Define "easy to load"

[OldMtnMan]

A lot of guys will smack the short starter because it's easier than pushing on it. It also keeps you from leaning over the muzzle as some guys do when just pushing on the short starter.

Now we need to define how hard the smack is?

[hanshi]

If the short starter hollers, it's a hard smack. 

[Tim Ault]

I'd say if it hurts your hand it's a hard smack 

[Daryl]

My .36 will easily accept a pushed in ball and patch. That is a .350" ball and .020" to .022" patch. The .40 I had did as well, using the .398" ball and same patches, however the larger the bore, the more lead must be moved to seat the ball into the bore, thus the harder it gets. With the .45, I had to smack the starter. Those who remember the video of my shooting the flinter, may remember the light smack needed.

Smacking the starter with the standard load, ie: .022" patch and ball .005" undersized, will require harder and harder "smacks", the larger the bore becomes. I am talking about the same dead soft lead in all.

As for my .69 with it's even tighter combinations, you have to WANT the ball to go in with one smack, or it will refuse.  A large knob/handle on the starter is necessary to spread the force of impact,

which reduces possible pain in the hand.  My wife and daughter have no trouble with the .45.

There are quite likely a lot of guys cannot stand to have the fun of loading my .69, or perhaps exert the force necessary to achieve success. My hands are large, heavy and I am not adverse or too

 shy to use the force necessary. I still stretch 9 5/8" between the ends of my thumb and little finger.

[hanshi]

I like to push the prb down whenever I can.  My hands are fairly small and afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis.  It doesn't take much to cause pain even with gloves on.  Occasionally, for some reason or another, a prb is resistant to being pushed while the one before and the next one are easy peasey.  Was a time I had the strength to seat even tighter loads; not any longer. 

[Daryl]

hanshi, I feel your hand pain- now and then.  I take celbrex for my hand-pain and it works.  In my .36 using the combination noted above, the 50th shot loaded more easily than the first one, using mink oil - it was below freezing, that day I tested it.

Pre-cuts on a knotted thread, dipped in melted mink oil, then squeezed out, and thread pulled out- done. Very greasy, but the

grease is good for your hands and is not as cold on the fingers as an alcohol/water/oil mix in the winter for plinking. In the small

bores, Neetsfoot oil is about the same.

[hanshi]

I'd say if it hurts your hand it's a hard smack 

And that, too.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I can personally attest that even a light smack from Daryl is not fun.  Thankfully, those days are behind us.

[Darkhorse]

Daryl, I think I remember an old post by you stating you used a short starter made from heavy, dense moose antler. If so this is probably one reason you guys can seat those tight combos so easily. Most of us down here just use plain old wood which doesn't seem to assist us at all.

[Pukka Bundook]

My hands get 'toothache ' these days after riving on wrenches and such.
In my rifle (a Getz .58 ) I use a .562" ball and a good patch. Ball always starts with the thumb, and always shoots where I'm looking if I hold the gun right.
It seems to work, so I will keep doing it I guess.  :-)

Best,
R.

[Daryl]

Daryl, I think I remember an old post by you stating you used a short starter made from heavy, dense moose antler. If so this is probably one reason you guys can seat those tight combos so easily. Most of us down here just use plain old wood which doesn't seem to assist us at all.

The tightest loads I make, are in my .69 (14 bore rifle).  This is due to the normal use of a .030" (12 ounce) denim patch, with a .682" ball. The rifling is .012" deep in this GRRW barrel from the early 80's.
The starter on the left, is the one for this rifle - it's knob is a 2 1/2" piece of ash, from a baseball bat and works perfectly, actually has been since 1986 with Taylor built my rifle. There is a disk of leather to give a cushion between the starter's ball and the muzzle.  The second from the left starter, is for my .50 (was for .40 and .45) and is a piece of Elk antler. The whitish one is also moose, but was for the .58, which I sold to a local chap. It is very heavy and dense.  The far right starter is for my .36, and is quite light and elk, I think, or, might be moose from further up towards the palm.
Suffice to say, anywhere you can find a baseball bat, you can make a number of very good starters which mass will add to your hand's mass and reduce the effort needed to seat a snug ball.
Texas Whitetails likely do not have enough mass for starter knobs (but the elk do), however for years, I used 1 1/2" & 2" round maple balls from a hardwood store. They worked a treat.



free image hosting no sign up

[OldMtnMan]

Baseball knob on the left looks like the most comfortable for hard smacking.

[Daryl]

The .69 is the only gun I have that needs a 'hard' smack. That is with both pure lead and alloyed hard lead.  For hard lead, I use the 15 bore mould with the same .030" patch.  Those patches are also reusable.