.480 round ball accuracy?

[Hawken1980]

I shoot a lot out in the woods on my own range. Both my 50 caliber rifles either require a very thin patch or a good amount of force with a short starter to get a ball down the barrel.

In an effort to use a thicker patch I’m thinking of going from .490 to .480.

I’m not looking for match accuracy, but to be able to hit an 6-8 inch plate at 60 or so yards accuracy.

I believe the black powder maniac shoots .480’s and would love to switch over from .490 for ease of loading in the field. if I can get plinking accuracy out of them with ease of loading.

My Kibler is so tight With pillow ticking I really need to use a range rod to get it down with a .490 ball and pillow ticking.

 

[Boomerang]

Should be good enough for the accuracy you are wanting.

 

[Hawken1980]

Should be good enough for the accuracy you are wanting.

That’s good I’ll save the .490 balls for matches

 

[deermanok]

Ever try thinner patches with the 490's ?

 

[Hawken1980]

Ever try thinner patches with the 490's ?

I have it’s just they shred and burn fairly consistently

 

[Dwight Rutherford]

But how accurate are your shots?

 

[mooman76]

But if they are accurate enough still, then it shouldn't matter.

 

[mooman76]

I've used old dress shirts that were 100% cotton. They are tight weave and strong yet thinner than pillow ticking. They held up well. I've also used flannel material. Not that strong but they compress more so easy to load. They get tore up too but accuracy was good enough for plinking. If your patches are burning up, most likely the lube you are using, try spit patch.

 

[excess650]

The patch needs to be thick enough to fill the grooves, so if a .490 with pillow ticking needs a range rod to load, the .480 sounds like the right solution.

 

[ord sgt]

I have it’s just they shred and burn fairly consistently

With good lubrication, the patches should not burn. They may get frayed around the edges but that is common with all patches.
The amount of powder behind the patched round ball is a huge part of burning patches. If you are have 80-90 or more grains of powder pushing the ball/patch combo, then expect patch burning and shredding. Barrel roughness is a minor factor too. The more shots that pass through the barrel, it will start to smooth out and make the loading and shooting easier. I use a .495 ball and 0.10-0.15 patch in my .50 calibre Pa. rifles.

 

[Notchy Bob]

I would recommend that you buy some .480's and try them. Lots of places sell them, although some dealers may be having stocking problems right now. Deer Creek Products has some old stock Hornaday .480" round balls on sale due to slight corrosion, which won't hurt their "shootability" at all. Here is a link: Deer Creek Products .480 Round Balls

I bought some of their slightly oxidized round balls in a different size a few weeks ago, and you have to look mighty hard to find the corrosion. I would add that Deer Creek filled and packed my order accurately and completely, with no drama and no excuses, and I had the package in my hand within five days of placing the order. They are good folks to deal with.

The topic of using .480 patched round balls in .50 caliber rifles has actually been discussed at some length on this forum several times recently. Here is a link to one of those threads: .480 lead balls

Here is a link to another thread discussing ball size in the 18th century, with the general consensus that balls with a looser fit were likely to have been used back then than we typically use today: 18th century round ball size

That’s good I’ll save the .490 balls for matches

I think what @Hawken1980 is suggesting is using his tighter, .490 balls for best accuracy in matches, and maybe trying the .480 balls for more casual shooting in the field. In The Kentucky Rifle, Captain Dillin stated that many old hunting pouches contained balls of two different sizes, and he illustrates at least one old gun, the Kauffman rifle (Plate 78, page 123), which still had its original accoutrements intact. There were two moulds pictured, suggesting the possibility of two sizes of balls. Don Bruton, a superlative gunmaker in South Carolina, also addressed this idea of carrying two sizes of balls in his video about shooting flintlocks in the traditional way. So, Hawken1980's idea would be perfectly in keeping with traditional practices.

This begs the question, how did those old boys prevent mixing up the two sizes of balls? That I don't know. However, if your life, livelihood, and next meal depended on your rifle, you would probably figure out a way.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob

 

[user 49399]

Check out my thread “Wacky Shooting “ in the percussion rifle section for a different and historically correct loading method using wasp nest for wadding. I get good accuracy out to 50 yards using different size round balls in my .50 caliber rifles.

 

[Fly103]

.480 with an .017 patch is fine for plinking with my pedersoli penn. For accuracy I shoot .490s with an .010 patch.

Chris

 

[OhioHawkeye]

I too have issues with all my 50 cals, even the pistols using 490 ball.... since I don't have a smaller ball till I get into the 45's.... I just use a thin patch.
I take the micrometer to Jo-ann and get a yard of fabric each year. I mic it right there. It gets some odd looks, but works. Remember, when you wash the fabric it washes out that sizing and poofs up the fabric a bit. so if you are aiming for 10 thousanths, get some that measures a little thinner.
I use spit patch most of the time. Thumb start (I don't carry a short starter. no need for it) I cut the patch at the barrel and ram home. I have tried paper as well, but they don't seem to sell the onion skin anymore. My father-in-law taught me to use 2 strips of onion skin crisscross as one patch.

To note, on one of my barrels, the entry was a bit sharp shouldered making thumb starting difficult. I reamed it out a little around the top edge and don't have any problem with it. 50 and 54 cal are my favorite.... but to note 45 to 72, I use the same 10 thousandths pathing. and yes it works well. I rather earned the camp name Hawkeye I guess..... not my choice being a woman, but up till last year I was a paramedic, I was good at finding the dropped needles, lock screws etc in the grass in camp, and did fairly well outshooting most in camp....

 

[Hawken1980]

But how accurate are your shots?

I’m know Carlos Hathcock, but j shot a turkey at 70 yards last season hiding in a palmetto patch. Used to shoot NRA high power. Again I’m sure lots of y’all are better than me, but I’m not terrible also shot a running hog through the neck at 20 yards?