62 cal Smooth bore

[Carolina Man]

Hi Folks,
I have a 62 cal smooth bore Colerain barrel. Anyone have any idea of what size round ball would be a good starting point? Powder Charge? My first start with a smooth barrel.

Thanks
George

[Flint62Smoothie]

I’d start ~0.020” less than bore diameter and always start my load development at 1-grn volume, per caliber, so 60 is a good start. I’d say a 0.600” ball would do it and is available in bulk from Eddie May from Georgia.

The last time I bought from him, they were $12 per 100, but be aware lead prices fluctuate!

His phone = 70Six - 5Eight1 - 82Two5

[Daryl]

I have one, choked some, that I use a .595" Jeff Tanner mould in. Works a treat.

One other guy at our club uses a tanner mould as well, in .595" in his .62 smoothie.

Some guys use .600's as that is both a Lyman and Lee standard size.

Taylor and I use 82 to 85gr. 2F and Norm uses 85gr. 3F as that is what shoots best in his gun, for target shooting.

I am going to try that 3dram (82gr.) charge in 3F on paper, just to see how it compares to my normal 2F charge.

Most of us use a .020" to .022" patch.

Usually with smoothbores, the further you can get the ball out there before it takes on a bad spin & turns into a curve ball, the longer will be your accurate range.

[Flint62Smoothie]

Colrain’s website says their 20-ga is a 0.615” bore. One of my 20s is 0.617”, but I had excellent accuracy w/ 60-80-grn FFFg charges under a 0.600” patched ball, where the patch was 0.010” homespun material.

That’s a thin patch, but loaded easily enought and whilst using Tracks mink oil as the lube I could shoot the same patch a few times, if I cared to, but I did it just for the experimenting fun of it.

[Mauser06]

I didn't mic the patch but it seemed thin.... I couldn't get a .600" ball down my Colerain. Wouldn't even start. 

Bare ball, .600"s go down. After it's fired it'll still drop on it's own but hardly.


Can you mic the bore before ordering balls?  I would recommend it if you plan to shoot patched.

[Carolina Man]

In measuring the barrel at the muzzle, it is .612. I have .600 and .580 ball. I have patching of pure linen at .011 and denim at .21. So from that info what do we have now? Seems like I should start with the .600 ball with linen patch.
 

[rich pierce]

In measuring the barrel at the muzzle, it is .612. I have .600 and .580 ball. I have patching of pure linen at .011 and denim at .21. So from that info what do we have now? Seems like I should start with the .600 ball with linen patch.
 

That won’t ram down.  No grooves to compress into. .600 + 0.011 + 0.011=.622.  There’s a patch on both sides of the ball.

[Daryl]

In measuring the barrel at the muzzle, it is .612. I have .600 and .580 ball. I have patching of pure linen at .011 and denim at .21. So from that info what do we have now? Seems like I should start with the .600 ball with linen patch.
 

With a .612" muzzle, I would use the .580" and be done with it, using the denim patch, of course.

[Carolina Man]

Thanks Folks for the suggestions. Look like it will be like Daryl suggested until I can get a wider selection of ball.

[Clark Badgett]

In measuring the barrel at the muzzle, it is .612. I have .600 and .580 ball. I have patching of pure linen at .011 and denim at .21. So from that info what do we have now? Seems like I should start with the .600 ball with linen patch.
 

With a .612" muzzle, I would use the .580" and be done with it, using the denim patch, of course.

Daryl, ever tried a .575 with this combo? I only ask since I have a .575 mold.

[Pukka Bundook]

I used a .570 " ball in my English style matchlock.  It had a converted colerain 20 -bore barrel.

It shot like a rifle up to  50 yards.  I used a thick-ish felt wad, lubed , then a  patched ball on top.
Got a mule -deer at just past 75 yards with that load.
So long as the ball is patched and can't bounce it's way up the barrel, it'll fly true. Not like a rifle ball that has to take the rifling.

[Clark Badgett]

I used a .570 " ball in my English style matchlock.  It had a converted colerain 20 -bore barrel.

It shot like a rifle up to  50 yards.  I used a thick-ish felt wad, lubed , then a  patched ball on top.
Got a mule -deer at just past 75 yards with that load.
So long as the ball is patched and can't bounce it's way up the barrel, it'll fly true. Not like a rifle ball that has to take the rifling.

I'm not exactly sure who made my trade gun barrel, it came with my TOW kit. It mics at exactly .6152". I tried my .600 balls with a .015 patch and I think I now understand why the second shot was a real bear to get down the bore. I was doing things rifle style and not smoothbore style. Next trip I'm going to try the .575 balls with some old denim I got around there.

[Nessmuck]

My 62 Tulle has a Getz barrel.....600 ball ....I run 85FFF ..card over powder..then wad...and a .010 patched round ball...can push it in with my thumb...works great

[Pukka Bundook]

Sounds a good load, Nessmuk.
I used the smaller ball as that's what I had a mould for.

Used mattress ticking, that blue striped old stuff, soaked in deer tallow as a lube.

[John SMOthermon]

You got a pic you can post of the old ticking?

[Hungry Horse]

George, don’t disregard shooting an undersized bare ball, on top of a fat charge of 1F, with some wadding on top to hold it all in. It sure works for me.

  Hungry Horse

[Pukka Bundook]

Smo,

No pictures I can think of, but can take some. Can Not find camera cable though! 
Will get you some, but don't hold your breath.

H Horse. My findings as well.

[Daryl]

In measuring the barrel at the muzzle, it is .612. I have .600 and .580 ball. I have patching of pure linen at .011 and denim at .21. So from that info what do we have now? Seems like I should start with the .600 ball with linen patch.
 

With a .612" muzzle, I would use the .580" and be done with it, using the denim patch, of course.

Daryl, ever tried a .575 with this combo? I only ask since I have a .575 mold.

No I haven't Clark.  I too have a .,,575" mould - no wait, it is a 570" Lyman that casts a perfectly round .574" ball from pure lead. I suppose I might try Hungry Horse's method, but shudder at the thought of when I have to clean it.  I do like using combinations that barely make the cleaning water in the 1-gallon bucket, slightly grayish in colour when finished cleaning the gun and lock.

I suspect there will be a horrific accumulation of fouling if shooting without a patch.

[Pukka Bundook]

Water's cheap Daryl, even if it's frozen.  :-)

[hanshi]

The barrel on my smoothbore is a "tight" Colerain.  The Tanner mold I have casts .590" ball which shoots good with a thicker patch.  But the lead .600" cast ball with a .012"-.015" patch shoots about as well as anything I've tried so far and loads easily.  A .606" WW ball shoots well with a bare ball loaded on top of a felt/cushion wad with a card wad over the top.  It's very difficult to patch this ball even with .010" material.