Making round balls for muzzleloaders

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Rusty
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Making round balls for muzzleloaders

Post by Rusty »

I've always wondered what it would be like if you could get round balls for muzzleloaders that had dimples like a golf ball. This device is as close as anything I've ever seen. Has anyone ever heard of anything any better?

http://www.forth-armoury.com/instructio ... oller.html
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Griff
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Re: Making round balls for muzzleloaders

Post by Griff »

So much opportunity for unsavory, unruly comments...
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jnyork
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Re: Making round balls for muzzleloaders

Post by jnyork »

I seem to recall someone way back when experimenting with dimpled muzzeloader balls to see if they were more aerodynamic like golf balls. Cant recall if he ever did any good with it and cant find anything now about it on the net, was a long time ago.

Notice how I carefully included the word "muzzleloader". :lol:
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Re: Making round balls for muzzleloaders

Post by JerryB »

My .45 caliber Kentucky rifle has a Douglas barrel that will group really tight off the Bench at 100yards. I use patched round balls. Like most rifles that have more accuracy than the shooter can use. Maybe the velocity of round ball is to fast to make a difference, don't reckon a hit golf ball is moving that fast.
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Leverluver
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Re: Making round balls for muzzleloaders

Post by Leverluver »

That last comment hits the point. The dimpling only serves a purpose in the subsonic realm; it does no good at supersonic (~1150fps+ depending on altitude) speeds. Another "old wives tale" is the wasp waist which is only has any positive affect in the high subsonic to trans-sonic range, therefore of no value for highly supersonic rifle bullets.
Chuck 100 yd
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Re: Making round balls for muzzleloaders

Post by Chuck 100 yd »

It sounds like they load their guns without a patch around the ball.
Marvin S
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Re: Making round balls for muzzleloaders

Post by Marvin S »

I think there was a Bevel Brothers article in Muzzle Blasts about this many years ago. Don’t remember the outcome.
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Ray
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Re: Making round balls for muzzleloaders

Post by Ray »

Deleted.
Last edited by Ray on Mon Jun 13, 2022 6:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Thunder50
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Re: Making round balls for muzzleloaders

Post by Thunder50 »

I think the pro's hit the golf ball at around 165 mph, so what, 220 fps
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bmtshooter
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Re: Making round balls for muzzleloaders

Post by bmtshooter »

Applicable to smoothbores only.
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Old No7
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Re: Making round balls for muzzleloaders

Post by Old No7 »

I seem to recall Sam Fadala or some other write who specialized in muzzleloaders running some tests on those; I think they were best for smoothbores too.

My twin shoots several smoothbore guns -- and matchlocks -- so I'll send the link over to him.

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marlinman93
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Re: Making round balls for muzzleloaders

Post by marlinman93 »

I'm no ML expert, but I don't understand the reasons they cite for making the dimples. Eliminating the sprue remnant, that might wedge in the bore, or cause inaccuracy? Every shooter I ever talked to said to situate the sprue straight up when seating it, so it was positioned to not affect flight or ramming it down!
And then there's the other mention of it holding more lube! Never lubed a ball in my entire life, as I lubed the outside of my patch, not the ball.
Sounds like a gimmick that I see no reason to use.
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Old No7
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Re: Making round balls for muzzleloaders

Post by Old No7 »

marlinman93 wrote: Thu Jan 25, 2018 11:04 amSounds like a gimmick...
For a rifled muzzleloader, you'd be 100% correct.

I passed the link along to my twin -- who shoots smoothbore muzzleloaders most of the time (and will often outshoot many of the rifle shooters too) -- and he said for $31 delivered, he's buying one.

He says the dimpled balls will improve group size in a smoothie, and until now, he's "rolled his own" using a farrier's rasp over coarse sandpaper * and so he's looking forward to getting the new tool.

......* Sounds rather rough on your balls... :wink:

Thanks for the link.

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kragluver
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Re: Making round balls for muzzleloaders

Post by kragluver »

The dimples will reduce drag at all subsonic Mach numbers. They would also reduce the erratic flight that is sometimes seen at Transonic Mach (0.9 to 1.1 or so). This would be especially helpful in a smooth bore. In a rifle, th rifling engraves grooves in the ball as it moves down the barrel. Those grooves will perform some of the same function as the dimples. I can see where dimples in a rifled ball wouldn’t do much.
Pisgah
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Re: Making round balls for muzzleloaders

Post by Pisgah »

bmtshooter wrote: Thu Jan 25, 2018 7:37 am Applicable to smoothbores only.
Tis is correct. Used in a rifled gun, they do not work at all. In theory, they help with smoothbore accuracy, but in my extensive experimentation 20+ years ago I could see no real improvement.
Rusty
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Re: Making round balls for muzzleloaders

Post by Rusty »

It took me a while to look back in to the recesses of my mind, but I seem to remember trying swedged round balls once instead my own cast round balls. It seemed like the sprue made a good place for the short starter to rest. The swedged ball ended up getting deformed by the short starter and accuracy suffered.
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