Using round ball/buckshot for reloading?

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orangemushroom

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Anyone ever use buckshot as round ball for reloading?
I'm thinking about loading 38 special with #000 buckshot since it's .360" diameter, which should fit right into a .357" case.

Looks like western metal has 5 lbs of #000 for $40.99, which at 71 grains each and 7000 grains/lb means ~500 round balls for $41! Far cheaper than buying cast .357" bullets

Thoughts?
 
Not for pistol but I've used 50cal Muzzloading Balls in a 450 Marlin. I used a Lee Push Through sizer to get the .490" ball to .459" and just "thumbed" them to seat over most any shotgun powder. These have worked very well, no recoil, quieter and fun to shoot. Not sure about pistols.
 
I do something kind of similar for ten gauge black.poweder shell. Three 000 buckshot in a triangular base then I glue a .50 round ball on top.
Kind of a makeshift slug.
But one can probably only pull this off with the lower pressures of black powder in the sturdy all brass hull of 2 7/8 inch.
 
Should work fine. Could probably get 2 or maybe 3 into a case.

I've done it with black powder in 45-70 just for a giggle. For smokeless powder charges you might need to hunt around some but data should be out there. Maybe the castboolit forums.
 
vagrantviking said:
Should work fine. Could probably get 2 or maybe 3 into a case.

I've done it with black powder in 45-70 just for a giggle. For smokeless powder charges you might need to hunt around some but data should be out there. Maybe the castboolit forums.
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If it's lighter than a typical 125gr shouldn't it be safe to use a normal powder charge and then work down from that?

Brutus said:
I do something kind of similar for ten gauge black.poweder shell. Three 000 buckshot in a triangular base then I glue a .50 round ball on top.
Kind of a makeshift slug.
But one can probably only pull this off with the lower pressures of black powder in the sturdy all brass hull of 2 7/8 inch.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah where did you pick up your bulk buckshot? I just noticed that western metal is out of stock :/
 
I got my buckshot about eighteen months ago maybe even more. Hillfolk Musket Supplies. Pre ordered and I picked it up at the Camrose gun show. This was just a top up. Between caplock rifles, friends gifting me buckshot and building a back up stash over a long long time.
 
Back in the '80's I read an article somewhere (don't remember where) about someone in the 1930's that shot deer to feed his family using lead round balls in a .30-30 because he couldn't afford factory ammo. I don't recall what powder was used but for fun I decided to give it a try.
I loaded Hornady .310 round balls in a .30-30 case, lubing them with Lee liquid Alox and a small charge of unique. I can't tell you what charge I used offhand because all my load records are in another place. Accuracy was actually surprisingly good out to 25 yards, which is all I cared about for plinking.
 
orangemushroom said:
If it's lighter than a typical 125gr shouldn't it be safe to use a normal powder charge and then work down from that?
Click to expand...

With the fastest powders that approach should work. A 71gr ball is a lot lighter than the 125gr bullet so you might not get good clean combustion with some powders.
There's not much risk to experimenting as long as you keep an eye out for squibs.
 
I have loaded .357 cases with two 000 buck balls. It worked fine, .38spl might be too short and you'll begin swelling the case. Doesn't hurt to try though.
 
kg said:
www castpics.net/LoadData/Round%2520Ball%2520Loads.pdf
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This is super useful, just what I was looking for!

B said:
I have loaded .357 cases with two 000 buck balls. It worked fine, .38spl might be too short and you'll begin swelling the case. Doesn't hurt to try though.
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Two balls?! How did the target... uh... "pattern" (grouping?) look like with that?
 
I just fired four rounds of .395 WW ball out of a 3" chambered .410 Ishapore No.1 Mk 3, sent forth with 8 gr. of Trail Boss. I put two balls in once fired .410 plastic shells. I forgot the o-ring trick and had trouble getting four to go off. I set them up this: powder, two BPI .410 cardboard wads, two balls, 1 BPI wad, crimp as best I could, then a dab of hot glue.

I still have five or six to try, and will use o-rings on them to bring the base back a bit closer to the bolt. Not sure what these rounds would be good for...
 
orangemushroom said:
This is super useful, just what I was looking for!



Two balls?! How did the target... uh... "pattern" (grouping?) look like with that?
Click to expand...

I haven't ever made many of them. They do lead the gun significantly. More testing with different powders and charges could likely remedy that. At 10m, the farthest I have shot them, they are pretty well on top of each other with almost no spread. That isn't surprising though as projectiles stacked tend to follow each other to the target. I see it a lot with .410 buck loads.
 
I have never loaded lead balls in a revolver. I would be concerned about leading.

However, I had loaded 2 bullets in a 357 and a 38Spl. I use a pair of very light Semi wadcutters, loaded back to back, using the load data for a bullet of the total weight (around 200 grr.)

At 25 yards they shoot accurately and hit about 2 to 3" apart.
 
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^interesting, I have a 95grn mold that produces a very stout bullet with a wide meplate. I will be trying it stacked in .357 sooner or later.
 
I've loaded two 000 buckshot pellets in .38 Special cases. Tumble lubed them in Lee liquid alox, used a light load of powder- I think I used a start load for a 148 gn wadcutter. It worked well enough, but I was surprised to see how little the pellets spread. Makes sense since both pellets engaged the rifling, but under 5 yards I mostly got an elongated hole, and at 10 yards there was an inch or two between them. I used a Rossi snubby for this highly scientific experiment, never bothered to chronograph them, nor did I catch any pellets to see what they looked like after being shot, but had fun nonetheless.
 
Not the same as a couple of balls in a .38 case but Speer used to market plastic shot holders for .357or .38 years ago, sold for snake slayer ammo. They were for much smaller shot size than mentioned here.
I bought a box or two to build some indoor "barn pigeon" medicine. Tried with both #5 & #71/2 shot...sure wouldn't want to depend on one in a real snake situation that I could see...couldn't hit a pigeon at 30 or 40 ft with them.
I patterned some after missing a couple bird and discovered the problem quickly. It seems that the rifling spun the plastic container as it should but when the plastic came apart after exciting the bore, the shot continued to spin...and spun outwards from center, creating a doughnut hole group every shot, nothing in the center to hit the birds.
 
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