Round Ball Questions

[JohnH]

I'm hunting with a CVA Hawken style muzzle loader that was given to me. I had to rebuild the breech plug as the fellow had wrung the tang off in an attempt to remove it after the gun had misfired. It sat in a closet for at least 15 years, ignored and unattended. I've never hunted with a muzzleloader of any type. I had a 209x50 barrel for my Encore at one point but sold it to finance other toys. My intention is to take my first muzzle loader deer with this CVA this year. I am currently using the Lee 320 REAL boolit. It fits the barrel quite well and is accurate as all get out. Using 100 grains of Pyrodex RS I've no doubt the load is at least equivilent to a shot gun slug.

I'll say up front that I'm no purist about anything. In past I've killed deer with my cast boolits in cartridge guns, but have no compuction about using J words. I've gone so far in my thinking with this CVA as to explore what boolit lengths the 1-48 twist will stabilize and am considering playing with cast and sabots in the gun as well. I figure the worst that can happen is it won't work. So just know that I am not approaching using this gun from any standpoint other than learning what it will do.

But still I have some questions about round balls. I want to get a working idea of what would be expected from a muzzle loader so that as I'm working with the gun I have a frame of reference for "normal" is.

First, just how effective are they on a deer? I full well realize that millions of deer were killed with them, but the natives used to run buffalo off cliffs too. So the question is not will a round ball kill, but how effective a killer are they. (Sorry for how that may sound, I don't mean to be an ass about it.)

What is a realistic maximum range for them?

Second, how do they compare with maxi-ball style conicals. Do they have any advantage over conicals? Then the reverse of that, what advantage to conical offer over round ball?

In hunting situations, what limitations do round ball have? For example, In a quartering away shot, from say 50 yards, placing the shot at the back of the rib cage, could I expect the ball to exit the off side shoulder?

Finally, at what range does their accuracy fall off? The majority of my cast boolit shootzen is at 50 and 100 yards. I fully expect a load that shoots 1 1/2" at 50 to shoot not worse than 4" at 100. (visual inspection only, allowing minor defects to pass, 10 shot groups... play loads) Is holding round ball to that standard reasonable?

Is there anything in your experience that I've not touched on?

Thanks for your time.

[Archer]

You didn't say, but I assume yours is a 50cal. It should do fine
with a round ball. I have taken many deer over the years with
round balls in 45, 50, and 54 cal. rifles, and have had no problem
with putting them down, mostly where they stood. Have also used
conacal's with just as good of results. Can't say they put the deer down any
faster then the round balls, but they did a good job.
As to how far, it depends on what distance you sight yours in for.
Mine have no problem taking a deer at 100 yards, as long as I do my part.
I did take one buck at a measured 212 yards with a 50 cal. Hawken, and it put
him right down on the spot. The ball was against the hide on the far side, but that's
not a normal shot for me, usually my shots are under a 100 yards.
So in my experience, they are very effective at making a clean kill on deer.
Good luck with yours, I'm sure it will do fine.

[crazy mark]

I like using RB's in 45 cal and 50 cal to shoot deer. I limit my shots to about 75 yds. Most are in the 30-60 yd range normally. Only one deer made it more than 20' after I shot it and it was standing facing me. I hit it in the rib cage just inside the right front leg and the 45 cal RB went all the way out the back. It piled up behind a log about 30 yds away. I always try to aim for the front shoulder area. I scramble the lungs and usually the heart that way.
I have used maxi's minnies and a plains bullet that I have moulds for also. I practice shooting at 75 yds and want at least 2" groups. The heavier boolits actually only drop about 2" at 75 yds. Make sure you have a twist rate of 1-48 if you are going to shoot RB's and conicals. I use Pyrodex RS and P as each one of my muzzleloaders has it's favorite load. I haven't recovered a BP projectile yet from a deer. Mark

[R.M.]

Even though I would suggest you shoot balls, as they are as effective as anything, if your gun is shooting REALs that good, go with them. Balls will expand to twice their diameter and create quite a wound channel, and for the most part pass on through, but they can take some work to find the load that your gun likes as far as lube, charge and patch thickness goes. It does give you more excuse to go to the range though.
For most of us, 100 yards is as far as we can shoot with iron sights, and a PRB will do the job to that distance in a 50. Not sure about a 45, maybe a bit less.

[docone31]

Round balls, and good fitting patch are a winning combination.
However R.E.A.L.s do clean the bore real well during repeated shooting. I have put some Valve lapping compound to get the rust out of the bore on a rifle that hadn't been either cleaned, or stored properly for 20yrs. A couple grit laden rounds and it loads and fires real well.

[Hanshi]

I've killed deer with .45, .50 and .54 prb. My current favorite is the .45. All three will drop deer quickly at 100 yards and beyond. Though the vast majority of my shots are at woods ranges, I took one deer at 75 yards with a .45, one at 95 yards with a .50 and one at 130 yards with a .50. All were through and through shots with no ball to recover. All three deer dropped within a few yards.

The very few balls I've recovered were flattened and under the far side skin. I've never hunted with a conical but have found the prb to be similar to rounds from 30/30 to 30-06 in lethality. I've had a number of deer drop in their tracks from hits by all three calibers. The penetration of prb has to be seen to be appreciated. They expand readily and do great damage. I see no reason to use anything else.

[masscaster]

Hi JohnH,
Since round ballits are very effective with any twist down to 1:32, a .490 or .495 round ballit will suffice for shooting in a .50 cal. very accurately. A fast twist may be too much for the light bearing surface of a round ballit. Whereas a .50 Maxi will perform extremely well in barrel twists from 1:24 - 1:40. In .50 cal. my preference is a ball, but in my .54 a Minie (especially for accuracy @ 200 yards is prefered) is my favorite. A .50 Maxi for deer hunting at 100 yards + is exceptional.
I don't shoot Minie's in the .50, and never did in a .45 cal. either
Know your bore size and twist, this will help a bunch in selecting accurate/best shooting projectiles for your firearm.
You can click on the link below to check out our various projectiles we offer.
Good Luck & Happy Hunting,
Jeff @ Forefather's

[Lucky Joe]

Fellow I know owns a butcher shop. As stated above he says he can't tell the difference between a .30-30 wound and a round ball.