The Round Ball Does It Again

[gumbo333]

Two rounds a year...... Sort of takes the fun out of it. I would think you would be hot on to test some of the beautiful purple round balls so the many of us who enjoy reading these posts will know if they shoot as good as they look. Just my wondering mind!

[GBertolet]

Being you asked, I may have to make an exception here for later. The range is closed during the deer season. After then I will test.

[longbow]

Those look like big juicy berrys! I don't think I want to try one though!

How thick is the coating?

Yeah, I'm with msm on ball diameter as in bigger is better as long as it chambers. There isn't a bunch to squeeze down at the equator of a ball so they should swage down quite easily. I certainly haven't noticed any issues with the 0.735" RB even when shot through a 0.727" groove diameter rifled gun. I'll have to recheck but IIRC my 0.735" RB mould casts 0.736" with WW. In fact all my Lyman ball moulds cast a thou or two large with WW unlike their bullet moulds.

I too have seen the off center "belt" on my 0.735" RB's in my 0.733" smoothbore single shot. I figure the ball is catching the forcing cone offside so picking a bit of roll, or possibly getting a bit of spin when opening the crimp. Nonetheless, accuracy is generally quite good. That is the main reason I didn't get in on the Mihec 0.732" RB mould group buy, I didn't think it was big enough. The larger 0.735" ball gets squeezed to suit the bore.

The good 'ol round ball is simple and effective. Also easy to cast and easy to load. I like it!

Longbow

[Smoke4320]

I just powder coated these RB's. The color is called traffic purple. I will eventually get around to trying them, as I have lot's of teflon tape slugs already loaded for future hunts. I only need two rounds a year. One to check the zero, and another to take the deer.

Purple Deer Eaters .. got to love it

[725]

Happy to hear the JT mold's are being offered by the next generation. I really liked Tanner molds (have a few). Might have to order one soon for another project.

[jimb16]

Purple RBs? Grape shot?? *LOL*

[W.R.Buchanan]

OK, so now I've got to PC balls too? Those look too cool!

Randy

[longbow]

"Grape shot" I like it! I'm still not going to try one though... just had some dental work done!

[Tripplebeards]

jawbreakers!... Don’t put any of those in the candy dish.

[GBertolet]

The round ball does it again part 2. I took a nice 7 point buck, the last day of the season, with the RB in my NEF Slug Hunter. I was using the old teflon tape wrapped RB, because I have so many of them already loaded. In dressing out the deer, I noticed the entrance hole, looking from the inside, was well over an inch in diameter. It must have hit a rib. The buck dropped instantly, kicked a few times, and that was it.

I still hold great optimism, that the powder coated RBs, will shoot even better than the teflon wrapped RB's. I wonder on how much, if any of the teflon tape remains on the ball, during part of, or all of the RB's flight. If so, an unbalanced drag will occur, causing a minute deflection on the flight. On a nearly 600 grain projectile, it shouldn't be all that much, but we are striving for perfection here, so any improvement is desirable. Anyhow, the teflon tapped RB, has minute of venison accuracy. I tried uploading a picture of the deer, but the system keeps saying, upload failed.

[richhodg66]

I have a 20 gauge rifled H&R, but it's the lighter barrel, not the USH. I have a .62 caliber round ball mold I've been meaning to cast some up and a box of 3" empty hulls. Pretty sure I can put something together.

I played around a bit with .60 caliber round balls in both a cheap Rossi single shot with a modified choke and my Savage 24 cylinder bore. The places and way I hunt (thick woods from a tree stand), no doubt in my mind I could be successful deer hunting with those.

[Markopolo]

wow.... this is awesome... i am gunna mess around with this come spring.. might be interesting what happens to a decent sized Black bear.... i have a first model citori that has a full and modified choke barrel that I would love to develop something for... i would really need to have that follow up shot capability. they are pretty heavy barreled.. but smooth bore.

[pmer]

I've only tried the shot cup version but it's a sure way to put a smile on my face! Congratulations on a nice deer! I need to try RB hunting sometime.

[Plate plinker]

I seriously doubt any tape stays on the ball. However have you tried loading in a shotshell wad? I do this with the lyman 525gr giant pellet and have great accuracy out to 100 yards.

[725]

On the question of teflon tape inducing unbalanced drag, I can see this as influential on a conical projectile, but it would seem marginal on a spherical projectile. Granted, the bore engagement at the equator of the ball alters the general spherical shape, but only slightly. If the tape turns the ball, the ball in flight is still a ball in flight and subject to the poor flight characteristics of sphere. No matter how far we extend the useful range of the RB, it's still a RB. I've been lucky with my .702 RB 12 ga. load and have gotten accuracy well beyond my expectations. A hundred yard shot is well within my comfy zone. You just can't beat a RB. Good hunting to all.

[gumbo333]

My twisted mind just wonders, if you had an old single shot shotgun, can that barrel be rifled somehow? Either 12 or 20 ga? I won't do it, just wondering if it can be done? Should the barrel be shortened to 20" or thereabouts? Thanks

[GBertolet]

There was guy, some time back, who advertised, that he would rifle a shotgun barrel for $50. I considered sending him my Stevens 110, but reconsidered as my bore measured .742.

I just did some quick research. The guy's name was Cain. The barrel walls had to be a certain thickness to rifle. He lost his business due to a divorce.

[rockrat]

I would think it could be rifled, but finding someone to do it is another story

[gumbo333]

Be a good hobby for somebody. A pull thru broach, maybe, a way to turn the barrel for twist. Wouldn't think the groves would need to be very deep if you had 8 of them. So many guys now have hobby lathes.

[bigted]

If so, what twist for RB?