That looks like a good amount of weight in that tumbler!
Do you think a roundball load could be concocted in a shorty shell?
Do you think a roundball load could be concocted in a shorty shell?
Thank you.
I sell 10,000 of these Round Ball loads a year, all over the country, and several of them manage to make their way to South Africa every year. All of the plains game have been shot and killed with them, and as far as I know, 2 Cape Buffalo have been killed with them as well.
During the past couple of years, guys have been taking double barrel shotguns with my Round Ball loads for the big cats. Two fast consecutive shots, just like a double rifle, they have some serious fire-power!
I'm not sure of the weight, but I have a case polisher going now and will weigh all of those Round Balls as soon as they finish polishing, and will post the weight at that time. I'm kinda interested myself in the weight of a polisher full of Round Balls.
Yes, a Round Ball load could be made in a "shorty shell". Since all of my current loads are fold crimped, I would need to get the proper tool to make roll crimps for the shorter shells.
Once I have the roll crimper and shorter shells, it would just be a matter of time to develop a proper load.
All of this provided you or anyone else wanted to have a shorter she'll load made.
The first 30 hours of polishing was up at 9:00 this morning, so after cleaning up the vibratory case polisher and washing off the Round Balls, I put them on a digital scale. Total weight for a case polisher full of Round Balls was 46.8 pounds!
For the first 30 hour polishing time, I add a tablespoon of motor mica in with the Round Balls to decreases the friction between the Round Balls. This makes for a more uniform shperical shape between all of those Round Balls.
The second 30 hour polishing will have a couple tablespoons of mineral oil mixed in, and will put a near mirror finish on all of these Round Balls.
Once a total time of 60 hours is up, and the Round Balls are washed clean, I will pull 25 Balls and check their weight and dimensions around their complete circumference. After that, each and every Round Ball will be inspected one at a time for any flaws. Any found to be less than near perfect will be returned to a separate container and will be remelted in the next casting session.
For the first 30 hour polishing time, I add a tablespoon of motor mica in with the Round Balls to decreases the friction between the Round Balls. This makes for a more uniform shperical shape between all of those Round Balls.
The second 30 hour polishing will have a couple tablespoons of mineral oil mixed in, and will put a near mirror finish on all of these Round Balls.
Once a total time of 60 hours is up, and the Round Balls are washed clean, I will pull 25 Balls and check their weight and dimensions around their complete circumference. After that, each and every Round Ball will be inspected one at a time for any flaws. Any found to be less than near perfect will be returned to a separate container and will be remelted in the next casting session.
Very cool!! Thanks for sharing
I was a muzzle loader for many years (TC .54 Hawken x 2) from about '68 - '85 and typically cast my own bullets, both round and mini-ball. Pure lead was difficult to come-by and very expensive where I was located, so often times I would have to adulterate that pure lead with used wheel weights which made an easier to cast, though vastly harder and less desirable projectile. From what I see in your pictures you are casting a great looking ball, but just out of curiosity, are you using only pure [plumbers] lead or an amalgam of metals? Also how easy is it to get pure lead these days and is it expensive?
Last edited:
If a guy were interested, where could one buy some of these loads? I think 12ga is underappreciated in the world of AR wonderguns.
I charge $2.00 per shell.
Loaded rounds won't be available until after the completion of my 10,000 round contract. Once it is completed, I'll send out a PM for those who may be interested in purchasing some.
Last edited:
The Round Balls that I cast for big game, African/dangerous game, have a BHN reading of 22. Deer loads and personal defense rounds are pure lead.
My "hard" Round Ball loads consist of pure lead, babbitt, tin and linotype. I worked on this for years, until I finally came up with what I thought was a near perfect alloy, and it works exactly as predicted.
There are several places where you can get pure lead. I pay around $1.75 a pound for it.
Since there is no way to edit a post, I have to make a correction on my first post. I incorrectly stated that the Round Ball weight was 383 grains (fat fingers and small phone). The correct weight is 483 grains and NOT 383 grains.
My apologies for this mistake.
My apologies for this mistake.
Similar threads
- Sale Price: 900$
- Caliber: 12 gauge
