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Hardened Balls or Pure Lead?
- Thread starter Bob J
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
Smooth or Rifled?
And what kind of range are you expecting to use it at?
And what kind of range are you expecting to use it at?
Mark Black
36 Cal.
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2011
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Pure soft all the way...Hard lead has too many other alloys mixed in and can be rough on rifled barrels. Soft will give you plenty of knockdown power, if not more so than hard lead which will be more likely to pass through.... It's all about kinetic energy :wink: Especially on a RB that size. Good luck!
Well I ain't never shot a hog with anything but a 22 right between the eyes just before I stick'm,,
But I'm willing to bet at the ranges and powder level you say your going to do, that Crackshot is right.
Soft at 75yrds and 100grns loads are going to have alot of thump
But I'm willing to bet at the ranges and powder level you say your going to do, that Crackshot is right.
Soft at 75yrds and 100grns loads are going to have alot of thump
rodwha
58 Cal.
I'm curious as I'm already thinking I ought to get a .54 cal barrel for hogs. Maybe even shorten the barrel to 18".
Mark Black
36 Cal.
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A .54 would be plenty for hogs. And a shorter barrel will be nice for navigating brush and be a lot lighter to carry as well :thumbsup:
Because of black powders low pressures when it burns long barrels give better velocities.
Dixie gunworks tested a .40 caliber barrel by cutting it off in 2 inch increments and measuring the velocity at each length.
They found that the 65 grain 3Fg powder load that gave them 1903 fps with a 28 inch barrel gave them a velocity of 1703 fps with the barrel shortened to 20 inches.
That 200 fps difference represents a 10.5 percent loss.
Just saying.
Dixie gunworks tested a .40 caliber barrel by cutting it off in 2 inch increments and measuring the velocity at each length.
They found that the 65 grain 3Fg powder load that gave them 1903 fps with a 28 inch barrel gave them a velocity of 1703 fps with the barrel shortened to 20 inches.
That 200 fps difference represents a 10.5 percent loss.
Just saying.
Mark Black
36 Cal.
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Good point, never thought of that.... :bow:
Rat Trapper
62 Cal.
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- Nov 28, 2006
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Some guy use wheel weights for casting round balls. These balls will be a little harder than soft lead and may require a thinner patch. Testing has shown the wheel weight round balls will shoot very well once the patch is adjusted. For most shooting I'd stay with the soft lead, but if you can't find soft lead there is another option.
For some of us, even suggesting hard lead in an ml is fightin' words. :cursing: :wink:
The soft lead will kill them hogs quite a bit dedder than hard led. Hard led will only kill them a little bit ded.
Now, I'll git in trouble with the soft lead fraternity. :shocked2:
If hard is all you have on hand, use it. But don't tell nobody I sed that. :nono: :wink:
The soft lead will kill them hogs quite a bit dedder than hard led. Hard led will only kill them a little bit ded.
Now, I'll git in trouble with the soft lead fraternity. :shocked2:
If hard is all you have on hand, use it. But don't tell nobody I sed that. :nono: :wink:
Little Wattsy
69 Cal.
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real is always gooder... lead included.
outbackzack
40 Cal.
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- Nov 23, 2012
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Accuracy, there is no substitute for it.
I have taken a hog in the 2oo pound range with a brass frame 58 Remington. Admittedly, the shot was less than 15 yards, and from an elevated platform, but dead is dead with a double lung shot.
For the record I was using commercial swagged .451 round balls over 30 grains of FFF, and CCI #11 caps, TC bore butter over the balls. I have also seen an emu taken with a ramrod, but that is another story :rotf:
I have taken a hog in the 2oo pound range with a brass frame 58 Remington. Admittedly, the shot was less than 15 yards, and from an elevated platform, but dead is dead with a double lung shot.
For the record I was using commercial swagged .451 round balls over 30 grains of FFF, and CCI #11 caps, TC bore butter over the balls. I have also seen an emu taken with a ramrod, but that is another story :rotf:
There is no need to use hard balls. I have a shot a bunch of elk with pure soft lead, most shots go clear through. I shot one cow quartering away that was hit behind the ribs and the ball ended up in her brisket. That's about 30" of penetration. Soft lead is the way to go. Bill
hanshi
Cannon
I mostly use soft lead but use WW in my smoothbore. Since the ball NEVER touches the bore - the patch does that - it doesn't matter how hard your alloy is. Roundball (member) experimented with brass ball and found them excellent. And they are very hard.
hanshi said:
Roundball has shot brass balls, marbles, rubber balls etc., none of which are traditional, why quote him and his wanderingings out side of traditional muzzle loading?
When were wheel weights used in the traditional days of muzzle loader roundballs which were cast of pure lead?
