Bang Flop With A Patched Round Ball

[alsaqr]

Range: 40 yards
Attitude: Facing
Rifle: TC New Englander .50 caliber
Bullet: Patched round ball
Powder: 80 grains of Black MZ
Cap: CCI #11

Got into the blind at about 16:30 today . Napped a little. Looked up at 17:30; there was a sow and nine 15 pound pigs under the feeder. Was waiting for the sow to present a broadside shot when the boar came in. Boar tried to hassle the pigs from the corn. He turned facing me with his head up. At the shot the boar bang flopped and did not kick.

Hog weighed 200-225 pounds.

https://i.imgur.com/471TxUT.jpg

 

[Grumulkin]

The mystery is, how could you get a bang flop when the ball didn't expand? Or maybe you were shooting expanding balls.

 

[redneck]

I have a .54 lyman great plains rifle, and hunt with a patched round ball over 85 grains of black powder. I've never shot a hog but it definitely puts a deer down fast. Always wonder where people get the idea a round ball isn't enough.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Um..., with a patched round ball, factory made or hand-cast from all lead..., it's normal for the patched, round-ball to expand. They only fail to expand when either they enter at a very low velocity (compared to a modern bullet) or if they are made from a hard, lead alloy, such as old style wheel weight, bullet alloy, or linotype. Which is why at low velocities compared to modern cartridges, the patched round-ball is successful. (Well that and the fact they start out with a diameter in many cases as large as what a modern bullet mushrooms). "Bang Flops" are not at all uncommon. I had one on a doe on January 6th. Distance was about the same as the OP's.

Nice Boar Alsaqr !
LD

 

[alsaqr]

The ball entered the snout and exited behind the right ear.

BTW: Big round balls have another good feature. Very little or no bloodshot meat when deer are hit in fleshy parts: You can eat right up to the hole.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

The ball entered the snout and exited behind the right ear .

AH well with all that bone, it probably had maximum deformation, and was akin to whacking the critter in the head with a 12 lb. sledge. DRT and super quick.

LD

 

[Hookeye]

Right is a Hornady swaged .495 ball that whapped a 160# dressed 9 pt in the neck angling to, stopped under hide behind opp shoulder.
Deer ran another 15 yards and laid down. Climbed down and reloaded, finished him off. Initial pop was 40 yards on the trot.
Expanded a bit. Left is Maxi Hunter .50...........shot 25 yards broadside.

Both ripped on top of 100gr power charges.

I did shoot a doe w a 240gr sabot load at about 60 yards. Hit in neck quartering to, and zipped out behind shoulder. No spine hit, dressed 100#..........and she bang flopped. Got a few bang flops with double lung shotgun slug hits too, w WW HI Supreme slugs.
Of course I shoot one at 12 yards from the ground in the front shoulder, and it runs 75 yards.

Ya just never know.

MZ..............I hunt w 100gr FFg in a .50 cal.
Don't consider it "over gunned".


View attachment 821816

 

[J-Bar]

Location, location, location.

A .22 between the eyes is a bang-flop. A round ball hitting the brain or spine is a bang-flop. A centerfire cartridge breaking the back is a bang-flop. I've seen the head shots in packing houses and the spine shots in the field.

The heart/lung area offers a bigger target certainly, and perhaps the spine shots are luck, but a big round ball carves a big tunnel even it if does not enlarge on impact, and if placed decently will result in a quick humane kill.

 

[Hookeye]

If I have nice red splatters to my dead deer I'm cool with it.
Actually enjoy a bloodtrail.

 

[redneck2]

I used to hunt deer with a .50 caliber sidelock with sabots. Got over a dozen deer with it. Much more common to bang flop than to move any distance

Thing I still don’t understand is that the muzzle loader would put a deer down more quickly than a 12 gauge slug

 

[Yarddog]

deleted

 

[Yarddog]

C T/C Minnie ball 230 gr /with 90gr holy black,, Neck shot about same distance , Bang Flop ; ) PS I know deer is a lot smaller, OP Gun look like yours ?
Y/D