alternate projectiles in a muzzleloader

[enfield]

Well - I think , as long as any "projectile" is wrapped in a patch , therefore not touching the entire barrel , EVERYTHING suitable could be sent on its path - BUT - forget about precision !
Me , for example , am shooting cast lead buckshot .290 ( pure lead ) round balls from my Ruggles underhammer pistols , which I cast in a Marty's Arms buckshot mold , only cutting off the ingot/sprue without any more work involved , and no matter , where the cutoff is when loading - when I shoot'em . even in competition , they hit just OK for me .



I'm practicing at 50 yards , I think , the three "8"s were my fault

 

[TCMonts]

Seems I recall someone on here posted about an old (late 1700 early 1800) news paper article about a bear running amuck in town that was finely dispatched with a clay marble.

 

[Musketeer]

A 5/8" glass marble with several thicknesses of patch to take up the windage, sitting on top of 30 grains of powder, makes a fine close-range plinking load in a Bess. And you can pick up 500 marbles for $20 if you look around a bit.

 

[Alan O]

Some of us don't have any marbles though. We lost 'em.

 

[bluemule66]

Sure sounds like a fun way to lose your marbles though!

 

[bigted]

Rocks n nails if nothing else is on hand.

 

[Stantheman86]

The farthest I'm about to go is trying to size lead .45 Colt bullets to shoot in my .45 Tryon rifle

 

[nkbj]

7/16" marbles in the 31" barrel flinter smoothie nifty fifty critter getter are fun around the yard.
Used a thick patch. Found that wet patch was best 'cause a grease patch wanted to stick and the marble is easy to move sideways.

 

[Griz44Mag]

The farthest I'm about to go is trying to size lead .45 Colt bullets to shoot in my .45 Tryon rifle

It can be done - I shoot cast lead pistol bullets from both rifle and percussion pistols.
Not the most accurate - but not bad either.
And the hollow points carry a mean wallop!

 

[Stantheman86]

It can be done - I shoot cast lead pistol bullets from both rifle and percussion pistols.
Not the most accurate - but not bad either.
And the hollow points carry a mean wallop!

I have .449, .450 and .451 sizers for my Volunteer rifle, I'm like, if I can size .45 cartridge slugs I'd be Golden

Now , finding a source for .45 LC slugs is a challenge

I may even try .450 percussion revolver bullets but they're heeled, which shouldn't be an issue and would probably make starting them easier

 

[Jay Templin]

Rocks n nails if nothing else is on hand.

Fantastic way to destroy your gun.
Jay

 

[Sparkitoff]

At the craft stores, you can buy some crystals that are melted and used to make faux stained glass ornaments. We loaded a percussion revolver with a card over powder and over crystals to use for mounted balloon shooting at the kids cowboy camp. It took 10-12 grains of powder, a slim card wad or one of the "lubed" felt wads and the rest of the chamber filled with the colored crystals to consistently break the balloons. You shoot at them as you ride by at a distance of around 10-feet. It is a timed event. Worked good for that purpose. We tried plastic balls that the plastic bag factory gave us, sand, peppercorns and a few other things but these crystals (which are kind of cylindrical) popped the balloon most consistently.

 

[bigted]

Fantastic way to destroy your gun.
Jay

Agreed, however if needed!

 

[kh54]

I remember a scene in a movie that I saw in the late 1950s or early 1960s that depicted a feller loading an arrow in his ML and shooting at some enemy. It seems to me the scene took place on a fort wall or some such. Anyone else remember such a scene? Maybe The Alamo, 1960? Something else? I don’t recall the outcome of that particular shot but I’d like to watch that scene again. And I’m just tempted to try it myself.

 

[Woody Morgan]

Black Powder Maniac Shooter did just that in his (I believe) second installment of shooting his trade gun smoothie. Check YouTube.

wm

 

[Many Klatch]

Steel ball bearings shoot really well. Hold dead on at 100 yards. If you are going to shoot at gongs, remember that sucker is going to ricochet. Simply buy the right sized ball bearing for your gun and patch and load like normal.

I made up some .32 caliber lead ball that were tear drop shaped and shot a handful out of my Bess. Rang three gongs at once.

Had a coworker years ago that shot aluminum arrows out of a modern .410. Used it to deer hunt during bow season.

Rudyard who posts on here told a story about a shotgun that had been fired with a handful of smaller sized ball bearings. The balls jammed tight as they exited the barrel and left visible ridges in the barrel. So caution needs to be used when using alternative loads.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I remember a scene in a movie that I saw in the late 1950s or early 1960s that depicted a feller loading an arrow in his ML and shooting at some enemy. It seems to me the scene took place on a fort wall or some such. Anyone else remember such a scene? Maybe The Alamo, 1960? Something else? I don’t recall the outcome of that particular shot but I’d like to watch that scene again. And I’m just tempted to try it myself.

Using a movie as documentation for a historical event is usually at best an approximation of what occurred. Not to mention the use of special efffects to create the desired outcome.

Watching the @B P Maniac Shooter's videos would be a better source to observe the outcome of shooting an arrow out of a muzzle loader.

 

[B P Maniac Shooter]

And I’m just tempted to try it myself.

Here you go....I have tried all kinds of projectiles ( including arrows ) with not so good accuracy wise results: LOL



Also show how I loaded the smoothbore in this one: