Pill Shaped Bullets

[Seth Isaacson]

Anyone ever used a pill-shaped, elongated ball type bullet? Some Allen pepperboxes have molds that cast round balls or pill shaped bullets that are rounded on both ends, not conical or "sugar loaf" shaped bullets. Given the pepperboxes were by no means accurate firearms, I supposed the pill shaped bullets simple added additional bullet weight and thus a bit more stopping power.

[Daryl]

When I was shooting .375's in a .36 cal. buttoned barrel by Hal Sharon of Kallisel, back in the 70's, the balls came out with the elongated pill shape.
The rifle shot them very well, iirc.
If put into the barrel on a strip of denim, then pulled out, they had the cupped imprint with a periferal ring of my starter's shot end on one end of the "ball" and the round base of the ball on the other.

[Pukka Bundook]

I've often thought this idea may work well in a musket too, as on ignition, the ball "shortens to fill the bore, (if firing a .750 in a .760" bore) soft lead of course.
A 'ball shorter than it is wide does not bode well for accuracy at range,  but if it starts out longer than wide, it may work very well!

[Daryl]

I think there is too much "windage" in a .750" ball in a .760" bore for there to be much/enough obturation taking place.
"Slugging up" is best 'applied' with less windage, seems to me plus a much heavier than a RB's weight.
On the other hand, I am sure I got obturation in my Musketoon, as the rifling at the breech was .008" deeper in each groove than the patched round ball's loaded diameter.
No patches were every burned. Loading shot after shot, no wiping and accuracy was 3" at 100 meters. The sights on that thing were barely 15" apart. It shot well and
cleanly, yet had that progressive rifling.

[Pukka Bundook]

Hi Daryl,
I was trying to be brief, and that is not always best, but I found with a full charge, (about 125 grains 2F,) the recovered balls had a definite flat belt around their middles where they had bumped up and filled the bore.   I would think this belt was just under an eighth  inch wide.

Maybe the soft lube and felt wads helped them obturate I don't know, but they definately do i  my olf EIC F pattern.
All the ebst,
Richard.
PS,
As the balls "shorten'   I wondered if casting harder balls would increase accuracy at longer range?
They will not expand to the bore , so should retain a better flight characteristics...

[Daryl]

Those 'bands' definitely show obturation, for sure.
If they expand to the bore, they should be launched as a knuckle ball in baseball and maybe make the same up and down
oscillations in the same manner, but likely at a slower pace (if they do fly like that), up until they take on a spin and veer off the original line of flight.
Longer range accuracy from a smoothbore, is definitely a function of initial velocity, I can only assume.
The most accurate shot in our club with a smoothbore shooting balls, is a fellow with a left handed (see-cheating right off the bat) Penn. 20 bore he built
himself from a Chamber's kit. He uses a snug patched round ball and 85gr. 3F - at all ranges. It is tough to beat him on our coarse when I'm shooting a rifle
& impossible if I'm shooting my smoothbore.
Taylor is the second best smoothbore shot at our club and he also uses a patched ball, but with 85gr. 2F.
I've said a couple times I need to test the hypothesis of higher speed with patched balls, as well as the undersized balls and heavy charges of 1F, but just haven't
gotten a-round-tuit.

[Pukka Bundook]

Daryl
You maybe know Ken Steinhour  (if I spelled his name right)
He can whip the socks off most rifle shooters with his smoothbore. I should ask him how he loads it!
I know he patches but that's all.
Had no luck reaching him for a while, but he is still topside.

[Daryl]

Yes - we know Ken Steinhower? very well, Richard, and yes, he shoots that smoothbore of his like a rifle.
His normal charge is 70gr. 2F Swiss seems to me & he primes with Swiss NulB (I think). We bought Schuetzen
powder from him last year.
On one smoothbore trail, there was a 150yard shot at a gas cylinder. He was the only one to hit it, and was excited
to find and tell me after the match that he took my advice and doubled his charge. He said that ball flew straight
to the target with a center hit. Someone saw the ball fly in biocs - straight like an arrow. (after all, he is a native, you know)
The address used to be angs@albertanativeguides.com.

[Pukka Bundook]

Daryl,
When I have tried phoning, I have got a lady who seems rather impatient and doesn't pass messages along.
I was wanting to order some powder as usual. a keg or so.
I am pleased you know Ken, he is a deadly old dude with that smoothbore!
Hazel was a very nice lady.
Hazel and Ken used to shoot at our local renedzvous but it closed down.

[smylee grouch]

I think it was 1990 or 91 I shot with Ken and Hazel at the Western Canadian Championships in Manitoba. Good shots back then too. I think they got an award for traveling the farthest to the shoot.