Chewed round balls vs smooth round balls

[Fowlerman]

I have shot both out of my fowler and found the chewed ball is more accurate without a patch
What is your view.

[Molly]

I strongly think chewing your balls is a bad idea.

[Mike Brooks]

Nothing like a good dose of lead in your diet. Try putting the ball on a hard surface and rolling it around under a hoof rasp, that will rough it up. I used to get good results with that method shooting an original Brown Bess years ago.

[Fowlerman]

The old days they chewed lead balls I am not dumb enough to do that I use a corse hoof rasp my question was if anyone has a fowler do you use a chewed ball

[L. Akers]

The first gun I made was a smooth rifle.  I would take a bunch of balls and dump them into an empty plastic jug and shake the bejeebers out of them for a couple of minutes.  They would come out all dimpled like a golf ball.  I shot them patched and could hold my own against the rifled guns out to 50 yds or so.  They seemed to be more accurate than as-cast balls. The "secret" to accuracy with a smooth bore is velocity, velocity, velocity.

[Daryl]

L. Akers - my take on it as well.  The further down range the ball gets before it takes on a spin and curves "off into space", the better.

I have not tried dimpled balls, but feel the balls from a Tanner mould, without a sprue, are more accurate (or should be more accurate) than balls cast in moulds with sprue cutters. The lack of a sprue should eliminate the opportunity of the wind or the ball's balance setting up a spin. Once spinning - off they go, up, down, or to a side or any combination thereof.

I have observed, through binoculars, balls heading straight at the target, only to spin off in an exponential trajectory, shaped much like a trumpet's horn, missing by up to 3' at only 100yards.  The load used by that fellow, was 65gr. 2F in a .62 smoothbore. When Taylor shot his long barreled 20 bore using 80gr. 2F, the balls seemed to have fairly normal trajectory, with none flying off in the trumpet shaped curved flight. This may have been due to the added speed, or merely coincidence, however, Taylor, using 80gr. or me using 85gr. usually have no difficulty beating the more lightly charged gun, even though that gun is shot weekly (yes - EVERY week), while our smoothbores spend most all of their time in the locker, used on the trail only a couple times a year.

[t.caster]

I've been swearing by dimpled round balls forever ('cause I can't remember when I started). When I finish casting them I put them in a tin coffee can and shake and tumble the bejeevers out of them like Mr. Akers does. Much easier and consistant than using a file, for me.
I use them, with greased patch, that way in ALL my muzzleloaders.

[Molly]

I read another article recently but don't recall which mag it was.  I get so many I cannot keep up!  BUT as I recall the conclusions were... "inconclusive".

A "control" test could not be constructed as it was done or something to that effect.  I just watched a vid clip of a guy putting a collar on a 58 cal ball to load in a shot shell case for use in a Snider Enfield.  He rolled the ball on a smooth sheet of iron with a leather pad which flattened a ring around the ball.  Seems to me you could roll a ball over a rough surface as a brick or cement block (or yes, a wrasp).

 

[Fowlerman]

I am going to try shaking the round balls in a can sounds a lot  easier and a lot less time good idea guys

[Natureboy]

  They put dimples on golf balls to ensure that they fly straight.  Doesn't work for me.

[Hungry Horse]

 A friend of mine got an old paint shaker from the local recycler,it works great for dimpling round balls, and stopped his neighbor from playing rap music at all hours of the night as well. I am working on one made from a broken jigsaw I got from the recycler. I would think you could power one of these units with a saws all pretty easily also.

  Hungry Horse

[Fowlerman]

Nice ideas guys keep them coming sounds like file days are over

[Robby]

This is something I rigged up to create what I call 'random symmetry' on RB's for my smoothbores. An old stainless steel mixing bowl and variable speed motor. Balls come out pretty much alike, making for more consistent shooting.
Robby

[Hungry Horse]

 Robby;

  Your contraption seems to be designed to do just the opposite of what we are discussing. Doesn't your tumbler roll the balls smooth and uniform?

     Hungry Horse

[Robby]

HH, No they are totally and uniformly dimpled.
Robby

[Dphariss]

If I shoot solid shot I shoot a rifle.

