10 ga round ball

[bigjoed]

I read that thread about shooting round balls from a shotgun. I got a 10 ga blackpowder side by side from cabelas and think it might be quite interesting to shoot a round ball from it. I can not find what size ball to shoot. I know a 12 ga is a .690 ball and the bore is .729. The 10 ga bore is .775, I'm guessing the ball should be @ .730- 750. I went to the new cabelas in REno and the guy there sold me 72 cal balls. Haven't shot them yet. Would like more info if possible.
The other question is can you shoot slugs from a BP shotgun
Thanks for the help

 

[Omnivore]

Certainly you can shoot anything of approximately the same weight as the shot charges you're shooting, without worries. A .72 ball would be way undersized for a .775 bore. .72 would be closer to what you'd want in a 12 ga. For patched ball I use a .495 ball in a .50 bore with a .010 patch. That makes for a very tight fit in a rifled bore, but it works for me. For a smooth bore, subtract twice the patch thickness from the bore diameter. In your case that would be a .755 ball with a .010 patch-- that would get you in the ballpark. Use lubed patches and adjust ball or patch thickness for the desired fit. No doubt you can shoot patched ball, as the ball is lighter than many shot charges. Smooth bores were often used to fire both patched ball and shot.

Where to get a ~.755 ball? I've no idea unless you make the mold yourself. Probably someone else on here can be of more help. I'd think you might be able to use commercial 10 ga slugs as well, depending on the weight you're willing to shoot.

 

[arcticap]

Normally folks shoot balls from smoothbores that are .020 smaller than the bore. But using the .69 caliber ball to shoot from a 12 gauge shows just how versatile smoothbores really are.
Folks usually use one of two methods for shooting balls out of smoothbores.
One is they often use much thicker patches to fit the ball and to keep the heavier powder charges from burning the patch. Folks will use thin denim from Walmart that's 100% cotton, or another thicker cotton material that provides a snug fit. They may also use it along with a wad underneath the patched ball to provide a better seal. Some folks even use leather wads since they can be used over again & again.
Secondly, a looser ball can be sandwiched in between fiber shotgun wads that have been lubed or if they are really thick, that have been cut in half. Longitudinal grease grooves can be cut into them too, to help soften the powder fouling. Loading several overpowder cards on top of the ball might work to hold them in place depending on their thickness, but be careful because you don't want a heavy ball to slip forward off the powder prior to firing it.
So using a much thicker than average patch to snug up the ball is a common practice. You only need a .30 patch or a slightly thicker one since it compresses once it's started. You don't want it so tight that ramming becomes difficult once the bore is fouled with powder residue after the first shot or two.

 

[bigjoed]

Articat are you saying that I can shoot the 72 cal ball as long as the ball is wedged in the patch?

 

[arcticap]

Sure, people have been shooting loose balls since muzzle loaders were invented. They just need to be patched fairly snug. The trick is in finding the right patch thickness.
If a thickness of patch is too loose, try wrapping it with one layer of copy paper at a time until you obtain the right fit.
Placing the paper under the lubed patch might be better, but even that may not matter if the paper is thick enough to not rip when it's rammed.
Just twist some paper around it if you have to, rub a little dab of lube on it and load with the "paper sprue" pointing up.
You can always bring the target in closer too.
Shooting bowling pins at even 25 or 30 yards is fun with some guns, or try balloons or little plastic bags of flour at ranges that aren't too overly difficult to succeed in scoring a hit.
I recall hitting a paper plate at 25 yards with unpatched round balls out of a single shot pistol. I just needed to be careful not to let the ball roll out of the barrel once it was loaded. I couldn't believe how accurate they were at that range.

 

[HUnter58]

I use a .760 dia. ball with a 0.15 thick patch on my 10 ga.
Balls are available through Track of The Wolf.