shooting squirrels with marbles

[FRJ]

Dont know why but a thought from my youth came back to me yesterday. I had come into possession of an old rifle that was lacking a lock. I was about 6 or 7 and wasnt about to let a good thing go to waste. It had a preety big bore and a cherry bomb would fit down it, also a large marble. The drill was to find a squirrel and get lined up on him. Then my buddy Russ would light and drop a cherry bomb down the barrel followed by the marble while I held steady on  the squirrel. Probably hit half of the critters I shot at and ate them. Probably go to jail for doing the same thing today. Life was sure  good back then and then was over 60 years ago. Frank

[Daryl]

HA! - the game warden's son used to shoot marbles in some 16 bore cap-locks he found in a barn, back in Dorchester Ontario, in the 50's and early 60's.   Jim was quite proud of his toothpick and glue held-together shotguns. When I think back, they are probably all originally flinters, as shady as my memory is, they all looked similar to Tayor's original 18 bore - which he re-converted to flint & shot for a while - but not with marbles.

[ottawa]

you just found the solution for shooting nonlead round balls

[hanshi]

This sounds like a really great idea, especially when expansion is not wanted.

[Don Steele]

It's just after 0500 this morning, and I've already learned something...!!!!
Thanks guys. I've never seen such a great collection of information of the topic of shooting glass marbles. No question...they'll shoot well enough for small game.

[FRJ]

I've got a 58 cal going together right now and I might want to shoot marbles out of it. Where  can a guy buy some? Frank

[RichardW]

If, in a pinch, a squirrel or rabbit was killed with a glass marble, would the marble shatter?

I'd hate to think about eating glass.

[BrownBear]

Only one way to find out, but I never managed to break a marble shooting game with a wrist rocket- one of the super stout ones with heavy rubbers.  I probably couldn't even shoot the thing today, but back then it launched a marble so fast you couldn't see it unless the light was just right.  ML vels would be even higher I bet, but I still doubt they'd break on flesh and bone.

[RichardW]

Wrist Rocket! - Now there's a blast from the past.

One of the local kids had one and on occasion we shot marbles. I don't recall finding any afterwards though. Marbles are tough little buggers.

And of course the ever present You'll shoot your eye out!

How did we ever survive...

[smokinbuck]

I know a fellow, won't mention his name, that made a pipe cannon when he was a kid and shot bolger marbles out of it with cherry bombs. one day it shot clear through a piece of 2" wood at about 20 yards, hit the side of a brick house and completely turned to glass dust. Just lucky it didn't miss the house and go down through the neighborhood. Usually it was shot at a tree in the yard and just imbedded itself.
Mark

[Daryl]

I don't see a problem using them on bunnies or other small fodder. Their spherical shape makes them quite strong in tinking of impacts on bone or tissue.  As to super high velocity, I can't comment.

in the .69, when shooting snowshoes hares with WW balls I used a mere 30gr. 3F. My buddy then using a .735" WW ball in his .75, used a mere .40 gr. 3F. These loads worked well to 50 yards, and the sound of their bones breaking was later that the funny sound of the gun - kinda like peeoughhh/crunch,crackle/crunch - only faster - HA!

[TMerkley]

I seemed to have lost mine! At least that's what my wife says.    I guess that's what happens after a deployment.

[flintriflesmith]

My Dad was born in 1903 and when he was a young man he shot steel ball bearings out of a 12 bore. He told me about it in the 1950s when I was just getting into muzzleloading and his memory was that he got great penetration. He claimed he once shot through a locust fence post!
Gary

[James]

Gary, that is no small feat as I have a hard time getting a fence staple driven in them once they are cured.

[flintriflesmith]

Gary, that is no small feat as I have a hard time getting a fence staple driven in them once they are cured.

That's why I said it was what he claimed/remembered. I think it would take an armor piercing round to get through some yellow locust posts!