Sprue cut: Facing which way?

[FishDFly]

Tell that to any golf pro and see what he says.

Studys have shown in ML's it makes no difference. Has been discussed here numerous times, if it did line shooters would use dimpled round balls.

 

[Brokennock]

59 answers to this question?

Well, a few aren't really answers to the question.......

 

[Joemolf]

Good point. Were it positioned just right it would indeed get shaved. Depending on one’s mold the sprue could be just a slightly flat spot on the ball on an actual protuberance of lead. For example a .454 Lee mold leaves a noticeable slightly, very slightly, raised bump.
On a 457 round ball iron mold from Lyman I have to look closely for it.

 

[Joemolf]

I bought some.68 round ball the sprue on this particular lot were excessively large so in my infamous wisdom I took a rivet cutter and cut it off flush with surface. I’m using in paper cartridges for my Bess I still make an effort to place the ball sprue side up. I don’t know if it matters just thinking it may make it a little more stable

 

[Whughett]

59 answers to this question?

Well, a few aren't really answers to the question.......

Well for my part I follow this forum as much for entertainment as for informational reasons. I got Google and Wikipedia for the dull stuff.
The off thread stuff makes for interesting reading. It’s a thing I like about this forum they ain’t so quick to shut down a thread.
JMO.

 

[FishDFly]

Well for my part I follow this forum as much for entertainment as for informational reasons. I got Google and Wikipedia for the dull stuff.
The off thread stuff makes for interesting reading. It’s a thing I like about this forum they ain’t so quick to shut down a thread.
JMO.

Ten more and it will be to 75.

 

[smoothshooter]

Muzzle Blasts magazine did had a article about this about 15 years ago. The also addressed question of holes or voids in home cast round ball having an effect on accuracy. The author drilled holes of various depths into several ball then loaded and fired at a target then compared results. Their conclusion after several dozen shots was that sprue up down or sideways ultimately made no difference unless patch was damaged. Yhey also loaded the balls with drilled holes, some hole up, some hole down, the rest ball to side at various angles between up and down.
Virtually all hit to same point as aimed at. Their conclusions were that location of hole made no difference. What they found was the ball while spinning in flight found its own balance around its center of mass was self stabilizing in round ball.

I vaguely remember the article, and is one of the reasons I do not worry about the sprue.

 

[oldwood]

Back in the days of serious competition , before swaged balls came into favor , some psycho shooters would weigh , and group as to weight , freshly cast balls to maintain their consistency of loading and supposed accuracy. Since I'm an avowed lazy back mountain slouch , I didn't take time to go to that extreme. Our " Offhand " competitions were geared to being steady under fire , like expecting a well directed pine cone bouncing off your hat , or some other no good skunk , cat calling how he bent yer' barrel when you went to the out house , or somethin' like that. It got fun at times , and a sprue out of position , became innocuous..........oldwood

 

[Robby]

I vaguely remember the article, and is one of the reasons I do not worry about the sprue.

I remember reading that article too and pretty much agree with their findings. I also believe that it is much more critical to the consistency of accuracy in a smooth bore shooting round balls that the consistency of ball placement is more necessary.
Robby

 

[dick rankin]

For those of you that don’t patch and shoot bare ball how do you tell the sprue is up or down when you drop it down the barrel? Or that it’s not sidewise by the time it sits on the powder? Thanks.

 

[JamesT]

I have placed the ball sprue up since the first time I loaded a flintlock rifle about 20 years ago and never thought twice about it since. Personally I feel it really doesnt matter in the overall process. Consistency in loading is more important to my way of thinking. Like seating each shot with similar pressure. I feel these old guns are more forgiving than we want them to be. This is old stuff fellas. We have better quality products or at least more of an abundance and more options than the earlier rifleman did in my humble opinion. We are shooting these old guns with 21st century thought processes and expectations sometimes. Let's step back and shoot them like its the modern tech they were. I am not at all saying they are unreliable or innacurate. We would be better served to load consistently and forget about individual technique. Do what you want. It all goes out the window if we cant execute the fundamentals of good marksmanship or the 6 steps to firing a shot.
With all this being said I havent seen anyone produce examples of which way is better. Can someone post photos of groups shot both ways that show a marked difference? Or at least share results if you have tried. That will be the tell all. Like Steven Crowder says.."Change my mind."
Regards,
James

 

[Rifleman1776]

some psycho shooters would weigh , and group as to weight , freshly cast balls to maintain their consistency of loading and supposed accuracy.

Yep. That was me and many other serious 'X' hunters.

 

[nhmoose]

Up I don't have Superman's x-ray vision to tell if it is centered when down.

Women are glad I don't have x-ray vision.

 

[deerstalkert]

"Next place a ball, with the sprue up, [author's emphasis] in the center of the patch..., "

"I have heard old riflemen, years ago, say that it mattered not whether the sprue surface of the ball is placed at the bottom or the top when loading the round ball rifle, but this is not reasonable, and does not agree with my experience and that of the majority of the experienced riflemen who shoot the muzzle-loading rifles. ..., Experienced experts agree that better accuracy with the round ball rifles will be secured by always loading the sprue surface of the ball at the top, [author's emphasis] or towards the muzzle."
Ned Roberts The Muzzle-Loading Cap Lock Rifle (1947)

LD

From god's lips to my ear!

 

[smo]

For those of you that don’t patch and shoot bare ball how do you tell the sprue is up or down when you drop it down the barrel? Or that it’s not sidewise by the time it sits on the powder? Thanks.

When I shot bare balls.648 in a .653 barrel I would load them with the small remaining sprue facing up..
As the bore fouled, even with the flattened sprue if the ball was loaded sprue down… you would always have an issue “if “ the ball rolled on the way down..
Usually this would be on the first shot after a fouled barrel….

Just my experience, others may vary.

 

[bud in pa]

I like to use paper cartridges, I have no idea which way the sprue is pointing. It doesn't seem to matter at 50 yds. I get 4 to5 inch groups.

 

[mark_fare]

There was a article a few years back in muzzle blasts, I believe bye the writers who went bye the name of the bevel brothers about this, I load sprue up if I run ball, if shooting factory ball I buy swaged balls. Really do not see where it makes all that much difference as long as you center the spru in the patch.

I sure would like to know where I could buy swaged balls in .715" and .690" diameter.