Makin' "Punkin' Ball" loads in Magtechs w/BP

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

So! Let me get my USA Gee-o-graphy keerect.  If'n the lions & tiggers & bares was in OZ, and the elousive rino in Indian-ah, then what in tarnation was in Cans-a**,' ceptin little Toto?

[Silver Creek Slim]

Flyin' houses. 

Slim

[Delmonico]

That 12 might be a little light though fer an Eller-Funk.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

That 12 might be a little light though fer an Eller-Funk.

Yeh!

Glen, if I see one of them Eller-funks and them e-loosive Indianner Rhinos together, I'm goin' home.  An' comin' back with my old M1A1 Abrams!!!!!  Might not be much meat left, 'tho ... 

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Thers even puddles left over from The Wicked Witch Of The West'!Boy!  That there's sum Ella-funk?

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Purty "funky" fer sure! 

[Delmonico]

If ya ever make it to Lincoln, we'll go down to Morril Hall at the Looney-versity and see his skelly-ton, make the African and Indian ones in the same display look puny.

[litl rooster]

  Okay "Steele Horse' as I told ya I loaded up some of them "Big Balls".

   I used Remington Nitro 2 3/4" (gold) hulls 1 oz equivelant by volume scoop of Goex ffg. nitro card and a 1" lubed fiber wad Circle fly type.  Winchester 209 primer.  I also loaded  a pair of these hulls using 9 #00 balls. No combination loads there is some room in the hull after the ball, but I will speak on that too. I used my Stoeger Coach gun for the test.  Left barrell for Ball loads and right for the 00 loads.
   Paper standard sliolette target was placed out at 25 yards. Using center front bead and not the tube. I aimed carefully for the center. All 3 rounds.  As you will see all three hit near the top right quarter of target. One actual ripped it thru.

  The two 00 loads of a total 18 balls, 15 managed to find it's way to paper.  The first one having the group on the right shoulder area. The rest were scattered thru out.

   From what I learned here, http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot41.htm.......... it seems the 410 loads use a powdered buffer instead of wadding.  I don't know if 12 gauge loads are or not but may experiment with that, and extra 1/8 oz by volume of powder.
I have no need for the ball type round I have plenty of hunting weapons and I'll let you play with some other loads.  I think I would however start with more powder and try fffg. The load as I made it had approx. a 1/2 inch of space left in the hull. It would not hold 3-00 balls. It might hold two but I did not try. I think I would elimanate the space with either more fiber wads or Grits. (or like material)

  Overall I wasn't impressed with the round ball loads.  But I think both could be improved.


Here are the photo's  2 of the ball rounds cut thru the black on the right corner near the head the other is the ripped hole in the head foot hight foot right of center

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Thanks fer the pics 'n the post, pard.

Didja have fun? 

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Them "Big Balls" sure put a nifty hole in the paper. 

[litl rooster]

Thanks fer the pics 'n the post, pard.

Didja have fun? 

Enny day at the Range is better than WORK

[Delmonico]

I think most modern buckshot loads use the powdered plastic in around the shot, it improves patterns by keeping the balls from banging into each other and getting out of round.  Works good also with smaller shot.  (If doing this with Nitro powders, only use established loading data or at least loads that are way below max pressure for the gauge, it will raise pressure a couple tousand PSI, depending on the load.)

I think there is still a few rounds of #4 Buck in mag 10 cases in my ammo locker, 54 of them per shell, popular to some extent around here for coyotes.

[Silver Creek Slim]

All this talk about punkin' ball shooting got me curious about modern slugs. So I cut apart a Remington 3" and Federal 2 7/8" slug shells. The Remington is on the left. It weighs 438grs. The Federal weighs 435grs. I didn't realize the slugs were hollow base.




Slim

[litl rooster]

 The wad on the left does it have a hole all the way thru?

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Sure looks like it, don't it' pard.

Maybe so's they will will work in rifled barrels as well as cylinder choked ones.

Or mebbee they are hollow ta make you an' me ask questions.

[Silver Creek Slim]

The hole is only in the top black plastic wad which is about a 1/4" think. Under that is a 1/2" fiber cushion wad like ya use fer BP loads.

Slim

[Delmonico]

Well Slim, now you really opened a can of worms here.  There are at least two, maybe three reasons the things are hollow.  But first to them grooves that are called rifling.  They have been tested and retested over the years to see if the make the projectile spin or not, either by gripping the barrel and spinning or by working like a wind vane and spinning in the air. What happens if any thing at all seems to depend on who is testing and maybe the results they want to find. 

I read something some where, written by someone from the ammo industry who said they were there to let the slug swage down easier going down a choked gun.


Now of course the hollow base will make it easier to bump up to bore size to seal so hot gases don't go past, but the wads also do that.  The hollow also allows it to swage down easier going through a choke.  But perhaps the most important reason is that with the majority of the weight forward it tends to make the projectile fly with the proper end forward, kind of like a badminton shuttlecock.  This more than anything makes the projectile work. 

I'm lucky, I've never really felt the need to play with these much, living in a state that at least for the present will let you shoot deer with a bird gun if you really want to, but still allows you to use the proper tool.

[Hoof Hearted]

So if my bore is .728 and I have a mould that throws pure lead round balls at .735........would they create too much pressure in an un-choked, modern steel 12 ga barrel?

Inquiring minds wanna know

[Delmonico]

More than likely you won't even get the shell to chamber if you get the ball in the case with out ruining it, beyond that yer on your own, although an oversize ball is not near as likely to cause problems down on the breech end as it would when it suddenly slows down at the choke.  That acts more like mud or snow in the end of a barrel, something we all know is not a good thing.

One must remember a shotgun barrel, even a modern one is not designed to handle much pressure, max pressure for modern shot guns is still in the 12-13,000 psi range. 

[Hoof Hearted]

Delmonico..........

The ball actually is loose in the magtech brass!
And the loaded round fits in the chamber fine!
Now I just gotta "grow some" before I test fire the darned thing.............unless I get more feedback?

I am actually thinking about backboring to about .730-.732 so I can take advantage of this Round Ball mould!