle loader. My .50 cal with 1-28 rifling shoots two balls into an inch at fifty yards and I am interested in trying three but thought I would look around for advice before I do something stupid.

[725]

Smoke73

Speaking out of my hat, my concerns would be that the throw weight (weight of three balls, weight of three patches, and the increased friction ie. drag of three balls against the barrel) be adjusted for the powder charge. There was an article written by Jerry K Cunningham titled, "Destructive Testing Of Muzzleloading Rifle Barrels" that used multiple ball loads to investigate barrel strengths. It was clearly advised that it wasn't a loading manual, but rather a destructive test report. It's results would be of interest to you. Don't know if it's still available. You might check:
Jerry K. Cunningham
Montana Barrel Co.
1694 Whalebone Dr.
Kalispell, Montana 59901

[nanuk]

Deleted my thoughts on this....

waiting to hear others.

I think I will try this though this spring.

[Dixie Slugs]

I have not used multi-ball loads in a muzzleloader. We just finished testing many bullet/powder types in inline muzzleloaders. Upcoming manuscript will cover details....Regards. James

[jmort]

Bump for Alaskanguy

[AlaskanGuy]

Thanks morty...

[jmort]

Welcome

[jmort]

Bump.

[peter nap]

sorry hit the wrong button

[rhouser]

Dixie Slug: With all the shortages in powder right now, the following observation in your post #31 on this thread caught my eye.
/
"Now....Primex 513 is getting hard to get and we are now testing Primex 516 (Lil'Gun). 28 grains of Blue Dot equals 28 grains of Primex 513 equals 32 grains of Primex 516 (LiL'Gun)....all are the same volume for crimp index with a rolled crimp and pressure."
/
At the time of posting, you had not finished safety testing the Lil'Gun.
/
I have several pounds of LIL GUN and have never considered that it might be subbed for Blue Dot. Have you any further guidance on the use of LIL GUN?
/
thanks in advance
rc

[bbs383ci]

fixing to order all the components for triball loads. one question before I do, in the 3" load you use blue dot and Steel in the 3.5" since you are shooting the same loads and wads can I use 28 grains of steel instead of blue dot in the 3" load? I have a lot of steel and blue dot has disappeared no one has it for sale.

[cpileri]

Maybe PM RMc for the info, although 28gr Steel instead of Blue Dot sounds reasonable to me. Maybe he will answer this thread too. But he does respond to PMs.
Of course, now that Dixie is up and running again, you can PM James Gates himself.
C-

[bbs383ci]

thank you I sent both of them PM's.

[Moonie]

thank you I sent both of them PM's.

Any response?

[bbs383ci]

Yes sorry. Was recommended to have the shells tested since steel has a high pressure spike when trying to push heavy loads

[Buster85]

Hi Everyone,
Anyone know of the status of Dixie Slugs? Need some Tri Ball and his web site is not up.
Thanks

[Moonie]

Hi Everyone,
Anyone know of the status of Dixie Slugs? Need some Tri Ball and his web site is not up.
Thanks


It's working for me.

[wildflilghts]

http://dixieslugs.com/images/standard_order_triball_3in.pdf Order form - Dixie Tri Ball

[faustus]

...

The recipe for Tri-Ball is as follows:
(1) 12 ga 3" Cheddite, Fiocchi, or Federal Gol Metal hull
(2) 28/29 grs of Alliant Blue Dot
(3) Precision Relooding Orange Wad TUPRWW123
(4) Three .600" hard cast round balls
(5) Precision Reloading buffer
(6) Thin overshot wad.

...


The last couple of weeks I have been ordering all the components for this Tri-Ball load and today was my first attempt to load a sample with a new 3" Cheddite hull, Blue Dot powder, and .600 balls I cast myself with a Lee mold.

However, when I tried to assembled a cartridge there was not enough room left for a fold crimp ... so I am wondering? Is this load supposed to be roll crimped or is it supposed to work with a fold crimp? Who has actually built this load ... and what did you use? Fold crimp or roll crimp?

