ball size 12gauge fowler

[Jimkennedy]

Looking for some help. I have a 12gauge fowler on the way. I was wondering what diameter of ball a 12gauge takes
thanks

 

[Skychief]

I've been shooting 690's from mine. With a patch of around .024 it makes a nice fit.

I've shot some 715's before, but I like being able to use more lube on the thicker patching with the 690's.

Good luck. You'll have fun launching whichever big balls you choose.

Best regards, Skychief

 

[Jimkennedy]

Thank You Skychief that gives me a great starting point

 

[wattlebuster]

I shoot 690s wrapped in a good thick bear grease lubed pillow tick patch from my jug choked 12 ga :thumbsup:

 

[Grenadier1758]

Depends on what the actual bore measurement is. Your fowler is probably cylinder bore or about 0.729 inches diameter. Your can measure the bore when it arrives. You can use the 0.690 balls with a well lubricated thick 0.025 patch. That's probably the best place to start. Measure your bore before you order wads and shot cards.

Get a lot of real black powder, preferably 2f or 1f as you will be shooting it a lot.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Wait till it comes. Not all 'guages' are created equal. My '12 gauge' Brown Bess uses a patched .731" ball.

 

[Jimkennedy]

thanks everyone for all the help

 

[Lonegun1894]

Wait till it comes. Not all 'guages' are created equal. My '12 gauge' Brown Bess uses a patched .731" ball.

And then there is my "12ga" SxS that measures .710", which is really a 13ga. So I'd wait and measure so you only have to buy stuff once instead of buying and then finding out you wasted your money.

For what it's worth, I have been using a .690", but recently bought a .678" mold and need to test it for accuracy so see which does better. I also have a .735" I use in a modern 12ga, but it obviously won't fit down a .710" bore.

 

[Eterry]

Lonegun, sorry I came so late to the party, been away from the pc a bit... what kind of mold are you using for your modern 12 ga that throws .735? I have a bess barrel that measures .740, have thought of the Lee key mold for 12 ga slug. I'm getting WAY ahead of myself; the barrel, lock, stock and parts are in a box in my shop, but ONE DAY I swear I'm gonna make smoke with it.
Thanks,
ET

 

[Snow on the Roof]

I once had a Curly NWTG which liked a .715 bare ball or a .690 RB with .020 pillow ticking patch. I loved the gun but found it to be brutal on my old body so I sold her. I still have the .690 mold if you need one.

Snow

 

[Lonegun1894]

Lonegun, sorry I came so late to the party, been away from the pc a bit... what kind of mold are you using for your modern 12 ga that throws .735? I have a bess barrel that measures .740, have thought of the Lee key mold for 12 ga slug. I'm getting WAY ahead of myself; the barrel, lock, stock and parts are in a box in my shop, but ONE DAY I swear I'm gonna make smoke with it.
Thanks,
ET

Sir,
It is an old Lyman mold I bought used, but I'm not sure if they're made anymore.

 

[excess650]

What little RB shooting I did with mine was with a .690 over 85gr of powder. IIRC, it shot fist sized groups at 50 yards with no rear sight, but low and left. I THINK that I may have a .715" mold, but will have to sort through my stuff. :wink: Front and rear sights would make me more comfortable... :hmm:

 

[Ray-Vigo]

I shoot .690 with a very thick, denim patch (.023 or so). I tried .715 with a thin patch, but it was still a tight load and the patches tended to burn up. The thick denim is nice and does not burn out at all. I've re-shot patches again and again without problems.

 

[rafterob]

I have a Mowrey 12 gauge, interesting beast. with a .69 ball I couldn't get a tight enough fit to get decent compression. I would stand erect with my head totally off the stock and set the front bead at the top of the bull and it would hit somewhere on the target. With a .71 ball I would actually use a regular hold with my cheek on the butt. But shooting a solid lead ball that big put a hurtin' on me, much worse than shot.

 

[nwtradegun]

my Dixie 12ga. indian trade musket has a 729 bore. I I shoot 715 rd. balls with 10 to 12 thou. patches. the load is 85 gr. 3 f swiss. I get 4-6 in. groups at 50 yards. I hunt , do not punch paper with it.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Just remember that the fact that 12 gauge is listed as .729" doens't mean gun barrels called "12 gauge" are going to even be close. I've seen barrels listed at that gague to vary from .715" to .750". You've got to measure the bore to have any real chance of picking a proper ball size. The rest is academic since few will agree on how much smaller a ball should be than the bore. Best I every knew hunted with original Brown Bess muskets. His LLP had a .775" bore and he used a .760" ball for the first shot and a .750" for the second. Others use as small as .690" of 12 gauge and seem happy. When you figure out what you've actually got, I'd recommend ordering several different sized balls from someone like TOTW and see what you're gun likes best before investing in a mold.

 

[Jimkennedy]

Thank you I will measure the bore as you advised. That way i will have a starting place
thanks

 

[Rifleman1776]

what kind of mold are you using for your modern 12 ga that throws .735?

Actually, I misstated. It is a .731" ball. I use a mould from Dixie. They used to sell almost any size made from old fashioned hair straightener blocks. They still make a few sizes. And, they used to be very inexpensive. I think I paid about $12.00 for mine back in the day.

 

[nwtradegun]

I was mearling informing him of my results. and if it was 729. he might try my load.

 

[Ray-Vigo]

At one time, you could order the plain, "Dixie Mold", which they would manufacture in the caliber of your choice down to the thousandth. However, when I tried to order one last year, they said they had stopped making them.