Darth-Vang
Member
Is there any significant advantage loading the cast ball’s sprue facing up? Also I saw someone pointed out that it doesn’t matter for revolvers cause the sprue gets shaved off anyway. Any advantage to loading the sprue facing up?
Is there any significant advantage loading the cast ball’s sprue facing up? Also I saw someone pointed out that it doesn’t matter for revolvers cause the sprue gets shaved off anyway. Any advantage to loading the sprue facing up?
Tumble them and they will come out without sprue or cast line.
That will roll out the spruce eliminating that problem, but it will also create golf ball type dimples which cut wind resistance and are said in to improve the aerodynamics of the RB. Try to disprove that idea. Good Luck! Remember: All Pigs Can Fly If Given Enough Thrust. LOL
This makes alot of sense. Glad to know this.The round balls for this type of rifles should be case from pure lead – not hardened, then the sprue cut should be smoothed or rounded with a small file or pocket knife, if the best accuracy is desired. I have heard of old riflemen, years ago, say that it mattered not whether the sprue surface of the ball is placed at the bottom or the top when loading the round ball rifle, but this is not reasonable and does not agree with my experience and that of the majority of experienced riflemen who use the muzzle-loading rifles. All experienced riflemen who use the modern high power rifles, as well as the most expert marksmen with the target or schuetzen breech-loading single shot rifles, know that the base of the bullet which rests against the powder and is first acted upon by the powder gas must be as perfect as possible, and each bullet have the same shape of base, in order to give good, uniform accuracy. Of course, these same conditions obtain in rifles using the round ball; therefore, as almost no two cast round balls have exactly the same shape at the point where the sprue was cut off …, Experienced experts agree that better accuracy with the round ball rifles will be secured by always loading the sprue surface of the ball at the top, or towards the muzzle.
…, Having decided upon the approximate charge of powder for the rifle and made a charger with which to measure this bulk charge, we are ready to load the rifle. Holding the barrel in nearly vertical position, as possible and having filled the charger full from the powder-horn, pour the charge carefully into the barrel; then place an oiled linen, or other cloth, patch over the muzzle being careful to center it over the bore. Next place the ball, with the sprue up, in the center of the patch – be sure that the ball is truly centered in the patch…,
…, Do not ram, or pound, the ball down the bore, and do not “whang” the ball with the ramrod onto the powder—simply seat the ball firmly on the powder with a light pressure on the ramrod. …, ramming or pounding the ball down the ball will upset it making it merely a slug of lead instead of a sphere and thus destroy all accuracy.
(italics are the author's emphasis)
Ned H. Roberts 1866-1948 Developer of the .257 Roberts cartridge and Author of The Muzzle-Loading Cap Lock Rifle c 1940
LD