Here my stack:
1.) New 3" Cheddite hull
2.) 28.9 grains of Blue Dot (Lee Powder dipper 2.5)
2.) Precision Reloading Orange Wad TUPRW123
4.) I placed a thin 20ga overshot card into the bottom of the wad
5.) 3x 600 round balls
6.) buffer vibrated in
7.) Thin overshot card
8.) And then I had intended to do a fold crimp .... but there was not enough hull space left ... :-(

Any input?

[pipehand]

The 3 inch load requires a roll crimp. The 3&1/2" can take a fold crimp.

[yondering]

I used a fold crimp with these loads in 3" shells, but used slightly different components. Remington 3" "Nitro Mag" hulls, and BPI "multi metal" wads over 28.0gr Blue Dot and three hardened .600 WW balls. IIRC I may have needed to trim the wads to length.

I haven't used that Precision Reloading wad, and did not use any card wads above or under the shot column - that may be part of your problem.

[Moonie]

I roll crimp mine. They kick on both ends...

[GEOMETRIC]

I don't have the knowledge or experience James has but I do have enough knowledge & experience to know James is exactly right. Buckshot is very effective on thin skinned game like white tail deer at close range. How far depends on many variables. It is IMHO, a very poor choice for a big boar hog, which is definitely not in the thin skinned category. That is why the Tri-Ball is such a good load. It combines the multiple hit characteristics of buck shot with pellets big enough to penetrate a big boars armor with enough energy to get the job done. I can tell you many stories about big boars digesting massive doses of lead before going down. The funniest hog story I can think of (depending on your sense of humor) was when a guy I hunted with invited a guy from NC (that had hog dogs) to come hunt with us on a club in the Santee Delta. This was back in the early 70's when hog hunting just started to get popular. The club house was only reachable by boat & a boat was needed for transportation to the hunting areas.
We were leaving the camp house & Jack (my friend) reached for his .32 Winchester. The NC guy said, "What's that for"? Jack replied,"The hog we are after is a bad hog, we might have to shoot him". It was common practice to lead the catch dogs in on a leash. If they thought the hog was too much for the catch dogs, they would either shoot the hog or try to catch the dogs & just leave him.
The NC dude said, "Man, you don't have to worry about that, this dog (his bull dog) will catch any hog that walks".
We took the boat to a point on the river where bad boy was last known to be. Jacks trail dog or bay dog picked up his trail & bayed in no time. We went in with the bull dog on a leash. Jack could see what happened next better than me. Jack said that when the bull dog grabbed the hog by the ear, the hog slung him up in the air about 6 feet then he went after little red (the bay dog). Little Red laid flat on the ground to evade the hogs tusk which surely saved his life. The hogs tusk shaved a jagged shaped trail across Little Red's side about 2 foot long & 2 inches wide. By some miracle, the skin wasn't even broken! I still have a picture of it. The hog trotted off in the swamp & both dogs came out of the woods & refused to go back!
James, there isn't much chance you will remember me but we have communicated before a long time ago. Your posts are a wealth of information. Thank you for sharing you knowledge & insight with us, I know it will help me.

[Hogtamer]

Hello Geo, welcome to the forum. Hate to dump bad news on your 1st post but James Gates passed away some time back. He did leave a legacy of big lead and knew what a bad hog was, seems you do too! My first animal with a lymnan525 was last week, this 120 lb boar; he was the second to run across a sandy road near dark last week in the SC low country.
209065

[GEOMETRIC]

