Roundball Caliber

[Rifleball36]

Which caliber smoothbore would give the best accuracy at 60 to 75 yds. on paper targets.

 

[Black Hand]

At 60 to 75 yards, you're challenging the limits of smoothbore accuracy & precision. Yes, with practice one can be quite accurate/precise with a roundball at such distances, but it requires work. At that range, consistently putting a ball in an 8 inch circle is pretty good...

 

[stubshaft]

I would go with something .54 cal and up, only because the effect of the wind would be minimized. :idunno:

 

[Ranger1759]

I like the .58... Have won many a shoot with 65 grains of 3f and a patched .562 roundball...spit patched with pillow ticking

 

[tenngun]

Should you be thinking round ball only you might look to a smooth ride as opposed to fusil. You can fit it easy with rear and front site. Some smooth rifle shooters get groups that a rifle shooter would be happy with at a hundred yards.

 

[Toomuch51]

I agree with Black Hand that 60 to 70 yards is about the extent of reliable smooth bore accuracy.

My personal choice is my 18 bore (67cal.), with .648RB and .017 pillow ticking patch and no sights (front or rear) it has done me proud on several occasions even against rifles.

 

[Keb]

I built a .54 / 28 ga by 47 1/2" long barreled smooth rifle a few years back and sold it to a friend from down Florida way. He cleaned the course at the SEPR the 1st time he shot it and has consistently done so since then. I was down to his place a few weeks ago and we were shooting. He stepped off 135 paces (roughly 110 yds.) and was shooting and hitting a cardboard pizza box every shot. The group was all in a 6" circle. This was also done offhand. I was totally impressed.

 

[azmntman]

I built a .54 / 28 ga by 47 1/2" long barreled smooth rifle a few years back and sold it to a friend from down Florida way. He cleaned the course at the SEPR the 1st time he shot it and has consistently done so since then. I was down to his place a few weeks ago and we were shooting. He stepped off 135 paces (roughly 110 yds.) and was shooting and hitting a cardboard pizza box every shot. The group was all in a 6" circle. This was also done offhand. I was totally impressed.

:metoo: If ya hadn't seen it yerself I'd call :bull:

 

[coloradoclyde]

Which caliber smoothbore would give the best accuracy at 60 to 75 yds. on paper targets.

Ask Spence.....I think he has a .30 cal that's a tack driver.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Which caliber smoothbore would give the best accuracy

Define what you mean please?

They made smooth rifles in 35 bore (.50) and the gauges go up to and include 4-bore. The Brits shot at hit or miss targets of 2'x 6' since a hit on a man from a 20 gauge or larger would take him out of the fight, but that doesn't help one when shooting at deer eh? I've seen guys with 20 gauge fusils hit inside a 8" pie plate at 60 yards with five shots.

It's not the gauge, it's the load that is developed by the shooter and the quality of the barrel I should think.

:idunno:

LD

 

[hanshi]

I don't think there's a good answer to your question. It depends on the gun and the shooter. The 20ga smoothbore in my stable has a rear sight and a tight bore. 50 yards is the optimum, IMO, for the general smoothbore. Some will give impressive accuracy at lengthy distance. With a .606" WW ball and no patch I get 4" to 5" groups at 50 yards. Groups are tighter with thin patches and .600" lead and .606" giving groups as small as 2-3/4" at 50. The fly in the ointment is the 20% (+) fliers that scatter the group. With a .610" bore I'll take the larger, consistent groups over the flier prone ones. And I can count on one hand the deer I've killed past 50 yds.

 

[Rifleball36]

Thanks to everyone for your response. I was thinking of building something that a 74 + old man could enjoy shooting paper without wasting powder and lead. Would a 45 cal. to 54 cal. hold a 6" pattern at around 50 yds. Also with the smoothbore would accuracy be better with more or less powder to get away from the knuckle ball effect.

 

[Lonegun1894]

For what it's worth, I have a .54" x 32"GM smooth bore barrel, with rifle sights, in a Lyman GPR stock that does 6" out to 70 yards, after load work up. So I think your project is very doable if you play with it a bit and figure out what your gun likes. I also have a 13ga (.710") SxS smooth bore with just a bead up front that I can keep 90% or my shots inside of 6" out to 40 yards with, but I don't know if it's me, the gun, the load, or who knows what, but my "groups" with this one open up to 8-10" @50 yards, and then get much worse past that. I'm pretty sure it's me.

 

[rdstrain49]

My Tip Curtis built 54 smoothie will hold 3 1/2" groups offhand at 50 yards. 70 yards seems to be about max distance. It has no rear sight and I'm not done working up loads as yet.

 

[Cruzatte]

Thanks to everyone for your response. I was thinking of building something that a 74 + old man could enjoy shooting paper without wasting powder and lead. Would a 45 cal. to 54 cal. hold a 6" pattern at around 50 yds. Also with the smoothbore would accuracy be better with more or less powder to get away from the knuckle ball effect.

I suppose it's possible. Much depends on you, the shooter. Half the fun is figuring all this stuff out at the range. Bring plenty of powder and ball and ...well...have a ball. :haha:

 

[Toomuch51]

He stepped off 135 paces (roughly 110 yds.)

Not to split hairs but, don't you mean 67 1/2 paces, as a pace is not a single step but instead as the distance of space between the same foot striking the ground (roughly every 5 feet)?
As such 135 paces would be approx. 675 ft. or 238 yd., and 110 yd. would be approx. 66 paces or 132 steps.

 

[tenngun]

Much of America today confused steps and paces

 

[Keb]

He stepped off 135 paces (roughly 110 yds.)

Not to split hairs but, don't you mean 67 1/2 paces, as a pace is not a single step but instead as the distance of space between the same foot striking the ground (roughly every 5 feet)?
As such 135 paces would be approx. 675 ft. or 238 yd., and 110 yd. would be approx. 66 paces or 132 steps.

He paced off 135 steps (roughly 110 yds.)...

That better? What can I say. I'm a unedgumacated Michigan dirt farmer :/

 

[Stumpkiller]

Not being Roman (Pace = 5 feet) I think most folks believe it to be somewhere around 30" to 40". A "military pace" is 120 steps to the minute. Try that if you have to cover 5 feet for each pace instead of a single step. Slow march (funerals & flag ceremonies) is 60 paces per minute.

 

[George]

Not to split hairs but, don't you mean 67 1/2 paces, as a pace is not a single step but instead as the distance of space between the same foot striking the ground (roughly every 5 feet)?

All my dictionaries define both pace and step in terms of the movement of one foot, distances given are 3 feet/91.44 cm, 30 to 40 inches, etc.

Spence