Round balls?
- Thread starter BAGTIC
- Start date
Sure do! The last couple of years I have been using a .62 smoothbore Northwest Trade Gun for deer. .60 patched round ball over 80 grains of fffg Goex powder. Pretty accurate out to fifty yards and puts down a whitetail with authority! I have used .45 cal and up with round balls, no problems.
Yes, patched round balls in .40/.45/.50/.54/.58/.62cals, depending on the game being hunted...PRBs have have been getting it done for the past couple of centuries...they are simply not 300 yard projectiles...I think of muzzleloaders with PRBs like iron sighted .30-30s...excellent 100 yard woods guns.
Reliabilityman
Inactive
See my other post for the details below. .50 Cal Hawkins with 90 grains was unimpressive for me at 20 yards, and possibly another deer a few years earlier that was out a bit farther than that. I may try connicals next year?
old hunter
Inactive
1858 revolver hunting
I use a 454 round ball with 35 grains of FFF goex and a lubed wad under the ball ,and get real good results on tennessee whitetail deer out to 30 yards using my pietta remington. I've used 40 grains before, but feel like I have to compress the powder too much to get the ball deep enough in the chamber mouth.
I use a 454 round ball with 35 grains of FFF goex and a lubed wad under the ball ,and get real good results on tennessee whitetail deer out to 30 yards using my pietta remington. I've used 40 grains before, but feel like I have to compress the powder too much to get the ball deep enough in the chamber mouth.
Spade Cooley
Moderator
A couple of years ago I used a Thompson Center Hawken with iron sights and round ball to take a nice 9 point buck. He went down with one shot, tried to get up, squaled once and died after taking one more breath. They work.
FL-Flinter
New member
From .32 to .66 cal run PRB's in everything. Round balls have a different mechanism of injury than a conical, they tear instead of cutting. If the shot is placed correctly and within an acceptable range for both the ball size and load, the PRB will work as well, if not better than any conical bullet. I've killed dozens of whitetails and hogs with PRB's, never had one go more than 50 yards from where they were hit. Many a squirrel have fallen to the .32 and the .40 has filled the pot with woodchucks many times over.
simonkenton
New member
I have killed 7 whitetails and 6 wild hogs with the patched round ball. I shoot a TC Hawken and a Tennessee Mountain Rifle, which I built.
In both cases I use a .490 round ball and 80 grains of powder.
None of those animals got 50 yards. In all cases, a lung shot, which was a complete pass through.
The round ball is a more effective killer on a lung shot than a 30-06.
In both cases I use a .490 round ball and 80 grains of powder.
None of those animals got 50 yards. In all cases, a lung shot, which was a complete pass through.
The round ball is a more effective killer on a lung shot than a 30-06.
They get the job done!
In a previous post I asked if members of this forum thought that a PRB would be an effective round for Wisconsin Black Bear the answer was yes across the board. As I stated before I have taken many Iowa white tails with PRBs and have never had 1 get away most are DRT.The most important factor is shot placement and load I use 90 grns of pyrodex RS a .490 round ball and a lubed .015 patch out of a St.Louis hawkenI try to keep my shots under 100 yds but have taken a few at 125+ yds.If you do your part a PRB will get the job done good luck and good hunting ELMOUSMC
In a previous post I asked if members of this forum thought that a PRB would be an effective round for Wisconsin Black Bear the answer was yes across the board. As I stated before I have taken many Iowa white tails with PRBs and have never had 1 get away most are DRT.The most important factor is shot placement and load I use 90 grns of pyrodex RS a .490 round ball and a lubed .015 patch out of a St.Louis hawkenI try to keep my shots under 100 yds but have taken a few at 125+ yds.If you do your part a PRB will get the job done good luck and good hunting ELMOUSMC
W. C. Quantrill
New member
Roundball,
Are you still shootin them marbles?
Good to see you over here. Yep I'm over there too~~just a different handle.
The traditional projectile for the muzzle loader was the round ball, is there anything else?
I shoot a .53 Hawken~~the real one. I built it. I use .520 balls (215 gr) with a 0.015 patch over 120 grains of FFg for a hunting load. I am estimating that this load is cooking a bit better than 1800 fps. This rifle has taken at least one deer each year since 1985, in addition to a few hogs, a coyote or two and hopefully this fall an elk. I mention this rifle the most, it is one of 6 in the Department of Homeland Security, but it is by far my favorite.
There is no such thing as a Hawkins rifle.
I cant imagine a 20 yard shot with a rifle. I was tired and scouting the first day of season a couple of years ago and had climbed a tree and was sitting up fairly high when a meazley little 4x4 management buck walked under the tree and I popped him with my .45 ACP, but, when out hunting, I seldom see a shot under 75 yards and most are beyond that. We were eyeball deep in deer that year and I had 5 tickets. I cannot visualize a 20 yard shot with a .50 cal PRB that would be disappointing unless I missed the deer.........LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION, it is all about shot placement. I would expect a deer at 20 yards to drop like a rock.
Are you still shootin them marbles?
Good to see you over here. Yep I'm over there too~~just a different handle.
The traditional projectile for the muzzle loader was the round ball, is there anything else?
I shoot a .53 Hawken~~the real one. I built it. I use .520 balls (215 gr) with a 0.015 patch over 120 grains of FFg for a hunting load. I am estimating that this load is cooking a bit better than 1800 fps. This rifle has taken at least one deer each year since 1985, in addition to a few hogs, a coyote or two and hopefully this fall an elk. I mention this rifle the most, it is one of 6 in the Department of Homeland Security, but it is by far my favorite.
There is no such thing as a Hawkins rifle.
I cant imagine a 20 yard shot with a rifle. I was tired and scouting the first day of season a couple of years ago and had climbed a tree and was sitting up fairly high when a meazley little 4x4 management buck walked under the tree and I popped him with my .45 ACP, but, when out hunting, I seldom see a shot under 75 yards and most are beyond that. We were eyeball deep in deer that year and I had 5 tickets. I cannot visualize a 20 yard shot with a .50 cal PRB that would be disappointing unless I missed the deer.........LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION, it is all about shot placement. I would expect a deer at 20 yards to drop like a rock.
simonkenton
New member
By 1820 elk had been exterminated from Kentucky by the patched round ball.
Raider2000
New member
I'n the past I have taken a many a deer with a .490 ball patched with pillow ticking up to 100 yards using 80-100gr of FFG & this year I've been impressed with my shooting ability using my cast .495 ball & .010 patch over 80gr. 777 FFFG in my Bobcat rifle.
If you practice enough with your rifle to where you know it's range & abilities within reson a .50cal or larger PRB rifle will cleanly take most any large game out there in the continental U.S..
If you practice enough with your rifle to where you know it's range & abilities within reson a .50cal or larger PRB rifle will cleanly take most any large game out there in the continental U.S..
Spade Cooley
Moderator
Two years ago I killed a nice 9 point Whitetail Buck with my 50 CAL. Thompson Center Hawken with round ball and 70 grains of Black Powder. He was about 50 yds away and I was in a tree stand. He jumped and fell over making one moan and died within two seconds. I hit him just right.