"Round Ball"

[smoothshooter]

I have wondered for some time why most people refer to the small lead spheres so many of us launch with glee and enthusiasm refer to it as a "round ball".

Isn't that somewhat redundant?

Are there square balls; or perhaps octagon balls?

 

[coloradoclyde]

Well! why do they call a maxi ball a ball???? or a mini ball???
They're not a sphere.... :slap:

And why do they call buckshot, buckshot???? it's not a dead deer....

 

[Artificer]

1718 Puckle Revolving Flintlock Gun

"Puckle demonstrated two configurations of the basic design: one, intended for use against Christian enemies, fired conventional round bullets, while the second, designed to be used against the Muslim Turks, fired square bullets. The square bullets were considered to be more damaging. They would, according to the patent, "convince the Turks of the benefits of Christian civilization". The weapon was also reported as able to fire shot, with each discharge containing sixteen musket balls.[7]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puckle_gun

Gus

 

[BrownBear]

I have wondered for some time why most people refer to the small lead spheres so many of us launch with glee and enthusiasm refer to it as a "round ball".

Isn't that somewhat redundant?

Are there square balls; or perhaps octagon balls?

Kinda for the same reason modern military ammo is referred to as "ball" ammo. Don't see any loaded with balls, but they sure call it ball ammo.

I figured Round Ball was at least honest, dating back to the days ball ammo actually referred to round balls rather than boattail spitzers and such. Perfectly clear to me!

 

[will5a1]

It is just evolved conventional use, starting, I think, with the advent of the Minnie in the mid 1800's, and the "belted ball", - a term to distinguish it from the other types of "balls" in common use.

To add to what BB notes above about military useage, we refer to most small arms ammo as ball unless it isn't, i.e. tracer, AP, match, blank, etc. A standard 7.62X51 NATO "ball round" certainly isn't round. In the Field Artillery we referred to a "complete round", as a projectile, powder (in bags), fuse, and primer, nothing at all "round" about it, bit it was still a round.

 

[nkbj]

It's an old tradition of confusing people that try to learn English.
:haha:

 

[Loyalist Dave]

A leftover vestige of obsolete nomenclature. We started to use the old system to name the modern cartridges..., the .30-30 was never factory loaded with black powder, but was loaded with 30 grains of the modern nitro-cellulous powder, while the .45-70 did begin with 70 grains of black powder, and the .44-40 had forty grains of black powder. It was simply called musket ball or rifle ball until the belted ball, as mentioned, followed by the minie ball, etc.

LD

 

[Tom Compton]

And a football isn't round that's why we (kids in the 60s) called basketball "round ball".

 

[don hepler]

Why do we "park" on the driveway and "drive" on the parkway?

And....when we make tea, we boil to make it hot, then put ice in it to make it cold, then add sugar to make it sweet and then add lemon to make it sour. And then we say "Here's to you... and then drink it ourselves".

 

[Stumpkiller]

"Ball" is the standard ammo issue for any live military ammunition. Whether it's conical or round.

Ball was/is differentiated from canister, tracer, shot (which could also be a single sphere), dummy practice, etc.

So "Round Ball" is not redundant.

 

[Kapow]

A proper football is indeed round.

 

[TNGhost]

That would be a soccer ball :wink:

As to the OP-Ball refers to any single projectile launched from a firearm. Round describes its shape. Hence, as Stumpkiller said, not redundant

 

[necchi]

What drives me nut's is when folks refer to many round ball as "balls"
"I cast 110 balls today"
"I only have 23 of these balls left"
"How many balls can I get from a pound of lead?"
When referring to round ball as ammunition "Ball" is singular and plural.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I think both ways is acceptable in the common vernacular. :grin:

 

[hanshi]

Another example is "deer" which is singular AND plural: I saw a deer and I saw 30 deer.

 

[coloradoclyde]

Or like doe or does both can be plural and both are acceptable....

 

[necchi]

I think both ways is acceptable in the common vernacular. :grin:

Or like doe or does both can be plural and both are acceptable....

No.
:blah:

 

[coloradoclyde]

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doe

http://www.learnersdictionary.com/definition/ball

 

[necchi]

Please see Balls-5-C :haha:

 

[mooman76]

There are allot of things "acceptable" these days just because enough people use the term wrong enough times, now it's acceptable.