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Bullets
May 28, 2005 8:20:51 GMT -5
Post by Douglas Blair on May 28, 2005 8:20:51 GMT -5
I personally think the round ball is IF the gun is of a caliber which is suited for the game hunted. As most of you know I have killed deer with a .350 (65 grain) round ball from a .36 rifle. This is as small a caliber as I would even try to shoot a deer with and the target has to be almost perfect even with this caliber and under 50 yards to boot. You also have to know where to place the ball and make certain you hit where you want it to. The deer shot with this small round ball traveled about 45-50 yards and piled up. The ball was "caught" by the hide of the far side. It was almost completely flat and looks more like a dime than anything else.
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Bullets
May 28, 2005 12:03:59 GMT -5
Post by Teleoceras on May 28, 2005 12:03:59 GMT -5
Doug: I put in Conical ONLY if it pertains to the Minie ball. That bullet smashed bone and tore up the insides of many a soldier during the wars in the mid-1800's. Mind you, that at short range I consider a smoothbore loaded with buck'n ball more effective for getting hits, but that is a different question entirely.
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Bullets
May 28, 2005 13:36:45 GMT -5
Post by roundball on May 28, 2005 13:36:45 GMT -5
A round ball is very effective and 'within their range' is key.
As an example, this past fall I took a 5 pointer and a doe while squirrel hunting...was using a .45cal TC Hawken Flintlock, Hornady .440, and only 40grns Goex 3F.
Both times the deer came along a trail where I was ground sitting for squirrels...when they were no more than 20yds from me and looking away, I raised the rifle and put the .440 in the heart...both of them sprinted and dropped within eyesight 25-35yds away...planning to try that same spot again this year
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tg
Six pointer
Posts: 79
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Bullets
May 28, 2005 20:54:55 GMT -5
Post by tg on May 28, 2005 20:54:55 GMT -5
Boolits!.....real ML hunters don't need no steenkeen boolits!
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Bullets
May 29, 2005 6:25:59 GMT -5
Post by Douglas Blair on May 29, 2005 6:25:59 GMT -5
Boolits!.....real ML hunters don't need no steenkeen boolits! Agreed Trapper. The round ball will kill as fast if not faster when the shot is placed where it belongs and within it's range. The round ball puts more of it's energy into the target than most conicals which don't expand as much, or not at all which usually exit the back side of the target. The round ball however is usually found on the "off side" under the hide where it has expanded to near double it's original size. The debate of having an entrance and exit wound still continues though.
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Bullets
May 31, 2005 22:00:24 GMT -5
Post by Rocky Point Jack on May 31, 2005 22:00:24 GMT -5
Hello to all!
I just found y'all and have enjoyed browsing the topics and replies. Today I was out squirrel hunting and the thought of safety and different bullet types occurred to me.
My preferred squirrel rifle is a .36 flintlock (Tennessee Poor Boy) but today I was lazy and grabbed the .22 Kimber for my outing. Over the couple of decades people have been moving in around here like crazy. It seems like there are houses everywhere. Now I always refuse shots at the bushys if there is no tree trunk or other backstop to catch the bullet. Today I found myself even more attuned to that than when I carry the flinter.
I guess my thoughts are that the .36 round ball sheds velocity much more quickly than a .22 long rifle. Am I wrong about that? This was just something I pondered on today as I waited for the next fox squirrel to let me know where it was.
Your thoughts and comments will be appreciated.
Jack
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Bullets
May 31, 2005 22:20:32 GMT -5
Post by WesTx on May 31, 2005 22:20:32 GMT -5
Jack, what you've said is true but a ball's additional weight will also increase it's range. All projectiles fired from a gun have the ability to cause damage at long ranges. Just be careful whatever you carry.
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Bullets
Jun 1, 2005 12:16:30 GMT -5
Post by Rocky Point Jack on Jun 1, 2005 12:16:30 GMT -5
WesTx:
I totally agree. Soon it is going to be impossible to squirrel hunt around here with anything other than a scattergun. For now I'm going to continue to hunt with my small game rifles and just resign myself to the fact that I'll be passing up lots of shots.
