loading cast lead balls

[badgreek]

How Important is it to load the flat spot up on cast lead balls? Does it really effect accuracy that much? :hmm:

 

[nchawkeye]

Up or down, makes no difference...

 

[roundball]

How Important is it to load the flat spot up on cast lead balls? Does it really effect accuracy that much? :hmm:

I've personally, intentionally loaded and shot 50 cast balls during a range session without paying any attention to the spru location whatsoever and found no difference in my accuracy...in fact I'll be doing it again tomorrow morning with a .40cal Flintlock and Eddie May's .395s.

In addition, the "bevel brothers" published test results in Muzzleblasts a couple years back concluding no difference in spru location.

If there is the slightest difference in a ball due to a spru, one of the main purposes of the spin caused by rifling is that minor imperfections are constanly offset / equalized by the rotation.

Note:
The balls I use, and I assume that the Bevel Brothers used simply had a spot where the spru was...however, I've seen some cast balls with quite a raised spru sticking up which I would in fact always center it on top simply to avoid mechanicel interference with rifling if placed on a side.

 

[Little Wattsy]

How Important is it to load the flat spot up on cast lead balls? Does it really effect accuracy that much? :hmm:

Just be consistant. :thumbsup:

 

[Swampman]

The sprue will always end up in the same place no matter how you load it. It's like a top. The ball will find it's own axis.

For the same reason voids, weight sorting, and wrinkles have little to no effect on accuracy.