Patch@Ball
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I’m looking to buy a friends Pedersoli trade gun. I was wondering what’s a good size 62 cal round ball to use. Also would I still need to lube a patch? Thank you!
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62 cal round ball and patch ?
- Thread starter Patch@Ball
- Start date
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.600 or .610....(or even .590 if you're using a stiff paper cartridge tube. )
Some folks swear by a patched round ball in a smoothbore.
I don't for a couple reasons. First, there aren't any known accounts of folks using a patched round ball in a smoothbore. Could it have been done? Sure. Was it done? Maybe. ...,
But I suspect that it wasn't done, and that's why it's not been documented..., and I think the reason it wasn't done was because the patch in a rifle is helped to remain symmetric by the grooves in the barrel, which allow for a uniform folding of the cloth patch. You don't get that uniformity in a smoothbore, and I think that impacts accuracy.
Now you can make a paper cartridge that will act like a shot cup and have a uniform positioning of the ball, or you can do other things to have a more uniform positioning of the ball, rather than to use a patch. I've seen folks dimple a ball with a rasp, and I've also seen folks modify 1/2" wads to have a concave portion in the center, that seems to center the ball and hold it.
The secret to the dimpled ball, I've been told, is not to simply dimple it and think "it's like a golf ball now", but to actually raise tiny bits of lead on the ball surface, so that when you load the ball, these tiny bits of lead have to be swaged a small bit for the ball to fit..., which then means the ball is uniformly placed into the bore, and should fly more consistently.
LD
Some folks swear by a patched round ball in a smoothbore.
I don't for a couple reasons. First, there aren't any known accounts of folks using a patched round ball in a smoothbore. Could it have been done? Sure. Was it done? Maybe. ...,
But I suspect that it wasn't done, and that's why it's not been documented..., and I think the reason it wasn't done was because the patch in a rifle is helped to remain symmetric by the grooves in the barrel, which allow for a uniform folding of the cloth patch. You don't get that uniformity in a smoothbore, and I think that impacts accuracy.
Now you can make a paper cartridge that will act like a shot cup and have a uniform positioning of the ball, or you can do other things to have a more uniform positioning of the ball, rather than to use a patch. I've seen folks dimple a ball with a rasp, and I've also seen folks modify 1/2" wads to have a concave portion in the center, that seems to center the ball and hold it.
The secret to the dimpled ball, I've been told, is not to simply dimple it and think "it's like a golf ball now", but to actually raise tiny bits of lead on the ball surface, so that when you load the ball, these tiny bits of lead have to be swaged a small bit for the ball to fit..., which then means the ball is uniformly placed into the bore, and should fly more consistently.
LD
Patch@Ball
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Thank you for answering my?
William Lincoln
54 Cal.
Some people chew the ball making multiple tooth mark dimples.
I have a centermark TFC they recommend a .595, I shoot a .600 now and can’t tell the difference.
Patching a ball was mentioned in 1847. But the writer was published then and the use predated and he spoke of it as if it was common.
For a paper cartridge I use a .570. So that’s similar to the .75 shooting a .690.
A PRB will shoot a little better then a waded ball but not so much that a deer would tell the difference.
That said I hunt with patched. Why?
Being a nervous nelly, I’ve carried a waded ball and not had the wad move while walking but I’m afraid it might. So as I hike to a deer spot I feel better with a patch. Yes it’s silly.
I mostly lube with Mink oil, but I can’t see a difference with lard.
Honestly, from moose milk to Buffalo Bobs secrets lube using only beeswax and other natural oils collected only at the second full moon following the summer solstice I doubt your smoothbore will care what lube you use.
Patching a ball was mentioned in 1847. But the writer was published then and the use predated and he spoke of it as if it was common.
For a paper cartridge I use a .570. So that’s similar to the .75 shooting a .690.
A PRB will shoot a little better then a waded ball but not so much that a deer would tell the difference.
That said I hunt with patched. Why?
Being a nervous nelly, I’ve carried a waded ball and not had the wad move while walking but I’m afraid it might. So as I hike to a deer spot I feel better with a patch. Yes it’s silly.
I mostly lube with Mink oil, but I can’t see a difference with lard.
Honestly, from moose milk to Buffalo Bobs secrets lube using only beeswax and other natural oils collected only at the second full moon following the summer solstice I doubt your smoothbore will care what lube you use.
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The dimpled ball is often called a "chawed" ball when it is rolled between two rasps.
ADK Bigfoot
54 Cal.
I use a patched .610 in my 62 Rifle; I use a .600 with a patch for my smoothbore, or a .612 with wads.
ADK Bigfoot
ADK Bigfoot
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I have a Pedersoli trade gun and I use a .600.
Cruzatte
50 Cal.
I have two smoothbores, both are 20 ga./.62 cal. In one, the ball size of choice is .600; in the other, ball size is .610. Half the fun of this hobby, I find is the experimentation to see what load is most satisfactory in a particular gun. Have fun, enjoy the ride.
Some folks swear by a patched round ball in a smoothbore.
...which allow for a uniform folding of the cloth patch. You don't get that uniformity in a smoothbore, and I think that impacts accuracy.
It sure impacted accuracy in my case....made it MUCH better!!!
Good deer hunting groups out to 75 yards and I haven't really spent a lot of time playing with it as I really use it with shot for small game. For my gun (not a Pedersoli) .590 ball and .015 patch lubed with Track's Mink Oil is my best grouping yet.As always, results will vary between guns and shooters, so experimentation and shooting it is the only way to know for sure.
As a side note, the last thing I'm ever going to do is chew on a lead ball.
Not a Pedersoli, 62 cal TVM fowler. 70gr 3F, .015” patch/TOTW Mink Oil lube, .60 LRB,
50 yards, 3 shots
50 yards, 3 shots
Stony Broke
32 Cal.
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I've been using a .600 patched round ball for years with no problems, both in a rifled barrel and a smoothbore. I sat down one day and cast up a cartridge box full of balls this size and they have done good for me. I use a slightly thicker patch in the smoothbore, but other than that no problems.
JCKelly
45 Cal.
Some people also get lead poisoning.