Thank you. I am saddened to learn of Jame's passing. IMHO, any decent deer cartridge will kill any hog with a well placed shot. Where the Tri-Ball shines is up close & personal at close range. I have yet to get any hog I have killed on a scale so all I can do is guess about weight. I can tell you I shot the biggest one 7 times running across a rice field with a .32 Winchester, which is basically a necked up 30-30. I believe I hit him all seven times & he went down 3 times, but he wouldn't stay down. I finally caught up to him standing not far from my john boat near death but he was still on his feet. The rifle was now empty so I finished him off with my Ruger Blackhawk. If he hadn't fell close to the boat, I would never have gotten him out of the field. I got his head over the side of the boat using poles I cut for levers. I was alone! Again using poles, I pried his body over the side & into the boat. He was a battle scared bruit. His right ear was sliced in half from fighting with another hog & there were numerous scars on both shoulders. I killed one other boar about the same size with a 400+ grain cast bullet out of a Ruger No. 1 in .45-70 at about 1800 fps. This hog was much younger & didn't have near the tusk. The bullet went through the heart/lung area & exited on the far side. The hog didn't drop! We found him dead in heavy cover some 6 hrs. later. I think he was dead seconds after being shot but had he come after me rather than running, I would have been in big trouble! I don't have any statistics but I don't think it would be hard to show that a large percentage of hunters injured or killed by dangerous game are by animals that had been mortally wounded. Two people could barely drag him & we couldn't load him in a pickup truck. We had to go get a trailer with a winch.

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Greetings, information for you all to benefit, a lot of good stuff out there but all scattered around.
Use it to your advantage.
Should not have to go looking for this on page 26 come on, make it a sticky !
Best regards,
Ajay K. Madan
Super Blazing Sabots

[Bob Fleming]

The lee 0.595" double cavity mould is in stock at Track of the Wolf!
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/1202/3/LEE-595-DC
This is the best mould for the money for the tri-ball load.

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Some great people will never be forgotten to name a few, like:
Tri-Ball Revisited by Sir James, was always very transparent and shared his loads openly:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?47198-Tri-Ball-Revisited!
Have fun reading it.
Will always be remembered in our hearts.
Happy New Year 2021

Warmest Regards,
Ajay K. Madan
Super Blazing Sabots

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Greetings my friends, we still have time to prepare if and when all hell breaks loose.

In Sir James memory load up some Tri-Ball.

Load up, far better to have and not need, than need and not have, you decide ! !

Best regards,
Ajay K. Madan
Super Blazing Sabots

[LeonCarr]

I have a few extra laying around. Took another whitetail doe this year, looks like Axis Deer will be next.

They work.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[warren5421]

This was an eye opener on shotgun use. Now I have to explain to SHMBO why I need a new Mossburg 935 Magnum.

[Bob Fleming]

The Dixie Tri-Ball load will sure test how soft shooting it is!
Let us know how it goes, I am looking for an excuse to "need" another shotgun.

[SuperBlazingSabots]

This is the very official TriBall post by Sir James, all post relating to TriBall need to be posted here below !

[rigrat]

Please excuse my newb question but this 12 gauge tri-ball and 2 ball loads use .590 and .600 diameter round balls?

[Bob Fleming]

Posts 36, 31, 10, 9, 5 and 1 (and probably more) of this thread have your answers straight from the man that engineered the tri-ball load.

[rigrat]

Thanks, I appreciate the straight forward answer. I was looking for clarification as I already read that. Seemed on the small side to me reason I asked. But hey thats what I get.

[Bob Fleming]

Small as those 60 cal balls may seem, that load kicks really hard. Follow the recipe exactly and you will see that the fit is good. Rigrat sounds like an oil field name. This is the load for you!

[rigrat]

Thanks yes it is way to many years. I like the buck and ball and the 2 - ball loads. I just wasn't sure if I was reading it right on the size.

[Bob Fleming]

They are hiring in the permian basin again. One of my nephews just got a great job out there. I don't know if there are many hogs in the desert out there but tri-ball can solve a lot of different problems. But ONLY the hard, tough and strong kind of guys in the patch would want to use it for self defense. And then, only if they still have all their fingers to hang on to the shotgun with. I well know y'all are not normal humans but trust me, those balls are plenty big. The damage they do is like nothing else.

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Sir James, was great and it would be great if you too please chip-in and share your experiances with Tri-Ball loads.
Just out of due respect keep his post from getting lost in the wood works.

Moderator Herr Gebirgs Jager please turn it in to a sticky along with my good friend " Big Brother Musketeer ED's From Hell" right below mine !
A good caring friend indeed ! !


