Forums.NitroExpress.com

Home | Ezine | Forums | Links | Contact NitroExpress.com: Ball size for a smooth bore if bore sizes slightly differ?

*** Enjoy NitroExpress.com? Participate and join in. ***

You are not logged in. [Login]

Main Index · Search · Active Topics
New user · Who's Online · FAQ · Calendar

Double Rifles, Single Shots & Combinations >> Paradox and Bore Guns

Pages: 1

Kynoch
.224 member

Reged: 11/02/05
Posts: 40
Loc: Iowa, United States

Ball size for a smooth bore if bore sizes slightly differ?
#348584 - 29/12/20 04:07 AM

I understand that ball size should be at or slightly over bore diameter. In the case where one bore is slightly bigger than the other, what’s the recommendation? For example, if one bore measured .728 and the other .732, what is the appropriate ball size? If you go with the larger and use a .733 ball, then you’re .005” over on the smaller bored barrel. If that’s the recommendation, would lead hardness matter? Thanks in advance.

Post Extras:

tinker
.416 member

Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 4835
Loc: Nevada

Re: Ball size for a smooth bore if bore sizes slightly differ? [Re: Kynoch]
#348589 - 29/12/20 04:52 AM

0.005" over at 730 is nothing to be concerned with, unless you are running brass or steel balls.

The actual amount of material that you are moving out there at the equator of a nearly 3/4" roundball is minimal.

Where there is no choke, I wouldn't hesitate running wheel weight alloy with ball at 0.005" oversize for the 12 bore.

--------------------
--Self-Appointed Colonel, DRSS--

"It IS a dangerous game, and so named for a reason, and you can't play from the keyboard. " --Some Old Texan...

Post Extras:

lancaster
.470 member

Reged: 06/05/08
Posts: 9033
Loc: There's a lighthouse in the mi...

Re: Ball size for a smooth bore if bore sizes slightly differ? [Re: tinker]
#348632 - 29/12/20 04:59 PM

to be safe it would be wise to use an undersized but cloth patched ball

--------------------
Norwegian hunter misses moose, shoots man on toilet
.
bringing civilisation to the barbarians

Post Extras:

DarylS
.700 member

Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26992
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...

Re: Ball size for a smooth bore if bore sizes slightly differ? [Re: lancaster]
#348652 - 30/12/20 10:04 AM

I had the same thoughts as lancaster when first seeing this post, but held my tongue to see what someone with double rifles would say.
I have successfully used patched, undersized balls in a couple SxS smoothbores - a 12 (.729") and a 13 bore (.705").
I also had very good luck in the 12 bore, using cut-off plastic shot-cup bases form trap wads, cup-up under the the ball and cup-down on the powder,
with spacer wads between them when needed for smokeless loads and without the spacers when using BP loads.
Both worked well, however the patched balls, of course, shot much more cleanly due to the Neetsfoot Oil on the patches, which softened the powder
fouling of successive shots.

Post Extras:

Kynoch
.224 member

Reged: 11/02/05
Posts: 40
Loc: Iowa, United States

Re: Ball size for a smooth bore if bore sizes slightly differ? [Re: DarylS]
#348685 - 31/12/20 06:28 AM

Thanks everyone for your replies. I may start with the cloth patched balls as they are readily available in the size I would need without the need to order a new mould. I need to read up on these. It may be dumb, but I always wondered about the patch getting bunched up leaving the case and entering the forcing cone. Can patched balls be roll crimped in their case? Maybe I would need to stick with brass cases and a slight crimp. Thanks again.

Post Extras:

DarylS
.700 member

Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26992
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...

Re: Ball size for a smooth bore if bore sizes slightly differ? [Re: Kynoch]
#348693 - 31/12/20 10:08 AM

I used a slightly rounded/angled crimp on my patched ball loads, in annealed brass cases.
I also wondered if the patches would stay with the balls as the ball left the base mouth.
This appeared to be the case, as evidenced by the after shot patch retrieval, just as if they'd been shot from a muzzle loaded gun.
There is some speculation that the crimps open up as the case expands with initial ignition of the powder, even before the ball or bullet
starts to move. Of that I have my doubts, but, they seemed to work just the same. The patches I used, came right to the top of the
case mouth, well around the periphery of the loaded ball. This itself, might have been important.

--------------------
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

Post Extras:

lancaster
.470 member

Reged: 06/05/08
Posts: 9033
Loc: There's a lighthouse in the mi...

Re: Ball size for a smooth bore if bore sizes slightly differ? [Re: DarylS]
#348700 - 31/12/20 05:13 PM

imho, when having a choke bore barrel the cloth patched undersized round ball is the only chance to be safe in the long run.using a shot cup as sabot is another way but not the best with black powder because it burns to hot for the plastic.
I cant imagine that ball and patch leave each other before this combination leave the muzzle and the patch fly away by the air drag. the pressure of the gas move the patch like it move the ball in front.

--------------------
Norwegian hunter misses moose, shoots man on toilet
.
bringing civilisation to the barbarians

Post Extras:

DarylS
.700 member

Reged: 10/08/05
Posts: 26992
Loc: Beautiful British Columbia, Ca...

Re: Ball size for a smooth bore if bore sizes slightly differ? [Re: lancaster]
#348715 - 01/01/21 05:01 AM

With BP loads, I did not have trouble with the flame melting the plastic as I put a 2/10" hard card over-powder wad between the cup and the powder. This seemed to protect it just fine.
Seems to me, I experimented with using 2 hard cards and eliminating the lower cup with god results when using the lighter 5 dram load. With a full 6 drams of 2F GOEX, there was room for one card only. I used a folded crimp over the loads in paper or plastic cases. This was in the 12 bore.
It was the 16 bore(gun) that used brass cases and a slight roll crimp. All of these loads used standard 13 bore card and filler wads due to the thin brass.

--------------------
Daryl

"a gun without hammers is like a Spaniel without ears" King George V

Post Extras:

Kynoch
.224 member

Reged: 11/02/05
Posts: 40
Loc: Iowa, United States

Re: Ball size for a smooth bore if bore sizes slightly differ? [Re: DarylS]
#348719 - 01/01/21 08:35 AM

Agreed lancaster. I see no issues once the patch and ball were in the barrel. My only slight concern was when the patched ball left the case past the crimp and entering the roomier forcing cone. I’m sure plenty of material north of the ball’s equator would help. If I recall I’ve seen almost fully paper patched round balls in a DG Journal article. That my be interesting. Thanks again everyone.

Post Extras:

Pages: 1

Extra information

0 registered and 22 anonymous users are browsing this forum.

Moderator: tinker

Print Topic

Forum Permissions
      You cannot start new topics
      You cannot reply to topics
      HTML is disabled
      UBBCode is enabled

Rating:
Topic views: 2900

Jump to

NitroExpress.com

Home | Ezine | Forums | Links | Contact