Who shoots 12 ga. Round Balls

[Master Carper]

I have been loading and shooting 12 ga. Round Ball loads for over 30 years, and like them far better than any of the Foster style slugs on the market.

Shoot a 300 pound hog in the front shoulder, and it will plow straight through!

I have guys that use these to shoot deer, elk, bear and moose, and depending on distance, a moose is the only animal that has been able to stop a Round Ball!

Round Balls are .690 diameter and weight 383 grains. Load velocities can vary from 1,100 fps. to 1,700+ fps..

When casting lead Round Balls, I run them through a case polisher to remove the sprues, and this allows them to be loaded without having to position the sprue in any particular position, as it becomes a completely round sphere which in turn, flies straighter and truer over longer distances.

 

[Master Carper]

Different wads are used to see which one offers the greatest accuracy potential.

Nitro cards and or wool felt is used for proper loading height, as well as giving the Round Ball a solid platform in the wad, which greatly improved accuracy.

What do you guys think?

 

[EKing]

Very nice, that's a sharp looking crimp.
I'm just getting into shotshell reloading and man, it sure is a much more complex craft than making rifle and pistol cartridges. Looks like you've got it figured out.

 

[OHJEEZE]

Awsome!

Years and years ago I was reading a thread on the net somewhere, and the topic was what was the "biggest cartridge used to get a squirrel"

One guy chimed in and said he used a 45/70 to "bark" squirrels!

Barking squirrels is hitting the tree bark in close to the squirrel so that the splinters from the tree gets you the squirrel!

You could do some serious barking of squirrels with that big punkin ball!



(Case polisher) Do you tumble your cast lead balls?

 

[Timmy59]

That is DAMN sweet @Master Carper I'd bet they make steel plates ring loud too.. Maybe 1 day we'll cross paths.

 

[adamsredlines]

Awesome stuff!

What kind of consistency do you get out of the ball weight after its polished?
And what kind of accuracy?

 

[Master Carper]

Very nice, that's a sharp looking crimp.
I'm just getting into shotshell reloading and man, it sure is a much more complex craft than making rifle and pistol cartridges. Looks like you've got it figured out.

Thank you Eking. I have been reloading for 53 years, so I would like to think that I've got it figured out, but I'm also still learning every chance I get.

 

[Master Carper]

Awsome!

Years and years ago I was reading a thread on the net somewhere, and the topic was what was the "biggest cartridge used to get a squirrel"

One guy chimed in and said he used a 45/70 to "bark" squirrels!

Barking squirrels is hitting the tree bark in close to the squirrel so that the splinters from the tree gets you the squirrel!

You could do some serious barking of squirrels with that big punkin ball!



(Case polisher) Do you tumble your cast lead balls?

I am very familiar with the term "barking". Years and years ago, I use to use a lever action rifle in 30-30 Winchester for barking squirrels. I could bring home 3 or 4 squirrels a day, and none of them would ever have any meat damage, and if they had a hole in them, it usually had a splinter in it.

I use a vibratory case polisher.

 

[Master Carper]

Awesome stuff!

What kind of consistency do you get out of the ball weight after its polished?
And what kind of accuracy?

adamsredlines - thank you. Here are the last dimensions and weights from my last casting and polishing:

Diameters:

1- .69003
2- .69003
3- .69005
4- .69004
5- .69003
6- .69004
7- .69005
8- .69004
9- .69003
10- .69003

Weights:

1- 483.5 gr.
2- 483.7 gr.
3- 483.7 gr.
4- 483.7 gr.
5- 483.3 gr.
6- 483.4 gr.
7- 483.2 gr
8- 483.4 gr.
9- 483.5 gr
10- 483.6 gr.

These Round Balls have been polished for 60 hours, and the weights and diameters were taken from this batch.

Diameters were taken at 7 points on each Round Ball, with the average diameter shown above. Round Ball diameter never exceeds a + or - of .0003 from the average Ball diameter, or else it goes back into the melting pot.

Accuracy criteria is 5 Round Balls inside a 7" circle at 75 yards from a bead sighted shotgun. From a scoped shotgun, 5 Round Balls have to stay inside a 5" circle at 100 yards.

Two things are very critical in the accuracy of Round Ball loads. One is velocity and two is choke.

In my Remington 870, my barrel shoots best at both 1,150 fps. and 1,710 fps. and will not shoot accurately at any velocity in between.

Best chokes from my barrel is FULL for the 1,150 fps. load, and MODIFIED for the 1,710 fps. load.

Other information:

Foot pounds of muzzle energy from the 1,700 fps. load exceeds 5,000 ft. pounds of energy!

Muzzle energy of a 1,200 fps. load is well over a ton of energy!

I tried to do a video but haven't figured that part out yet. I took 15 gallon milk jugs full of water, and set the jugs touching each other, one in front of the other, just to see how many jugs these Round Balls would penetrate. The 1,700 fps. load penetrated ALL 15 gallon jugs, and the Round Ball just kept going!!!

I have tested all Foster style slugs on the market, as well as the Lightfield's and Breneke's and none of them ever came close to matching the Round Ball!

 

[adamsredlines]

Man that is awesome. I'm very impressed!!! I cant imagine how much work and time it took to get all this figured out.
You're into dangerous game energy with these!