Best regards,
Ajay K. Madan
Super Blazing Sabots

[warren5421]

Got a 590A1 on the way and some .600 WW dropped in water. Still trying to find hulls as I only have used. Have a Charman box full of AA from shoting skeet in the 80's and 90's but looking for primed Cheddite or Fiocchi. Only have 500 Wenchester 209's left.

[Roosterbob]

I bought 3 boxes from a friend who had ordered 15 boxes from Mr James a few years ago. 2-3 rounds were used to pattern test in my old 390 Beretta and the rest were used by me and a friend on whitetail. The Beretta with a factory mod choke would make a 3-4” triangle pattern at 45 yds all day long. Penetration on 100-150lb deer was complete pass through at all angles. Used them up on venison before a hog made its self available for use. Fine load!!

Bob

[Keith]

Now that some places are banning lead , has anyone tried a tri ball load using steel ball bearings.
Taofledermaus has a couple of videos using one ball. Ricochets could be a problem but if hunting, what happens.?
I know, not casting for shotguns but thought I would ask. Bit like those flechette things

[warren5421]

Came on a 835 Moss but have to get a slug barrel before I came us it.

[NikoVlahou]

Hello Mike! The Dixie Tri-Ball is not what is considered a Buck and Ball load, but rather a multi-ball load. The original Buck and Ball load has one round ball and various mumber of buck shot. As a military round, it was issued to those that had smoothbore muskets. A fine example was the loads issued to the 26th Georgia Infantry at Fredricksburg. The shot the Irish Brigade to pieces in their three charges against the stonewall. It was a close range load indeed.
The recipe for Tri-Ball is as follows:
(1) 12 ga 3" Cheddite, Fiocchi, or Federal Gol Metal hull
(2) 28/29 grs of Alliant Blue Dot
(3) Precision Relooding Orange Wad TUPRWW123
(4) Three .600" hard cast round balls
(5) Precision Reloading buffer
(6) Thin overshot wad.
The buffer is to be vibrated around the balls. The ball tapped tight in the wad so the bottom ball is snug in the wad. Wads are dusted with Motor Mica
Regards, James

My question is how does this load data change when using the new hulls that are mostly coming with magnum primers? Fiocchi is now putting mag primers in all their hulls.

[NikoVlahou]

James, most of the new hulls now esp from fiocchi come with magnum primers installed. How would this data be different using a magnum primer?

[Bob Fleming]

Post #31 from this thread:
Let's talk about Dixie Tri-Ball for a moment. As you know, I have put various recipes here on Cast Boolits for reloaders (they buy few factory rounds) and have had trouble in the past by loaders wanting to use components other than those I have listed.
Now.....the first Tri-Ball loads were with Blue Dot and they worked very good. Over time we were able to buy Primex 513 and since it was a all-temp powder, we moved to that.
We have seen very little difference when sub'ing the following:
(1) Hulls...Fiochhi, Cheditte, Federal (as long as they were not tapered hullls)
(2) Very little difference in primers
(3) Most important to use the Precision "orange "wad
(4) Very little (if any) difference if heat treated balls or not....as long as they are as hard as at least 10 to 1 (lead.tin). Only those with antimony can be heat treated. Some of the best balls can be made from melted high antimony shot!
Now....Primex 513 is getting hard to get and we are now testing Primex 516 (Lil'Gun). 28 grains of Blue Dot equals 28 grains of Primex 513 equals 32 grains of Primex 516 (LiL'Gun)....all are the same volume for crimp index with a rolled crimp and pressure.
When our testing is done and I am satisfied with all the results....I will post the revised recipe....don't ask me yet! And don't ask we about other componenet either.
At present we are working very hard to keep up with nationwide orders on Dixie Tri-Ball!!!!!
Regards, James

[Bob Fleming]

Let's talk about Dixie Tri-Ball for a moment. As you know, I have put various recipes here on Cast Boolits for reloaders (they buy few factory rounds) and have had trouble in the past by loaders wanting to use components other than those I have listed.
Now.....the first Tri-Ball loads were with Blue Dot and they worked very good. Over time we were able to buy Primex 513 and since it was a all-temp powder, we moved to that.
We have seen very little difference when sub'ing the following:
(1) Hulls...Fiochhi, Cheditte, Federal (as long as they were not tapered hullls)
(2) Very little difference in primers
(3) Most important to use the Precision "orange "wad
(4) Very little (if any) difference if heat treated balls or not....as long as they are as hard as at least 10 to 1 (lead.tin). Only those with antimony can be heat treated. Some of the best balls can be made from melted high antimony shot!
Now....Primex 513 is getting hard to get and we are now testing Primex 516 (Lil'Gun). 28 grains of Blue Dot equals 28 grains of Primex 513 equals 32 grains of Primex 516 (LiL'Gun)....all are the same volume for crimp index with a rolled crimp and pressure.
When our testing is done and I am satisfied with all the results....I will post the revised recipe....don't ask me yet! And don't ask we about other componenet either.
At present we are working very hard to keep up with nationwide orders on Dixie Tri-Ball!!!!!
Regards, James

Lets try that again! See item #2

[NikoVlahou]

Have you tried magnum primers with this load? Most new fiocchi hulls all come with mag primers installed

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Greetings NikoVlahou, I have for years switched primers on newer Fiocchi hull, if the newer Fiocchi hulls are now coming with Magnum primers other than Fio 616 primer then switch to Fio 616 or better yet not bother to switch.
Just reduce your powder charge by 3 gr and test shoot. I would say you could come up 1/2 gr each time.
First Try 25gr, next 25.5gr, next 26gr, next 26.5gr, next 27gr and finally 27.5gr your primer should look like the one on Extreme right in the picture and No crater marks at all !
**--** Please use only newer Fiocchi hull for this development load, do keep an eye on the primers the way they look after firing.
https://i.imgur.com/HG62nK3.jpg


Please be sure to use a modern shotgun and not one with paper thin barrel.
Can you post a picture of the primer and the hull, that's news to me.

https://i.imgur.com/Jp3DGuk.jpg


Best regards,
Ajay K. Madan
Super Blazing Sabots

[Bob Fleming]

Have you tried magnum primers with this load? Most new fiocchi hulls all come with mag primers installed

YES. 3" fiocchi with mag primers from BPI is what I loaded all of mine with. I have no pressure test data but nothing looks over pressure. They still have a tremendous kick. Shooting one or two while hinting is no big deal but I find excuses to avoid shooting a bunch of them at the pattern board. Still using 26 grains of blue dot. Was going to work the load up to 28 but the first word I said was holy and I won't mention the second. That was plenty.

[Bob Fleming]

I am using a Browning BPS with the older style 3" Invector barrel. My chamber may be different than yours.

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Good morning Bob, It sure was a pleasure hearing from you and your words of wisdom !

Tell us more about why your Browning BPS chamber is different?
What's your barrel OD measure at the muzzle.

You bet Sir James is smiling upon you from above for keeping his memory alive, we all should do the same out of our respect for Sir James !
Bob can you post the picture of your primer condition with 26 gr Blue Dot after firing, Please.

Best regards,
Ajay K. Madan
Super Blazing Sabots

[Bob Fleming]

The primer looks normal. The last hunt was before the big winter storm. Four below zero Fahrenheit was a big deal for east Texas. That shell was lost on the ground and I have reloaded all the others so no photos. There is nothing unusual about my old browning barrel. I assume it measures 0.729" but don't have the right tool to measure it. I usually use a Briley light modified choke but don't know if it is the best as it works good enough so I quit testing. Some day I will trick my nephew into shooting about 20 rounds for me at the pattern board. He is one of those extra tough guys who would never admit he can't deal with the recoil. I used to be like that so he enjoys trying to one up me. Already told him about pattern testing 0000 buckshot loads in the 10 gauge BPS and he is all excited about trying it out. [smilie=w: :veryconfu

[Bob Fleming]