Dan

[Fowlerman]

Before rifling you still shot round ball that is why this forum is here so we can live hiftory with my fowler I am just as accurate as my rifle only with a chewed ball

[axelp]

Does anyone else cringe or flinch at the term chewed balls? Yikes.

Quite often I end up scoring better with my smoothbore than with my rifles at close ranges. If I tried to shoot at longer ranges, I'd certainly benefit from the rifling in my rifles. But saying all that, I would not consider myself a skilled or gifted marksman... just a recreational burner of black powder.

But even with my modern smokeless guns, I seem to be a much better shotgunner than a precision rifleman. My father was the opposite--- he was a fine rifle shooter, and miserable bird shooter.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Ken, I have a friend who shoots every Sunday, all year long.  He goes through well over 100 rounds every Sunday, yet he often is only luke warm with his rifle.

But load his Tulle(s) with shot and throw a bird - he rarely misses!!  He doesn't get time to think about the wing shot, and connects practically every time.  But he over-thinks with his rifle, and takes too long to send the ball.  For example, he shoulders his rifle and sights down the barrel - then he pulls the cock back to full bent, then aims some more, and then fires, often with a flinch or in the least, shot anticipation - and misses!  There is only a very short window when the sights are clear as well as the target, if you are lucky.  The longer you delay sending the ball, the worse the picture becomes.  Nothing like a confident rifle shot.

[WadePatton]

Ken, I have a friend who shoots every Sunday, all year long.  He goes through well over 100 rounds every Sunday, yet he often is only luke warm with his rifle.

But load his Tulle(s) with shot and throw a bird - he rarely misses!!  He doesn't get time to think about the wing shot, and connects practically every time.  But he over-thinks with his rifle, and takes too long to send the ball.  For example, he shoulders his rifle and sights down the barrel - then he pulls the cock back to full bent, then aims some more, and then fires, often with a flinch or in the least, shot anticipation - and misses!  There is only a very short window when the sights are clear as well as the target, if you are lucky.  The longer you delay sending the ball, the worse the picture becomes.  Nothing like a confident rifle shot.

Just wow.  Why on Earth would one shoulder a loaded gun without fully cocking it?  I'm one who is best with rifle.  Even better with short arms, but they are so limited in application.  Smoothie, someday maybe.

[axelp]

I get your point about taking too much time... I feel like when I shoot my flintlock rifle or my modern handguns and modern rifles, I have trouble with shaking and the sights moving around too much. And then I get anxious and my trigger pull gets wonky and I anticipate the shot, flinch-- terrible...

But when I shoot my smoothbore, I guess there is less to think about and I do not seem to worry about it as much?... I concentrate on the front sight and line it up with the blurry tang bolt. squeeze the trigger really gentle and steady and just let the gun do what it does... And with shot, its just instinctive point, lead and squeeze... no waiting around.

[Militant_Hillbilly]

I read another article recently but don't recall which mag it was.  I get so many I cannot keep up!  BUT as I recall the conclusions were... "inconclusive".

Muzzleloader magazine had an article on them recently.

I've had mixed results, .395 balls in my .40 shot better after dimpling but .400s in the same gun were worse. .490s shot better and .495s shot worse out of the same .50.

[ddoyle]

No experience shooting such but to put a period appropriate American slant on it  there is an interesting reference to the common use of 'textured' balls being fired from muskets in Poison Arrows
North American Indian Hunting and Warfare by David Jones University of Texas. 2007.  Balls were heavily textured and then coated in a slurry of ick.....biological weapon or accuracy panacea ?

My guess is that if there was a marked improvement in un-patchced RB accuracy in smooth bore muskets with such a simple step as marring a ball than there would be no question left about it after 500 years and a billion or so rounds fired. Lot of smart folks been at this for a long time and most had more to gain from accurate fire than we.

That said only way to know if your mold casts a ball that is improved in performance by texturing when fired by you in your smooth bore is to try an build confidence in it by burning up willow and sulphur.

Often a placebo works every bit as well as the drug you think it is.

[Leroyvdh]

Robby - I just aquired a 40cal smoothbore and was thinking of trying dimpled balls.. Your invention looks to me as the ticket.. Nicely done..

ddoyle - You are correct about the placebo.. As long as you believe.. My recurve always shoots better when I use red nocks on my arrows
Thanks

[Sharpsman]

I strongly think chewing your balls is a bad idea.