Going from .600" to .595" ball?

[ThumperJones]

I recently posted about figuring out some good accuracy with my .62 Fusil De Chasse. The bore measures .620". I was using a .600" ball, patched with .018" cotton denim and a 70gr 3FG charge.

Would you think that I could move to a .595" ball and a slightly thicker patch and likely keep the same accuracy?

My gut tells me to suck it up and not change a thing, but I can buy 50pcs .595" balls for the price of 25pcs .600". And it's only .005" difference anyway?

Anybody swapped with good success?

 

[Britsmoothy]

Subtle changes in my .63 Disney seem to make much difference at all. Ok, I ain't very scientific about testing.
My .45 shows a very slight improvement going to .445" over .440" ball.
There are so many variables that I doubt .005" is going to upset much at all.

 

[BrownBear]

I went t'other way. My 62 (also .620 bore) wasn't performing well with .595's and ticking, so I tried .600's for a big improvement. Makes me suspicious of what you'll discover, but switching to a thicker patch could help. I made no patch change with mine.

 

[Maven]

I recently posted about figuring out some good accuracy with my .62 Fusil De Chasse. The bore measures .620". I was using a .600" ball, patched with .018" cotton denim and a 70gr 3FG charge.

Would you think that I could move to a .595" ball and a slightly thicker patch and likely keep the same accuracy?

My gut tells me to suck it up and not change a thing, but I can buy 50pcs .595" balls for the price of 25pcs .600". And it's only .005" difference anyway?

Anybody swapped with good success?

I have a 36" bbl. NW trade gun, which has a .618" bore diameter. It shoots a patched RB between .598" - .603" well enough @ 25 yd. with 65 - 80gr. FFFg. Changing the patch diameter from .014" to .018" made little difference in accuracy, all else being equal. In short, a smaller ball + a thicker patch (think denim) may work for you: It's a relatively inexpensive experiment to perform. OTOH, the .600" RB you're presently using + a slightly thicker patch may also improve things. Both are worth trying.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

FWIW I use 600s with a 0.010” thick ‘homespun’ patch in a 617/618 bore and they don’t burn thru, using TOW mink oil lube.

Buy your 600s in bulk from Eddie May of GA, last price I bought was $14/100, but lead has gone up. I have him stuff as many as he can in a US postal fixed price shipping box.

 

[jime444]

One thing you can try is “roughing” the smaller ball up with medium file. Roll it between two file with medium pressure or a file and hard/steel surface. That’ll increase the diameter some. You may even see an accuracy increase. Golf balls are dimpled for a reason. Have fun.

 

[ThumperJones]

Thanks for the tips guys.

I'm gonna try and call Eddie May shortly and if his .600s are at least as cheap as the .595 from TOTW and others, this little experiment may not need to happen. Otherwise, I'll try the .595s and rough em up and/or rustle up a thicker patch.

I'm getting very good accuracy now, so I'm afraid to change. But it's gonna break me shooting it if I don't find a cheaper ball.

 

[tenngun]

I have both and I’ve gotten good groups from both. In a string of five I almost always get a fairly small group and a flyer. Both will put Bambi in the pot, both will provide lots of fun at the range.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Smaller RBs can shoot REALLY well and I find the experimentation of loads to be a lot of the fun! This was a witnessed 3-shot group of 570s in lubed paper cartridges shot out of that 617/618 bore in a 48” club butt fowler.

That US half dollar measure 1.2” across; this group I shot offhand at 25-yds won the smallest group contest for smoothbores 3-weeks ago. BONUS - I can load & shoot all day and never scrub/swab the bore.

 

[Rattus58]

I recently posted about figuring out some good accuracy with my .62 Fusil De Chasse. The bore measures .620". I was using a .600" ball, patched with .018" cotton denim and a 70gr 3FG charge.

Would you think that I could move to a .595" ball and a slightly thicker patch and likely keep the same accuracy?

My gut tells me to suck it up and not change a thing, but I can buy 50pcs .595" balls for the price of 25pcs .600". And it's only .005" difference anyway?

Anybody swapped with good success?

I've gone from .570 to .575 and back a couple of times and for me it was what I was using as a patch that made the difference... thinner patches are less (for what I was able to find around the missuses sewing room) compressible and therefore harder to maneuver in a tight bore for me. I use wads behind every ball and I use Dutch Shoultz's formula of cutting oil (or ballistol) and water in discovered ratio that gives the best accuracy and I will say, after having talked to Dutch on several occasion about his "slickness" for the patch, have settled on several formulas and 8:1 water to oil down to 6:1 water to oil after it dries, leaves a patch slightly more lubed than a dry patch and seem to aid my loading and accuracy commensurate with the care of the experiment.

I pour my own bullets, so the cost is for me irrelevant... tho I know that others take each penny seriously and we have all of our own goals... mine is what do I have around here to make it work...

 

[cositrike]

Thanks for the tips guys.

I'm gonna try and call Eddie May shortly and if his .600s are at least as cheap as the .595 from TOTW and others, this little experiment may not need to happen. Otherwise, I'll try the .595s and rough em up and/or rustle up a thicker patch.

I'm getting very good accuracy now, so I'm afraid to change. But it's gonna break me shooting it if I don't find a cheaper ball.

How’s about casting your own ball. It always costs more if someone else does it?

 

[Rattus58]

How’s about casting your own ball. It always costs more if someone else does it?

Well and the satisfaction part matters too..

 

[Rattus58]

Smaller RBs can shoot REALLY well and I find the experimentation of loads to be a lot of the fun! This was a witnessed 3-shot group of 570s in lubed paper cartridges shot out of that 617/618 bore in a 48” club butt fowler.

That US half dollar measure 1.2” across; this group I shot offhand at 25-yds won the smallest group contest for smoothbores 3-weeks ago. BONUS - I can load & shoot all day and never scrub/swab the bore.

View attachment 4589

Haha... yup mine too... usually starting with shot #2... One shot groups is what I strive for...

 

[ThumperJones]

I'm not ready to jump into casting just yet. I'm sure I will down the road, but for now I just want to buy enough to get comfortable with this gun and be ready and know my limits for next hunting season.

And I fully understand the satisfaction aspect of making your own equipment. With my longbows I make all my strings, arrows, fletchings, etc. Really adds to the experience.

 

[tenngun]

I’ll tell you, anyone who can make a bow will find casting ball easy as pie

 

[Brokennock]

I can't hurt to try.

If you find some of my posts describing my switching to using a lubed wad and no patch in my smoothrifle you will find that my final impetus to try was that my groups got better instead of worse with a .595 ball (I don't remember patch thickness). I had started with the .600 ball and patch combo that my Tule F.d.C likes, I was unimpressed with the groups. Tried tighter patching, worse. Tried more and less powder, not worse, but not better. Tried the smaller ball/looser combo based on people having great results with no patch, and got the best groups yet. Went to the patchless load, best of all.
I should note that all patched ball combos were shot with a thin "overshot" card between powder and ball, if I remember correctly, to help form a gas seal and keep patch lube out of my powder while hunting.