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Post by Douglas Blair on Jun 4, 2005 7:09:46 GMT -5
Jack, the smaller round balls will shed their velocity and energy faster than a .22 bullet will. This makes them safer to use in areas which are populated than a .22. But if it is really "crowded" then maybe you might want to think about a muzzle loading shotgun.
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Bullets
Jun 18, 2005 20:42:20 GMT -5
Post by flinter on Jun 18, 2005 20:42:20 GMT -5
I had to vote for conicals but that vote is conditional .
First off, new here so I'll give a big howdy to y'all first.
I've tried and tested dang near every conical I could find in my .50 flint. Don't have the time to get into all the details of the tests but here's the short version. Used material to mimmick shoulder & rib bones backed up with soaked paper to simulate soft tissue. All pointed & semi-pointed (P/SP) {IE: T/C style maxi, Lee REAL, power belt, ect.} conicals when striking any bone off center will deflect "somewhat" to a "whole lot". Even the rib bones were enough to cause some P/SP conicals to change thier trajectory by as much as 70 degrees. The more pointed the bullet, the more likely they are to change course and by more of an angle. Even the rounded nose profile of the T/C Hunter's were prone to deflection but to a lesser degree than the maxi's and power belts. I do have to note that most of these left a very small wound channel and penetration was less than expected despite the heavy weight.
By far the best performer was the Lee Modern Mini. The flat nose was not prone to turn on impact with the simulated bones. Wound channel and expansion were impressive. Buffalo Ball-ettes ran a close second but lacked in penetration performing more closely to a roundball.
The biggest drawback I found with all conicals is their fit to the bore. Both the Ball-ettes & Modern mini's lacked a lot of impressiveness printing paper beyond 25 yards. I cured this by using a "strip patch" and wad combination, lubed fiber wad over the powder. I tried many things before coming up with the strip patch idea and by golly it worked... Cut a strip of thin cotton material width being bore diameter, in my case .500" wide ( bed sheet, not pillow ticking material, mine measured .006" thick). Length is determined by the bullet length, patch needs to be long enough so that when the bullet is centered on the patch, there is enough on each side to just clear the top of the bullet when it's folded up around it.
Consistency matters when loading too. Measure every charge accurately as conicals are way more fussy than PRB's. Pour the powder down the bore slowly and at the same rate every time. A 110gr charge poured down slowly will shoot considerably different from the same charge dumped in all at once. There's no way around it, best results with any flat based conical are going to be achived by using a wad. I use a lubed fiber between powder and bullet in 3/8" thickness, seated with the same amount of pressure every time. Center the the strip patch over the bore and load the conical as you would a PRB, again seating with the same pressure every time. I use my own blend of lube on wads and patches. The key is being safe and knowing the bullet is not loose enough to slide down the bore before the powder is lit off, secondary is the accuracy factor.
From a solid steady bench and off bags, I was able to get the ball-ettes to hold about 4" average at 75 yds and the modern mini's to average about 1.5" @ 75. Without using the strip patch, neither of these would keep 5 even on the paper (Outers sight-in target) @ 75.
I prefer having an exit wound myself but the bullet also has to perform as well. I've killed deer with PRB's and side to side boiler room shots exited and all deer dropped within 25-35 yds of being hit and all had a good blood trail. One hit with a .45 PRB left front to right rear went about 40 yds and the ball came to rest on the hind quarter muscle.
Last deer I took with the .50 flint was at 100 yds. Caught it high just under the back bone but the PRB took out a good 4" chunk including spine dropping the deer on the spot. Shot placement is criticle no matter what you use. There is no wonder or magic bullet that will make up for poor placement.... but .... you can have a little advantage by loading a little hotter just in case you don't put the ball/bullet exactly where it needs to be.
Wow...this was supposed to be brief.... ;D
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