.320 lead ball in a .32 rifle

[bones92]

A fellow member has Hornady .320 lead ball (buck shot) for sale.  Evidently, these are 97% lead, which I take to mean they would be somewhat soft.

Is it realistic to use these with a thin, wet patch in a .32 rifle?   My thought is that between the softness of the lead and the small amount of lead to be displaced, these would not be terribly hard to start down the bore.

If it's reasonable, I think I may try a box, but I'd like some opinions on the matter.

[Dennis Glazener]

Not in the Rice barreled .32 I had (round bottomed rifling). I had a heck of a time seating .315 ball with .010" patches that I tried.
Dennis

[bones92]

I was wondering about that, Dennis.  I picked up some .315" Hornady to try in the Pedersoli, but haven't had a chance yet.

I suppose using .320" ball without a patch would cause a lot of fouling, too.

[hanshi]

You don't know until you try.  My .32 is a Rice round bottom barrel and is easy to load with a .311" ball and a .024" patch.

[Frizzen]

I use them in a DeHass, Green Mt, Ed Rayl  32 caliber pistol barrels and they load easy once they are
started in the bore . I use a very short starter and a brass hammer. I also use them in a  traditions
Crockett rifle and once started they slide down the barrel very easy. This with . 017 blue & white stripe
pillow ticking lubed with a 5 % water soulable oil & water mix. Same lube used in my pistol loads.

[Tony N]

You don't know until you try.  My .32 is a Rice round bottom barrel and is easy to load with a .311" ball and a .024" patch.

Same here!  Same load


~Tony

[Dave R]

.320' RB loads and shoots fine in my .32 Douglas however way too  tight in my .32 Colerain!

[Robin Henderson]

My old .32 flintlock rifle loves em. As a matter of fact, my avatar is a crow target that I shot at Friendship a few years back with that rifle and the Hornaday buckshot.....I was first place in the match. I can't remember what barrel but I'm thinking it may be an old Montana.

[Fyrstyk]

Even with a .005 patch, I cannot start a .32 ball in my Pedersoli Pennsylvania .32 rifle or my CVA squirrel rifle.  I use the .320 balls in my Green mountain Drop in .32 barrel for my Renegade.  This gun is set up for target shooting at the range only.  It requires a steel Range Rod to seat the balls, but boy does it shoot great with 20 grns of 3f.  Off the bench, with the vernier sights, I get near one hole groups at 25 Yds.

[Daryl]

I started off with a .311" Lee DC mould. I then tried the .320" buckshot Hornady sells - those balls were quite hard - too hard and difficult to load - yes - I know that sounds impossible coming from me.

I also tried the .310" Hornady commercial balls - again, easy loading with any of the patches I commonly use.

I bought a .319" DC Lee mould and those both came out at .320" perfectly round.  They loaded easily with .020", .0225" denim and .0235" mattress ticking patches, due to the balls being dead-soft, X-ray room lead wall sheeting. Such small diameter SOFT balls are easily drawn into short conicals when loaded with thick patches.  2 fingers on the rod pushed them down that bore.  That barrel was all bass-ackwards in that the grooves were VERY narrow and the lands very wide, and did not shoot as well as I wanted.

My replacement barrel was supposed to be a .32, however Jason sent a .36 bl. by mistake.  Since I already had a .350" DC RCBS mould - no harm done.  With those .010"/under balls and the same .0235" mattress ticking patches, I do not even need a short starter, however I use one anyway - it's quicker than shoving the patch and ball into the bore with a choked up rod. No - they cannot be thumb started - not even close.

[flinter49]

I have both a Flintlock and a Percussion rifle both with Douglas xx barrels and they load and shoot perfect with .320 round balls and .017 pillow ticking.

[frogwalking]

I use .311 forged balls with .015" pillow ticking in a Rice round groove .32 barrel with good effect, and normal starting effort.  On the other hand, I have used .395 balls with .015 patch (same material) in several .40s all of which have Rice barrels.  The last one, we had to pound the .395 balls in with the same patch material.  I had not thought of the obvious.  The bore might be a little smaller as .389 balls are as difficult to start with the .015 patch in this rifle as the larger ones had been in the others.  The latter is a different profile and shorter barrel, but I would not have thought that would have mattered.  Maybe someone from Rice will see this thread and comment.

[hanshi]

I'm surprised, frogwalking, that the .311" ball and .015" patch even begin to fill those deep, round grooves.  My .32 has a Rice round bottom barrel and the .311" ball and .024" mattress ticking patch are not even close to being tight; snug, that's all.  I could easily use a slightly larger ball successfully.  Have you tried thicker patching?  Your results might be even better.

[Daryl]

I'm surprised, frogwalking, that the .311" ball and .015" patch even begin to fill those deep, round grooves.  My .32 has a Rice round bottom barrel and the .311" ball and .024" mattress ticking patch are not even close to being tight; snug, that's all.  I could easily use a slightly larger ball successfully.  Have you tried thicker patching?  Your results might be even better.

These were my findings in the .32 with square rifling and narrow grooves- wide lands - opposite the best scenario.  I still used .311's, .319's with .0235" patches (my measure on mattress ticking).  These never needed a wipe - none of them - water based lube or Neetsfoot or Track's Mink oil.  The .319's actually cast .320" from both cavities and loaded easily.  It was the swaged Hornady 0 buck (.320") that was hard to load due to the antimony %'age.
That barrel was just replaced with a .36 from Jason at Rice - was supposed to be a .32- though that is what I ordered. Anyway, it's mounted- square rifling and I use a ./350" ball and any of the patch materials I have- from 10 ounce denim at .0225" to the .0235" mattress ticking - easy loading and no wiping. The small, pure lead balls easily form/conform into the rifling with the patch, then go down, slick as can be.

[bones92]

I haven't slugged the bore on my Pedersoli .32, so I probably won't know until I get the buckshot from Frizzen. 

I would think a .010" would be ideal for these .320" buckshot, though.  I do have a short starter in .32, so hopefully that helps.  I don't have a steel rod, though, just the fiberglass rod that came with the Pedersoli, but the short starter has a 4" starter, as well, so I should be able to get PRBs well on their way down the bore.