Round Balls With Dimples

[Archer 756]

Was taking to someone that was telling me that the top shooters at the world smooth bore championship shoot lead ball that have dimples like golf balls. This was explained that doing so helps accuracy. Any one know of such thing and how do the get dimples.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

It is called ‘The Dimpler’, and do an online search for that term, as it goes to another MZL site and I don’t think I can post that here. They used to be $15 …

See video:

 

[Rató:rats]

Ive always heard them called chewed balls
I’ve made ‘em by rolling them with a rasp against a softwood board
Didn’t see much of a difference in accuracy

Here’s some originals from the 1640’s which may have been made by literally chewing them

That dimpler is cool

 

[TScottW99]

I watched the Duelist test these recently. Here’s the video.

 

[FishDFly]

Roll a roundball between two (2) rough wood rasps to get dimples.

The dimples help enlarge the diameter of the ball.

In smoothbore pistols you, need to increase the amount of powder up a bunch to get decent accuracy.

 

[Red Owl]

"Muzzle Blasts" the magazine of the NMLRA had an article on this a few years ago. According to the article the dimpled ball flew straighter- just like a golf ball.

 

[david w]

"Muzzle Blasts" the magazine of the NMLRA had an article on this a few years ago. According to the article the dimpled ball flew straighter- just like a golf ball.

I don't know about you, but my golf balls don't always fly straight!

 

[FishDFly]

"Muzzle Blasts" the magazine of the NMLRA had an article on this a few years ago. According to the article the dimpled ball flew straighter- just like a golf ball.

Do you know what issue that was?

 

[Jaeger]

I was next to a guy at the range who shot only what he called "fuzzy balls". He had them roughed up with a rasp, .62 caliber, no patch, smoothbore. He had the load and system worked up for the bare balls. He shot pretty well, too, at 50 yds.

 

[Rifleman1776]

An old-old concept that raises it's somewhat ugly head now and again. From what I have read, 'dimpled' balls may give improved accuracy when shot from smoothbores. For rifles, I'm of the opinion most shooters looking for best accuracy would say to not dimple. And that is my take on the issue also.

 

[FishDFly]

Ditto.

 

[Robby]

Many many moons ago I had a .62 smooth bore flintlock and at the time I thought it would be the only M/L I would need for both fur and fowl. I tried to wring every bit of accuracy out of it I could, using a patched round ball. I didn't know anyone around here using such a gun at the time so my conclusions as to how to proceed, right or wrong, were based on my own instincts. My very best groups were made with a ball cast from a Lee mould, no sprue, and tumbled to create a dimpling effect, what I called 'random symmetry'. I made a the tumbler shown......
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as you can see, it hasn't been used in quite some time, it has a variable speed motor and shives to reduce overall speed of rotation. But I do believe balls treated as such gave me a more consistent and tighter group.
Robby

 

[smo]

.648 tumbled round balls shot with out a patch.from my smoothbore prior too reconfiguring the barrel..
Benched , front sight only & tang screw slot.

The shot low and left is where the gun shot at 25 yards with my point of aim on the bullseye… prior too flexing the barrel.
The other 4 are using Kentucky windage for adjustment.
My bore measured.653. A .642 ball shot ok too..

I have since found a patched .626 ball works well , so I no longer shoot bare ball..

But it seems the closer the ball is too bore size the better it shoots, shooting bare ball.

One other thing too mention is the bore fouls quickly without a patched ball being seated.

The lead doesn’t seem too scrape away at the fouling like a patched ball..
Therefore be careful that you swab as needed…
Getting a unpatched ball stuck can ruin your day… unless you’re prepared for it.

 

[waksupi]

I never found any usable gain in accuracy in a smoothbore.

 

[waksupi]

Ive always heard them called chewed balls
I’ve made ‘em by rolling them with a rasp against a softwood board
Didn’t see much of a difference in accuracy

Here’s some originals from the 1640’s which may have been made by literally chewing them
View attachment 126878

That dimpler is cool

From the looks of them, if they were chewed it was probably during a medical procedure.

 

[Rató:rats]

From the looks of them, if they were chewed it was probably during a medical procedure.

Could very well be. They were found on both Royalist and Parliamentarian lines on a Civil War battle site near Harston, Cambridgeshire

 

[toot]

I don't know about you, but my golf balls don't always fly straight!

HA! HA! HA! so right my friend!!!

 

[rafterob]

The idea is to raise little areas on the ball so it has a better fit to the bore when loaded bare (no patch). The dimpling on golf balls does not make them more "accurate" it provides "lift" if the ball is rotating backwards as it travels forwards. Mythbusters did a good show on that.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Bear in mind that the axis of rotation on a golf ball is different than a ball fired from a smooth bore. A golf ball has an axis of rotation that is perpendicular to the direction of flight. So there is lift to a golf ball because of the rotation. A ball fired from a smoothbore has little to no rotation. No lift or directional stability either. As @rafterob has pointed out, the dimples increase the circumference of the ball to locate the ball in the center of the bore. Also, since the shooter believes that there is an improvement in accuracy, a better hold on target results, better follow through is encouraged and lo and behold the ball flies true to the target.

 

[FishDFly]

An explanation that should become a sticky and read by everyone.