Thread: 12g round balls

Has anyone ever tried loading 12g shells with cast round balls say around .690"? If so what wads do you use and how did you crimp?
Thanks

I use .690 balls in my 12 bore musket
550 grains and minute of deer at 50m

Can flick you a few to try
No idea about wads in a cartridge shotgun
I'm using in a muzzleloader

Originally Posted by akaroa1

I use .690 balls in my 12 bore musket
550 grains and minute of deer at 50m

Can flick you a few to try
No idea about wads in a cartridge shotgun
I'm using in a muzzleloader

Attachment 184259

Thanks @akaroa1. I already have the roundballs, just like to know other peoples experience if any.

Originally Posted by Three O'Three

Has anyone ever tried loading 12g shells with cast round balls say around .690"? If so what wads do you use and how did you crimp?
Thanks

Winchester 1 1/4 yellow wads and standard fold crimp. I found the accuracy from a cylinder choke 18" to be dismal compared to a lee 1 oz slug. The novelty factor soon wore off. Velocity with a healthy dose of APN70 netted around 1300 fps.

Originally Posted by outlander

Winchester 1 1/4 yellow wads and standard fold crimp. I found the accuracy from a cylinder choke 18" to be dismal compared to a lee 1 oz slug. The novelty factor soon wore off. Velocity with a healthy dose of APN70 netted around 1300 fps.

Did you try balls with a hole through the center? Did they whistle?

2 pinex or fibre wads a little rolled oats seat the ball on that then cover with more rolled oats. Top with a card wad and roll crimp to keep it in place. If you are star crimping you may need to vary the height of the column, the easiest way is with the porridge so you get a proper crimp.
Also for accuracy it's best to have the sprue consistently orientated the same way, up is easiest to see.

Then there’s the old trick of opening the crimp, tipping the shot onto a plate which was placed on the coal range (told you it was an old trick) to heat up the pour the shot back into the shell and tip some molten wax over the shot and let it set - viola, instant slug!

Originally Posted by Jhon

Did you try balls with a hole through the center? Did they whistle?

No I didn't, sounds like a brilliant idea. I did manage to create a sound like Ian Anderson's flute of Jethro Tull fame, by filing tiny divots on the east side of the ball and then pumping the gun furiously.

@Finnwolf. Pour molted lead back into the shell? Would of thought something like that would damage the wad or worst?

Originally Posted by Three O'Three

@Finnwolf. Pour molted lead back into the shell? Would of thought something like that would damage the wad or worst?

The shot pellets were just heated and poured back into the shell.
Reason: so the poured in molten wax would trickle all the way through the shot column (and not solidify/set in the top half inch or so as it would with unheated shot)

1oz ball...use one oz shot data........plenty of people have just tipped the shot out of clay target load and replaced with solid of some discription of similar weight....

Originally Posted by Mauser308

What happened if you turned around and fired the other way? Did you get the tune whistled backwards?

As far as the solid balls, how do these things go for ricochet and bouncing? Interest spiked in terminal performance here!

I'll try that tomorrow... Terminal performance is second to none and I have the photo evidence. I managed to blow my chrony six metres off the shooting bench with one. I still use the thing and all readings are the same as before, even though it looks like a torn ass. Never found the ball so ricochet and bounce seems to pass muster as well.

Originally Posted by Mauser308

Um, what does a 'torn ass' look like (asking for a friend)?

Show you WHAT?! I'd have to know your mate a little better...