Hollow point round balls?

A

Al Bear

CGN Regular
Rating - 97.9%
47   1   0
Location
Montreal area
Why not?

Make a pointy top punch for a lubrisizer and push a round ball through a sizing die with it. It creates a nice dimple in the RB as well as a bearing band ( from being pressed in the die) around its circumference. I shoot these un-patched and lubed with crisco.
 
I occasionally help someone make one when we need to use a screw puller to remove a dryball.

In actual practice I really don't think there's much to be gained with a hollow point on a bullet that's already as wide as it is long. Pure soft lead is already going to expand really well anyway.
Hollow points are about changing the characteristics of a long bullet meant for efficient penetration of air to a short fat bullet meant to dump energy into a target quickly. Round ball is already much closer to the second shape than the first.

In this and other threads you mentioned round ball without patches. I'm surprised how well that works for you. What size are the balls relative to the bore diameter and what kind of groups are you getting?
 
vagrantviking said:
I occasionally help someone make one when we need to use a screw puller to remove a dryball.

In actual practice I really don't think there's much to be gained with a hollow point on a bullet that's already as wide as it is long. Pure soft lead is already going to expand really well anyway.
Hollow points are about changing the characteristics of a long bullet meant for efficient penetration of air to a short fat bullet meant to dump energy into a target quickly. Round ball is already much closer to the second shape than the first.

In this and other threads you mentioned round ball without patches. I'm surprised how well that works for you. What size are the balls relative to the bore diameter and what kind of groups are you getting?
Click to expand...

My mould drops .501 diameter balls so they must be sized to fit the .5 bore ... and then engage the rifling. The bearing-band circumference ensures the ball is loaded straight - consistently. My hunting range is 65 yards so I practice at 75 yards and get 3”groups with a red dot sight. (It hides the target a bit but I like it anyway.)
 
I think that you would need a short pin on the end of your ramrod, so that the hole would remain centered in the barrel, while you are loading

cheers mooncoon
 
Don't make sense to me. Why wouldn't you just use a Minnie or Maxi. The lead used should be softest lead possible and lead ball expand very well, 50 caliber will go to about 75 caliber or larger. A bare lead ball against rifling would have gas blow by due to such a small area in contact with the bore which will ruin accuracy.
Over 300 years of people experimenting with what works best with a ball. A patched ball has been found to be far superior to an unpatched tightly fitting ball. Thousands of people must be wrong. Myself I believe history can can teach us a lot if people wish to learn from it.
 
Why?? I see no use for this. Any time I recovered a roundball from a soft target, a body, or a dirt bank it was expanded huge and flat. A hollow point is useless and will mess up your accuracy.
 
mooncoon said:
I think that you would need a short pin on the end of your ramrod, so that the hole would remain centered in the barrel, while you are loading

cheers mooncoon
Click to expand...

Negatory. The sizing creates a flat surface around the circumference (about 1/8 inch wide). This bearing band is necessary to load the ball in the first place and it’s gotta go in straight. Once it engages with the rifling, it stays straight. If you pull a patched round ball, you’ll see the patch material has engraved on the lead and created a bearing-band much like the one created by the sizer.
 
Amazing!
How is the ball lubricated?
Normally the patch is lubricated.
.50 caliber needs .490"-.495" balls patched with .010 patches.
How many shots between cleaning the bore?
The lubed patch also helps keep fouling soft.


Al Bear said:
My mould drops .501 diameter balls so they must be sized to fit the .5 bore ... and then engage the rifling. The bearing-band circumference ensures the ball is loaded straight - consistently. My hunting range is 65 yards so I practice at 75 yards and get 3”groups with a red dot sight. (It hides the target a bit but I like it anyway.)
Click to expand...
 
Halger280HVMag said:
Amazing!
How is the ball lubricated?
Normally the patch is lubricated.
.50 caliber needs .490"-.495" balls patched with .010 patches.
How many shots between cleaning the bore?
The lubed patch also helps keep fouling soft.
Click to expand...

I ring the crown with crisco and the RB takes it down the barrel. You could put a felt wad between the ball and powder ... but I never do. I clean between shots.
 
Physics says that any drag from a flaw on the ball is going to make that ball roll in flight. Or even if the hollow point is slightly off center it will roll.
A rolling round ball will make the hollow point a mute point.
Shoot it into a box of wet newspaper and see if the point stays in front.
 
tigrr said:
Physics says that any drag from a flaw on the ball is going to make that ball roll in flight. Or even if the hollow point is slightly off center it will roll.
A rolling round ball will make the hollow point a mute point.
Shoot it into a box of wet newspaper and see if the point stays in front.
Click to expand...

Not necessary. If they roll, the cavity would cause them to fly everywhere but straight. Mine fly straight.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom