Author Topic: round ball or conical  (Read 6534 times)

Offline 56 kodiak shooter

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round ball or conical
« on: January 05, 2016, 01:29:45 AM »
what would you use for black bear, I be hunting in pa. shots will be max 75yds., 50 cal. flint., round ball or conical-thanks

Offline bob in the woods

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Re: round ball or conical
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2016, 01:34:47 AM »
I prefer the round ball. I've shot 5 bears with round balls and have no complaints. Use a healthy load and you'll be fine with your .50 cal

Offline Hungry Horse

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Re: round ball or conical
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2016, 01:40:45 AM »
 That all depend on if your rifle has a twist rate that can handle a conical, and which end of the bear you shoot first. If you shoot the wrong end, a conical the size of a Volkswagen won't get the job done.

      Hungry Horse

Offline OldMtnMan

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Re: round ball or conical
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2016, 02:41:19 AM »
I use the .50 PRB for elk, bear, and muley's.

Get close, and take double lung shots only.

Offline Old Ford2

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Re: round ball or conical
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2016, 03:16:37 AM »
A good healthy .50 cal. hole in most animals two legged or four will give them wobbly knees.
Even more so if you double ball your load.
90-100 grains of 2f will have the two balls within 1 1/2" of one another.
Terrible medicine for old Mr. Bruin. :o
Fred
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Let the Lord pick the good from the bad!

Offline smylee grouch

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Re: round ball or conical
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2016, 03:41:17 AM »
As has already been noted, shot placement is key. Your 50 round ball will do the job if put in the right spot.

CoSnipe

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Re: round ball or conical
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2016, 06:52:39 AM »
As said before twist will dictate what is best to use then shot placement and range follows

Offline 56 kodiak shooter

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Re: round ball or conical
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2016, 02:16:22 PM »
I have heard some people use a double ball load is this a safe practice & do patch both balls

Offline OldMtnMan

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Re: round ball or conical
« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2016, 05:45:08 PM »
They used an expression in the old days. It was................."Loaded for bear"

It meant it was double balled. Personally, I wouldn't do it. One ball works fine for me. If you shoot a bear in the vitals it's no harder to kill than a deer. I'm a still hunter, and my style is to get as close as possible without the game knowing i'm there. Sort of like a cat hunts. My shots are all within bow range, or under 40yds. It's a good range for the .50 PRB no matter what the game is in Colorado.

If you plan to take longer shots. You might want to rethink this. A double balled load is not a good choice for long shots.

Offline oldtravler61

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Re: round ball or conical
« Reply #9 on: January 05, 2016, 06:16:55 PM »
Double ball loads can be flat out dangerous on both ends!!! But then again do what yeah want . It's your gun.

Offline oldtravler61

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Re: round ball or conical
« Reply #10 on: January 05, 2016, 09:55:02 PM »
Double ball loads can be flat out dangerous on both ends!!! But then again do what yeah want . It's your gun.

Offline mark esterly

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Re: round ball or conical
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2016, 01:00:10 AM »
pa. requires a single projectile I believe. 
living in the hope of HIS coming.......

Offline hanshi

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Re: round ball or conical
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2016, 01:17:35 AM »
A single prb in a .50 is all that's needed for anything east of the Mississippi.....and most things west of it, too.  Uh, what's a "conical", anyway?
!Jozai Senjo! "always present on the battlefield"
Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff.

Offline OldMtnMan

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Re: round ball or conical
« Reply #13 on: January 06, 2016, 01:41:58 AM »
A single prb in a .50 is all that's needed for anything east of the Mississippi.....and most things west of it, too.  Uh, what's a "conical", anyway?

It's a long PRB without the P.  ;D

Offline hanshi

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Re: round ball or conical
« Reply #14 on: January 06, 2016, 11:47:20 PM »
Ah, something new, I guess.  ;D
!Jozai Senjo! "always present on the battlefield"
Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff.

Offline Daryl

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Re: round ball or conical
« Reply #15 on: January 09, 2016, 11:13:37 PM »
In 18th & 19 century terminology, they are spherical balls, or conical balls, or simply balls.
Daryl

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Offline smylee grouch

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Re: round ball or conical
« Reply #16 on: January 10, 2016, 05:09:53 AM »
Do some rang testing and find out which shoots the best groups with a good hunting charge then use that combo.