I just got an NEF .50 cal huntsman/sidekick. I'm just getting started with muzzle loading so I have some questions. I bought it off of my brother in law, and he had been shooting round ball out of it with good results. He said that he preferred the round ball because of the ease of loading and the fact that it is less likely to deflect when hitting twigs, compared to a sabotted bullet. Anybody have experience shooting round ball out of modern muzzleloaders? I don't plan on shooting more than 50 yards with it, and the area we hunt is pretty thick, so hitting a twig can be a fairly common occurrence.
Round ball out of an NEF sidekick?
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fineredmist
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The big difference between sabot shooters and round ball shooters is the twist of the rifling. Ball shooters have slow (long) twist to stabilize the ball and the opposite with sabot shooters. Some guns do well with either slow or fast and you will have to check this one out for yourself.
Warning: Front end loading firearms are very additive which leads to the purchase of other front end loaders.
Warning: Front end loading firearms are very additive which leads to the purchase of other front end loaders.
Yeah, I think I'll give the round ball a try for the heck of it and see how it performs at the range I need. They are cheap enough that if I don't like them I can move on to a modern alternative.
Can any of you guys attest to the idea that a round ball will deflect less than an elongated bullet when it hits a twig? I don't really have a good reason to shoot the round ball other than that.
Can any of you guys attest to the idea that a round ball will deflect less than an elongated bullet when it hits a twig? I don't really have a good reason to shoot the round ball other than that.
Mark whiz
Member
You should be able to get pretty decent accuracy with balls out of that rifle, just don't go overboard on your powder charge. 70 to 80gr would be the max charge to expect acceptable accuracy with.
Since you are new to the sport, don't forget that you will need lubed patches to shoot the balls with - .490" balls with .015" patches ought to work well.
As far as balls deflecting less, I can't really see that it would make much of a difference. The slower speed with the reduced charge might help deflection, but one might also think that the cylindrical shape of a ball might have it rotating off of objects more that a flatter-nosed projectile.
Since you are new to the sport, don't forget that you will need lubed patches to shoot the balls with - .490" balls with .015" patches ought to work well.
As far as balls deflecting less, I can't really see that it would make much of a difference. The slower speed with the reduced charge might help deflection, but one might also think that the cylindrical shape of a ball might have it rotating off of objects more that a flatter-nosed projectile.
"Deflecting" off twigs...
At 800 fps the mass of the projectile and the mass of the object being struck have a whole lot more to do with what happens than the shape. I think a round ball and a conical will "deflect" the same amount. When striking a twig, that amount will be zero, or perhaps immeasurable.
At 800 fps the mass of the projectile and the mass of the object being struck have a whole lot more to do with what happens than the shape. I think a round ball and a conical will "deflect" the same amount. When striking a twig, that amount will be zero, or perhaps immeasurable.
Most BP projectiles are somewhat ball-shaped in front, except sabot loads.
A sabot like this
might deflect more like a centerfire bullet, though as mykeal says,
they're going slower.
However, if you have a gun with a fast twist, there are many bullets you can buy with round, flat or HP noses.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...602007&parentType=category&parentId=cat602007
Good old Great Plains or Thompson Center bullets have worked well for a long time.
A sabot like this
might deflect more like a centerfire bullet, though as mykeal says,
they're going slower.
However, if you have a gun with a fast twist, there are many bullets you can buy with round, flat or HP noses.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...602007&parentType=category&parentId=cat602007
Good old Great Plains or Thompson Center bullets have worked well for a long time.
Dirty Bob
Member
I've come to the conclusion that "brush busting" loads are mostly a myth, generated by marketing departments. At least an all-lead projectile at modest velocity won't come apart if it hits a twig, though I wouldn't bet on it striking at point of aim.
Regards,
Dirty Bob
Regards,
Dirty Bob
I've seen one real-world test, and the conclusion was that big, slow, blunt bullets can hit an animal that is directly behind some brush.
However, no bullet would hit the target if it hit so much as a blade of grass somewhere along its path. Some high-velocity bullets would disintegrate, but even big lead bullets that stayed together would deflect and veer off somewhere.
However, no bullet would hit the target if it hit so much as a blade of grass somewhere along its path. Some high-velocity bullets would disintegrate, but even big lead bullets that stayed together would deflect and veer off somewhere.
Loyalist Dave
Member
I think it's more of a physics thing. More mass requires more friction or force to alter a trajectory. The round ball tends to be lighter than a sabot, and is often only half the weight or less than a conical, so it will deflect with less contact than a conical. So to answer the question, a round ball is more easily deflected, not less.
LD
LD
The question of what deflects more has been batered to death. But it still comes up. The best thing I have seen on the topic was a man, sorry I forget his name, that made a box that had wood dowels of different sizes in it. Is was made such that a bullet going through it would have to hit at lest one of the dowels. His conclusion was all bullets deflect. And the factor that determines how much is the size of the object that the bullets hits, not the bullet itself.
I just finished reading a book called "Forty Years with the 45-70" By Paul Matthews. It this book he shows a picture of a two inch hickory tree that was hit by a 300 grain bullet. It was blown to splinters. But the bullet kept going and killed the dear. So I think that sort of thing can go under the heading of "ACT OF GOD." You don't have a lot of control over it.
I just finished reading a book called "Forty Years with the 45-70" By Paul Matthews. It this book he shows a picture of a two inch hickory tree that was hit by a 300 grain bullet. It was blown to splinters. But the bullet kept going and killed the dear. So I think that sort of thing can go under the heading of "ACT OF GOD." You don't have a lot of control over it.
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