ball over shot?

[mancill]

So between my son and my 50 cal flintlock i have 4 deer in the freezer, so the rest of this winter i will be hunting bushy tails. However on my land i have tons of hogs and i would like to be able to shoot one of those destructive beasts if i come across one. I was wondering if it would be safe to drop a .600 ball over squirrel shot if i see a sounder. The load would be 70gn 3f, wad, equal amount shot then tow. Is this safe? Thanks.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Often wondered the same and am confident it would be however that is just an opinion.
It must of been done I'm sure.

B.

 

[ppg1949]

I've never done it but I've read about it. I think it was in a Dixie Gun Works Annual. Mike Nesbitt wrote an article on how he and his friends did it while hunting on a rendezvous re-enactment. I can't remember if the ball went on top of the shot or shot on top. I'll check and see if I can find it.

 

[ppg1949]

Well, I struck out. I could not find the article by Mike Nesbitt in my collection of DGW annuals. The worst part is I can still see in my mind a picture of Nesbitt loading a Leonard Dey swivel breech smooth rifle with ball and shot. I'll keep looking but it is very doubtful I'll find. Don't use my advise as your standard load but I think the ball was loaded over the shot. The theory being if the ball was loaded under the shot, it would put a hole in the pattern. Sorry I could not give definitive advise on this subject.

 

[biliff]

That's not quite an ounce of shot with a 320 gr ball. You're looking a 700+ grains of lead. No idea if it would be safe in your gun, but its gonna hurt.

 

[lwscrim]

Yea, the "Hurt" part was my thought too....

 

[Nyckname]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_and_ball

 

[Hiparoo]

I've done it. My usual load for my 20ga fowler is 75gr 3f, and a measure and a half(approximately 110gr) of shot. I use .575 or .590 ball in my fowler. The combo of shot and ball will definitely let you know you pulled the trigger LOL I don't recommend doing anything your aren't comfortable trying, but I've had no adverse effect except a bit of sore shoulder. Same with buck and ball, I load 9 #1 buck and a ball on top-if you load shot over the ball, it'll donut.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Let's Do Some Math!
So you are loading say 1 ounce of shot...then you're proposing that IF you see a piggy, you're going load a 325 grain round ball on top of the shot column. So that should give you 1.73 ounces of projectile, so that's a teeny bit less than a 1¾ ounce load, AND..., you will have less friction from that round ball compared to if you upped your total shot column to 1¾ ounces of actual shot. There are folks out there shooting 2 full ounces of shot from their 20 gauge, so you're not in the realm of "I call dibs on your stuff when you try that".... but it wouldn't be good to do that all the time, eh? You might want to see what it does to accuracy and your shoulder, not to mention check for cracks at the tang/wood junction.

LD

 

[smoothshooter]

So between my son and my 50 cal flintlock i have 4 deer in the freezer, so the rest of this winter i will be hunting bushy tails. However on my land i have tons of hogs and i would like to be able to shoot one of those destructive beasts if i come across one. I was wondering if it would be safe to drop a .600 ball over squirrel shot if i see a sounder. The load would be 70gn 3f, wad, equal amount shot then tow. Is this safe? Thanks.

I would try a .54 ball with a thick lubricated leather patch or two over the shot. Heavy denim or canvas might work too. Less recoil than a .58 ball, and might still be accurate enough for close-range shots.
Remember, small differences in ball diameter have a seemingly disproportionate effect on weight.
Less recoil is better for you AND your gun.

As a side note, I personally would be worried some about the possibility that if I missed making a kill-shot, I might blind the hog by putting out one or both of its eyes with the bird shot.
The thought of having an animal escaping and wandering around for a long time partially or totally blind, in pain, and scared because of something I did would haunt me forever.

I am not saying this as an anti-hunter, because I am not one of those.

 

[Thagomizer]

Well, I struck out. I could not find the article by Mike Nesbitt in my collection of DGW annuals. The worst part is I can still see in my mind a picture of Nesbitt loading a Leonard Dey swivel breech smooth rifle with ball and shot. I'll keep looking but it is very doubtful I'll find. Don't use my advise as your standard load but I think the ball was loaded over the shot. The theory being if the ball was loaded under the shot, it would put a hole in the pattern. Sorry I could not give definitive advise on this subject.

I remember that article well. It was in Muzzleloader magazine I am sure. Seems like it was several years ago. He tried both ways but I can't remember which way was better.

 

[mancill]

Thanks for the info gonna give it a try and see how it goes. Considering how much damage those hogs do on my ranch and the. hours is spend fixing holes in my hay meadows i would be more haunted by not putting some shot in one.

 

[SDSmlf]

Thanks for the info gonna give it a try and see how it goes. Considering how much damage those hogs do on my ranch and the. hours is spend fixing holes in my hay meadows i would be more haunted by not putting some shot in one.

Dare I suggest a double barreled gun? One loaded for each. Actually used this method as a teenager, though it wasn’t with a muzzleloader. I knew where the left barrel placed slugs if needed.

 

[rick1964]

I’ve shot Shot/ ball combo load number of times. Was loaded for squirrel. 70 grn 3f. 80 grn measure of # 4’s. If a round ball shot presented it self 600 bare ball or 610 if that loads bare. Tamp with ram rod. Shoots good to 35 yards for me. Hit 4” target. It will though pepper the target with them 4’s. So not real practical on meat you wish to keep. But if you pick the shot out

 

[Tumbledown]

I don't hunt, but if I went hog hunting, I don't think it would be with a single shot. Certainly not by myself.

 

[Eterry]

I don't hunt, but if I went hog hunting, I don't think it would be with a single shot. Certainly not by myself.

We're talking about hogs, not grizzly bears... They have been known to eat things that lie down and give up.... so...
Don't lie down and give up!!!

 

[Kestrel]

Has anyone ever tried double stacking balls (prb,prb) for hunting hogs? I saw it accidentally done at the range last weekend (not by me) and at 25 yards, the two balls punched the target dead on but 2 inches apart.....

 

[Britsmoothy]

Has anyone ever tried double stacking balls (prb,prb) for hunting hogs? I saw it accidentally done at the range last weekend (not by me) and at 25 yards, the two balls punched the target dead on but 2 inches apart.....

Yes.

 

[Billy-by-gosh]

Has anyone ever tried double stacking balls (prb,prb) for hunting hogs? I saw it accidentally done at the range last weekend (not by me) and at 25 yards, the two balls punched the target dead on but 2 inches apart.....

Here's another affirmation; NOT A RECOMMENDATION though!! I've tried this because somewhere I read the practice was not too uncommon in early nineteenth century America. I believe the Eastern settled areas began producing smaller bore rifles, and some hunters felt more secure in loading a double-ball on the regular powder charge. If your .45 cal PRB weighed 128 grains, then double that to 256 grains. Recoil seemed to be about what you get with a heavier conical bullet of that weight.

 

[Kestrel]

I was kind of amazed at the results when I looked at the target. The two shots were only about two inches apart with one of them being possibly half inch lower than the other. The shooter stated that they also hit point of aim.
Not sure what kind of velocities they were traveling, but an interesting idea, all be it accidental, nonetheless......