Who Still Uses Roundballs?
12-21-2007, 08:27 AM
#21
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Texas - BUT NOW in Madison County, NY
Posts: 6,270
RE: Who Still Uses Roundballs?
I still use them. The guys her use them. Mostly in their flintlocks...
http://www.americanlongrifles.com/american-longrifles-BBS-frame.htm I have used round balls, conicals of various weights, and sabotted bullets of various types. IMO, none of them kill any faster or deader than a patched found ball of the correct size. Perhaps some of the other type of ML projectiles have a range advantage. Hoever, a bullet with greater sectional density and inertia cannot be driven at as high a MV as a patched round ball. A round ball launched at 2200 FPS will show a flatter trajectory than a conical at 1500 over the first 100-125-yards. But the elongated bullet will catch up by 175-200 yards.
http://www.americanlongrifles.com/american-longrifles-BBS-frame.htm I have used round balls, conicals of various weights, and sabotted bullets of various types. IMO, none of them kill any faster or deader than a patched found ball of the correct size. Perhaps some of the other type of ML projectiles have a range advantage. Hoever, a bullet with greater sectional density and inertia cannot be driven at as high a MV as a patched round ball. A round ball launched at 2200 FPS will show a flatter trajectory than a conical at 1500 over the first 100-125-yards. But the elongated bullet will catch up by 175-200 yards.
12-21-2007, 09:00 AM
#22
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wisconsin/Michigan
Posts: 9,679
RE: Who Still Uses Roundballs?
The roundball is all I have ever hunted with out of my .50 and .54 Flintlocks! I still need to kill something with one of them, I had my first chance this season but ran into a problem
12-21-2007, 12:43 PM
#23
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Michigan
Posts: 771
RE: Who Still Uses Roundballs?
I certainly do for both target fun and hunting from mostly cap and flintlocks, but on occassion I shoot PRB's at lower velocity from an inline for target fun.
I shoot several pounds of powder each year and the lions share is PRB's.
Tahquamenon
I shoot several pounds of powder each year and the lions share is PRB's.
Tahquamenon
12-22-2007, 08:26 PM
#24
Typical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Wide open Nevada
Posts: 515
RE: Who Still Uses Roundballs?
I shoot a Thomson Hawkens w/RB's though I've not taken big game with it I have punched both heads on a 55gal drum at 175 yds . That is good enough for me to use them to 125 - 150 on a mulie .
12-22-2007, 10:32 PM
#25
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 9,175
RE: Who Still Uses Roundballs?
Santa is bringing me a new Hawken rifle and pistol to get me back into muzzleloading after a long, long time. They will be fed a pretty steady diet of PRB's, except the rifle will get Maxi's or Buffalo Ball-ets for hog hunting. I like a little extra oomph for those critters.
12-22-2007, 10:54 PM
#26
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 666
RE: Who Still Uses Roundballs?
Who still uses round balls? Not me, started hunting with a muzzleloader 30 years ago and I never did consider a roundball an acceptable hunting projectile. Always shot bullets of one type or another regardless of the style of the gun.
12-24-2007, 02:55 AM
#28
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location:
Posts: 3,246
RE: Who Still Uses Roundballs?
ORIGINAL: TNHagies
I don't want to start an 'effectiveness of roundballs' topic, but I would like to know how many of you guys still use them. I was getting made fun of the other day for my usage of them and I got to thinkin' I bet there's a lot of people that still use them.
Granted they are not my only form of bullet that I use, but at least one week a year I hunt w/them out of my 1/48 Hawkins.I have the utmost confidence in them and know that any deer/bear/turkey that passes within 75 yards will be coming home w/me. (I can't shoot any farther than that where I hunt anyway)
Anyone else?
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I don't want to start an 'effectiveness of roundballs' topic, but I would like to know how many of you guys still use them. I was getting made fun of the other day for my usage of them and I got to thinkin' I bet there's a lot of people that still use them.
Granted they are not my only form of bullet that I use, but at least one week a year I hunt w/them out of my 1/48 Hawkins.I have the utmost confidence in them and know that any deer/bear/turkey that passes within 75 yards will be coming home w/me. (I can't shoot any farther than that where I hunt anyway)
Anyone else?
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Chap Gleason
12-24-2007, 04:00 AM
#29
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location:
Posts: 141
RE: Who Still Uses Roundballs?
Yep Chap your right about the .50 caliber Rb being a little too dicey. It can work well but it sometimes does not. It's just not a big enough hole and the hole covers over with fat, and hide quickly so blood trails are faint or non existant. My deer rifles in 1/66 twist now shoot the 270 Buffalo Ball-et or a PowerBelt with ok accuracy and I don't push em real fast. The 270 grain ball-et hp has quite a performance increaseover the patched rb in my opinion. I still shoot em a bunch; but not at deer anymore and if I did it would be 50 yard head shots.
My RMC flinter is a 1/28 twist and am shooting the .452 300 xtp over 90-100 grains of 3f Goex. I also will be switching to the 300 grain Gold Dots when the box is empty; assuming they group well and expand well enough for me. Everything about that bullet is just dandy; high BC. good weight and energy; designed for the velocity my flinter would push them; bonded design and .452 flat base.
My RMC flinter is a 1/28 twist and am shooting the .452 300 xtp over 90-100 grains of 3f Goex. I also will be switching to the 300 grain Gold Dots when the box is empty; assuming they group well and expand well enough for me. Everything about that bullet is just dandy; high BC. good weight and energy; designed for the velocity my flinter would push them; bonded design and .452 flat base.
12-24-2007, 01:09 PM
#30
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location:
Posts: 3,246
RE: Who Still Uses Roundballs?
ORIGINAL: Mossie
Yep Chap your right about the .50 caliber Rb being a little too dicey. It can work well but it sometimes does not. It's just not a big enough hole and the hole covers over with fat, and hide quickly so blood trails are faint or non existant. My deer rifles in 1/66 twist now shoot the 270 Buffalo Ball-et or a PowerBelt with ok accuracy and I don't push em real fast. The 270 grain ball-et hp has quite a performance increaseover the patched rb in my opinion. I still shoot em a bunch; but not at deer anymore and if I did it would be 50 yard head shots.
My RMC flinter is a 1/28 twist and am shooting the .452 300 xtp over 90-100 grains of 3f Goex. I also will be switching to the 300 grain Gold Dots when the box is empty; assuming they group well and expand well enough for me. Everything about that bullet is just dandy; high BC. good weight and energy; designed for the velocity my flinter would push them; bonded design and .452 flat base.
Yep Chap your right about the .50 caliber Rb being a little too dicey. It can work well but it sometimes does not. It's just not a big enough hole and the hole covers over with fat, and hide quickly so blood trails are faint or non existant. My deer rifles in 1/66 twist now shoot the 270 Buffalo Ball-et or a PowerBelt with ok accuracy and I don't push em real fast. The 270 grain ball-et hp has quite a performance increaseover the patched rb in my opinion. I still shoot em a bunch; but not at deer anymore and if I did it would be 50 yard head shots.
My RMC flinter is a 1/28 twist and am shooting the .452 300 xtp over 90-100 grains of 3f Goex. I also will be switching to the 300 grain Gold Dots when the box is empty; assuming they group well and expand well enough for me. Everything about that bullet is just dandy; high BC. good weight and energy; designed for the velocity my flinter would push them; bonded design and .452 flat base.
Chap Gleason