Forgive my ignorance in these matters but am I wrong in thinking a belted lead ball must have much less 'sectional density' even than the paltry amount expected of a sphere? If not, why did Baker's ball for a 4-bore only weigh three ounces and not four - or is this a matter of patches reducing diameter? I suppose the jagged belt made a ragged hole but I seem to recall that during the American Civil War it was thought conical projectiles did more damage to human flesh than traditional balls.

Maybe Baker revised his ideas after using conical bullets in the .577 express, which he extolled as very suitable for (at least some) dangerous game?