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Target load, 10 guage roundball?

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MSK

Smollett
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What would be a decent 2F powder charge for a .77 ball? Mark is 50 yards out.

Thanks, Smollett
 
There have been many discussions on this subject. A search will bring up much good information. Not putting you off. I'm a proponent of fairly light loads. In my Brown Bess, with .731" balls, I usually stuck to 50 to 70 gr. charges of real bp. Those one ounce punkin' balls will do a serious number on almost anything they hit even at low velocities. Others will advocate charges in the 90 to 120 gr. range. Pity yer po shoulder with that kind of load. :doh:
 
My 10 bore shoots round ball most accurately with 100 gr. of 2F. You know when it goes off!
 
Do you guys prefer to shoot with patched roundballs or a more traditional manner? I am told that here in New England, the concept of a patched ball would have been unknown until the 19th century. I imagine in areas where rifle-guns existed, the idea would have caught on earlier.

Smollett
 
I doubt the idea of a patched, round ball was unknown, especially after veterans returned from the AWI... it's just that there are no period references to using a patch on a round ball in a smoothbore in the 18th century in North America. For what that's worth...

A lot of fellows shooting "bare ball" have reported better accuracy with a ball very close to the size of the bore, on top of a wad, with an overcard or wad on top of the ball. So a 10 gauge (.775) would likely shoot a .760 ball.

I have read in one of the threads that one rule-of-thumb is 1/3 the weight of the ball is the grains of powder used. But that would be a 660 grain lead round ball of .760 diameter, propelled by 220 grains of 2Fg. :shocked2: OUCH :shocked2:

Probably better to stick to loads from 80 grains to 110 grains of 2Fg :grin:

LD
 
Thank you Dave. I've got a pouch of .75's. I am going to order some .760 balls as you mention. I was nervous that the slightest fouling would prevent a .760 from seating. It'll be good to have both sizes and,I've got a pound of tow that I plan to enjoy.

Question: What is the best place (price wise) to order roundballs of that size?

Smollett
 
If you are going to shoot your 10 gauge with round ball often, you might as well start casting your own. With a smoothbore you can shoot wheelweights or any other lead that you can scrounge. Jeff Tanner in England sells a good mold in any decimal size that you want. Just remember, 10 guage means 10 ball to the pound.

For what it's worth. I shoot my 11 gauge Bess with a .715 ball, .010 spit patch and 90 to 120 grains of 2F.
 
I checked Jeff Tanner's site. Molds are really reasonable, enough to make me think about buying one myself. They seem to be rather simple in construction, how does one attach to mold handles, as I have some Lyman that could be used. do you have to drill and tap to attach?
He indicates payment via paypal, so that portion of the process becomes very easy.
 
No kidding. And getting hit by one of those with 60 or 70 gr of powder would be like getting stabbed by a butter knife...
 
Tanner's molds simply bolt on to a Lyman mold handle. Back out the screws holding the Lyman mold to the handle. Bolt Tanner's mold to the handles, done. Takes about 2 minutes to change over.
 
Thanks, it was hard to see the back of the mold to see how they attached. You could barely see a notch on the edge of the back from the picture.
 
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