.177 BB's

[Juice Jaws]

Now that in Calif. you can't use lead for hunting , has any one ever try using just plain 177mm BB's that we use in our BB guns?

 

[Britsmoothy]

Effectively steel shot.
Some will recommend protecting the bore.
I tried lesser steel in my .63 in a card wrap once, it did get the duck.

 

[azmntman]

Same as Brit....used to shoot bb all the time out of 10ga pedersoli (used plastic cup). Knocked em down. Not near as effective as lead but what ya gonna do? Patterned decently with what we now refer to as skycheif special (I loaded it in 90's as I did know better and worked way better than traditional load (never used sloppy oiled wad though, all dry, may have done much better with heavy lube). I only hunted over decoys so 30 yd average shot

 

[Zonie]

Although it's pickin' the fly feces out of the pepper, a BB is not 177mm in size. If it was, it would be 6.968 inches in diameter.

A BB is .177 inches in diameter.

 

[Juice Jaws]

Although it's pickin' the fly feces out of the pepper, a BB is not 177mm in size. If it was, it would be 6.968 inches in diameter.

A BB is .177 inches in diameter.

Thanks I never knew that. I guess the pellets are the same then, 177 inches? If you don't mine what do you do for a living? You always amaze me on how good you are with numbers. ( of course I am easily amaze )

 

[Carbon 6]

I glossed right over the metric reference because I knew what you were referring to.
Good thing we don't work for NASA.

 

[Zonie]

Thanks I never knew that. I guess the pellets are the same then, 177 inches? If you don't mine what do you do for a living? You always amaze me on how good you are with numbers. ( of course I am easily amaze )

It doesn't have anything to do with the topic but to answer your question before I retired I was a principle engineering designer. Principle in this case means leading, like the principle at a high school.

I worked at a company that designs and builds jet engines and auxiliary power units (APU). The things that provide aircraft ground power and engine starting power on the ground and in flight.

My last two big projects as Principle Designer was the APU for the Boeing 757, 767, Airbus A330 and A340. They all use basically the same APU.
The other big project was the APU for the Boeing 777.

The company was originally called AiResearch, then Garrett Turbine Engine Co. and Allied Signal. It is currently called Honeywell.

Now, back to the BB's.

 

[Juice Jaws]

Thanks.

 

[hanshi]

BBs are made from very hard steel, harder than commercially available steel shot. I'd definitely protect the bore with shot cups of some kind.

 

[Juice Jaws]

BBs are made from very hard steel, harder than commercially available steel shot. I'd definitely protect the bore with shot cups of some kind.

Thanks hanshi

 

[smo]

 

[russellshaffer]

The big deal with steel in modern guns was the choke. Older, softer barrels were considered to be at risk from running hard shot through the constricted area. Shouldn't be a problem with a cylinder bore as long as you keep the shot from contacting the barrel. I don't know how hard a Daisy BB is but I bet it is at least as hard as the average ML shotgun barrel. Good idea, I think I'll try some in my 12 gauge matchlock since I can't hit anything with a ball.

 

[Carbon 6]

I've been using them for years, I shoot garden raiders with them, don't want lead in my garden. They kill everything I aim at.

 

[Juice Jaws]

I've been using them for years, I shoot garden raiders with them, don't want lead in my garden. They kill everything I aim at.

What's your load and what do you shoot them out of? Also do you load them in some kind of cup?

 

[smo]

JJ,

The best load I’ve found so far in my 16 gauge, which measures .653 at the muzzle is 2 ozs B.B. over 70 grns fffg.

I’ve shot Fg,ffg & fffg at various loads , but 70 of fffg produced the best pattern.

The tuna can was shot at 25 yards.

 

[Juice Jaws]

Thanks smo. Looks like you have them wrap in brown heavy paper?

 

[smo]

Yep, it was a plain old grocery brown paper bag.

The only problem I had with them was,
It’s not legal too hunt with anything larger than #4 shot where I live.

And every few shots it would slug and not open the pattern at 15 - 20 yards.

I shot the load as a “ Skychief Special” with the oily wad over top of the shot cup as well as without.

Both worked good out to around 30 yards out of my cylinder bore gun , except for the slugging from time to time at close range .

I dropped using the paper bag wrap and the problem stopped.

Plus no smoldering paper too burn the woods down!

 

[TFoley]

The BB stands for ball-bearing, which is what they actually are. Steel BBs are VERY VERY hard indeed. .177" BBs that look like copper are either REAL copper - they used to be, anyhow - or copper-washed lead.

 

[Britsmoothy]

The BB stands for ball-bearing, which is what they actually are. Steel BBs are VERY VERY hard indeed. .177" BBs that look like copper are either REAL copper - they used to be, anyhow - or copper-washed lead.

Or copper washed steel. Some are zinc and or nickel coated. It's only to prevent product rusting.

 

[smo]

I think the ones I used said copper coated steel.

Here’s 2 ozs of bbs compaired to 2 ozs of # 6 shot.

If memeory serves me well, there were around 200 bbs in 2 ozs.

My gun averaged 35 or so bbs in a standard sheet of paper at 25 yards.

Not great, but it’ll do.