Walks with fire said:
While I don't intend on shooting 238 yards at a deer with ANY open sighted firearm; I must admit I needed to experiement with the fast twist barrels and various projectile from it. I also must admit that I didn't spend that much time with the OTHER projectiles and still find myself coming back to the good ol roundball.
A man just has to look around a little before he settles down if you get the drift. I am fine with the so called limitations of roundball and really prefer them. I like everything about them except I am uncomfortable shooting them very far in windy conditions.
Its just a 30+ year pet peeve of mine...
So bear with, its not aimed at you... :grin:
I have BP cartridge rifles that shoot bullets just fine.
No excessive nipple erosion (once ruined a nipple in less than 20 rounds of 54 maxis in testing), no bullets forming bore obstructions by sliding off the powder (tested that too). Of course the gas cut nipple blowing the hammer to 1/2 or full cock was cured by venting the nipple, another "new and improved" worthless (actually worse then worthless) gizmo. This jewel neatly eliminating the classic sign of over pressure in percussion guns. Can't have them pressure signs after all, people might not buy the bullets.... So we make a massive gas leak at the breech. Something that a properly designed and constructed percussion lock and breech is supposed to
provide for shooter safety.
I tested some Maxi Balls for penetration years ago IIRC at hunting ranges the penetration was about 30% better than the RB. Since the 54 RB would penetrate about 30" in deer I could see little point in using them for hunting. Reports on both deer and larger game indicate dismal performance as a game KILLER. Thus a hunting bullet had to be invented for this use.
When I started shooting MLs the only "bullet" I knew of was the Minie and I did not have a rifle musket. There were others even then, pickets and PP slugs, but nobody used them off the target ranges. For good reason. Loading process far too complex.
But when the mass produced, buy at Walmart guns appeared, the bullet came with it. People did not seem to be able overcome difficulties of the overly complicated patched round ball. Besides the gun writers (who did not have a clue other than the bullet makers bought ads in the magazine) said the RB would not kill anything. AND their 270 shot long bullets too.
So I see people who have fallen for the bullet in hunting MLs myth as being mislead by people no more knowledgeable than themselves but had a typewriter and access to an editor.
I have a 40 caliber I shoot cloth patched picket bullets out of when I shoot it. But they are difficult to load accurately and overall are a PITA but being patched like a RB they don't slide off the powder... They do require a lot of powder, 80 grs in a 40. Then the nipple erosion thing starts. BTW the high pressure MLs (10 pound LR match rifle by Rigby, Gibbs etc using as much as 120 gr of powder and a 480 to 550 gr 45 cal bullet for example, read "The ML Caplock Rifle" by Roberts) of the past generally used a Platinum lined nipple to control erosion. Or later in slug guns a sealed ignition using a cap or a CF primer.
Platinum lined nipples can still be bought. Since people still compete with picket bullet rifles and slug guns there is a market.
The conical was known by 1840-1850 but was seldom used by the experienced hunters. Hunters shooting large African or Asian game virtually all used the RB in MLs. Some tried the conical and abandoned it. I suspect, based on Sir Samuel Baker's experiences, that some tried it an did not survive.
Yet in modern times we are expected to believe that a 220 gr RB will not kill a 200-400 pound deer when a 700 grain RB (10 gauge) will kill an animal weighing 10000 pounds with one well placed shot.
Read the Elephant chapters of "Pondoro" by John Taylor. Actual first person 1930s account of shooting African Elephant (13 good bulls) and some Rhino with a 10 to the pound smooth bore ML. Regulated for 6 drams of powder and a round ball. Six drams is only 167gr IIRC.
Today's "experts" would swear this would never work, after all he used a RB and these will not penetrate far enough to kill :rotf:
Dan