Another variable:
I am casting with a Lee 0.595 mold from Track of the Wolf. Using the same alloy as for buckshot. Lead/Antimony alloy radiation shielding brick (at least 50 years old) which was tested (if I recall correctly) at 11 BHN. I alloy with Laurence #9 magnum shot for the arsenic. 1 1/2 pound of shot per 24 pound of brick. A trace of arsenic makes alloy heat treat harder. It may seem like a waste of good magnum shot but it is a good trick to make it heat treat harder.
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/1202/1/LEE-595-DC

[SuperBlazingSabots]

Hello Bob, sorry to bombard you with questions but I really do appreciate your coming in with all that experience to help guide us, Thank you.
Do you by any chance know what brand Magnum primers are on the newer Fiocchi hulls:
A. Remington 209 Premier STS Shot shell Primers
B. Federal 209A Magnum primer
C. CCI 209M Magnum primer
Or is it a newly developed Fiocchi Magnum Primer ?

Thanks for all your help.
Best regards,
Ajay K. Madan
Super Blazing Sabots

[Bob Fleming]

Don't know. Assumed they were factory primers.

[Bob Fleming]

For what it is worth, I am not an expert in this area.

So, please forgive me if I seem a bit too bold for someone who just recently got serious with buckshot and tri-ball.
I do not have the many years experience loading tri-ball that many here do.
I have been reloading shotshells since the mid 1970s.
Don't know if I have perfected it yet but what I am doing is working very well.

I am always interested in what you have to say as I have learned a lot here on castboolits.
I still find that misspelling boolits annoying but I deal with it. I hope you can deal with my attitude. I am not a people person. I don't intend to be insulting but realize I screw up frequently.

[5Shot]

I have been playing with this load again, in my Benelli M1. I tried various choke constrictions with chokes from Kick's Carlson's, etc., but was not really getting anywhere. I ordered up a Kick's Buck Kicker 0.680 choke (since that about perfectly matched the diameter of the payload, and although the wads look MUCH better than the other chokes, I still had one flier that never hit the target board. I decided to dig out all of my old factory chokes, and measured them up. The factory Full was 0.685, so I decided to test it. All 3 balls right near point of aim at 35 yards in a perfect 4" Triangle. It is amazing how much difference 0.005" makes! I'll be testing it more at 50 yards and beyond.

[longbow]

This is something I have to try... this and a two ball load for 2 3/4" hulls. That I did try and got okay results using CSD wads but as James stated for Tri-Ball loads the wad is critical. He found that the only wad that held up was the Precision Reloading Orange Wad TUPRWW123. Believe it! Maybe there are others but I'll get me some of those!

[LeonCarr]

I have been playing with this load again, in my Benelli M1. I tried various choke constrictions with chokes from Kick's Carlson's, etc., but was not really getting anywhere. I ordered up a Kick's Buck Kicker 0.680 choke (since that about perfectly matched the diameter of the payload, and although the wads look MUCH better than the other chokes, I still had one flier that never hit the target board. I decided to dig out all of my old factory chokes, and measured them up. The factory Full was 0.685, so I decided to test it. All 3 balls right near point of aim at 35 yards in a perfect 4" Triangle. It is amazing how much difference 0.005" makes! I'll be testing it more at 50 yards and beyond.
IME the best performance from Tri-Ball comes from .685 chokes in the Benellis and .690 chokes in the Remington 870s.

The Triangle shaped pattern means you have the perfect amount of constriction...great job, now go take an animal with Tri-Ball to see first hand the power and the majesty.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[faustus]

I am linking here to a thread that has some good infos on the Tri-Ball load:

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?424853-Dixie-Tri-Ball-L-oad-Part-Two

[5Shot]

IME the best performance from Tri-Ball comes from .685 chokes in the Benellis and .690 chokes in the Remington 870s.

The Triangle shaped pattern means you have the perfect amount of constriction...great job, now go take an animal with Tri-Ball to see first hand the power and the majesty.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

I'm going to load up the rest of what I have cast and heat treated, and head out for one more test. I have a 0.690 choke to test as well, and will compare it to the 0.685 Factory and a Buck Kicker X-Full. Probably won't get a chance to hunt with it this year though.