Bare Ball Shooting Smooth Bore

[tenngun]

Sorry I misspoke. I load from a horn.... via a measure. I did not mean directly from a flask
Since it was NSSA I was first picturing paper cartridge as it’s military arm competition.
When you said no cartridges were used I was trying to picture the set up.
So I wanted to ask if you were loading via a flask and ball bag.
But I have never been to a NSSA competition. I understand non service charges are used at times for best accuracy.
So I could also picture you loading from a bench possibly pouring from a caped can as you your measure, or using premeasured charges in some type of holder.

 

[Gun Tramp]

Just for fun, here's a twenty yard group. Ever wonder what goes on with card wads? At four o'clock is an embedded stack of one over-powder card and two .125 nitro cards; their ball struck at ten o'clock:

This was the first shot in a test of .690 ball in my .691-ish bore, loading order was: powder, white over-powder card, two lubed nitro wads, ball, white over-powder card on top of ball. The card that was over the powder delaminated, leaving the blackened powder-side layer behind (found it) while the still-white front layer stuck to the two lubed nitro wads. My goal is no swabbing between shots, relying on combinations of lubed wads in the load. For this diameter ball, the wads didn't scrub the bore adequately and by the third round, loading "lacked grace." I've tried .672, .675, .678, .690, and agree with others here that close-to-bore diameter may not be the most accurate.

 

[RjSixgun]

NSSA uses bare ball and loose power.
you can use tin foil to make a cartridge or a rubber or plastic tube.
NO PAPER is allowed due to the risk of a cook off in the barrel and the risk of grass fires.

 

[Gun Tramp]

NSSA uses bare ball and loose power.

Smoothbore or rifled?

 

[nkbj]

The battlefield practice of spitting a ball down the barrel for fast shooting sort of tickled me when learning of it. I suppose the wet ball picked up a few grains of powder and wouldn't roll anywhere. That was for a rifled barrel of course and the fast shots were taken without patching.

 

[Leadball loader]

It would seem that there are two separate methods to be used in different shooting scenarios from the length of this thread.
I am a proponent of bare ball ,meaning my powder, treated paper wad ,grease ,ball ,and treated paper wad over ball to prevent movement off the powder.
This loads easily shot after shot and is safe from a fire starting smoldering ember as well as ball on powder security.
It also is an accurate load for me.
Shooting safely and with peace of mind as to method is my goal!
LBL

 

[Maven]

Just for fun, here's a twenty yard group. Ever wonder what goes on with card wads? At four o'clock is an embedded stack of one over-powder card and two .125 nitro cards; their ball struck at ten o'clock:
View attachment 44457
This was the first shot in a test of .690 ball in my .691-ish bore, loading order was: powder, white over-powder card, two lubed nitro wads, ball, white over-powder card on top of ball. The card that was over the powder delaminated, leaving the blackened powder-side layer behind (found it) while the still-white front layer stuck to the two lubed nitro wads. My goal is no swabbing between shots, relying on combinations of lubed wads in the load. For this diameter ball, the wads didn't scrub the bore adequately and by the third round, loading "lacked grace." I've tried .672, .675, .678, .690, and agree with others here that close-to-bore diameter may not be the most accurate.

 

[Maven]

Just about as amusing as the greased felt wad I found on my 25 yd. target, Gun Tramp!

 

[Archer 756]

It seems that few understand BARE BALL / SMOOTH BORE

 

[sawyer04]

I carry a double loaded with shot on modified and ball on open side packed with tow or wasp nest. Is this considered bare ball?

 

[RjSixgun]

Smoothbore or rifled?

in the smoothbore events and rifle musket events
smoothbore everyone uses roundball, Rifle Musket everyone uses minie ball.......no patch in any event, no paper in any event, no wad in any event except revolver
Also no loading from the flask.

 

[tenngun]

in the smoothbore events and rifle musket events
smoothbore everyone uses roundball, Rifle Musket everyone uses minie ball.......no patch in any event, no paper in any event, no wad in any event except revolver
Also no loading from the flask.

Loading form the flask was misstated since I assumed a measure.
How do you carry your powder?

 

[RjSixgun]

powder is carried in pre-measured amounts in rubber or plastic tubes or tin foil cartridges, in a leather cartridge bag or pouch per US Civil War regulations.
caps are also in a leather cap box/pouch as per Civil War regulations.
Revolver loads are the same way, pre-measured in a rubber or plastic tube.

pull the projectile out of the tube and dump powder down the barrel.
drop the tube on the ground
put the projectile in the barrel and ram it home.
cock the hammer, cap and fire

 

[toot]

how does it work with tin foil cartridges? isn't is hard to tear it open with your teeth and pouring it into the barrel?

 

[tenngun]

Is it timed?
If you use foil do you drop that on the ground?
Don’t want to sound pissy but that seems a step away from an hc contest.

 

[Archer 756]

[U]RjSixgun[/U] thanks for trying to explain what BARE BALL SHOOTING is Thanks! To all others please read what BARE BALL SHOOING is !

 

[hanshi]

I know what a "bare ball" is and that some shooters drop a naked ball directly on powder. But, maybe just me, a bare ball is a ball with NOTHING covering it; no paper, foil or plastic between the ball and the bore. A patch of any sort makes it a "patched ball", an op wad does not. I trust my own BB load to take deer efficiently up to 50 yards or so. I expect my prb load to do that up to maybe 75 yards.
May be flukes but have a couple of targets fired with this load; rivals the prb load.

For comparison, a couple of prb groups at 50 yds. This is my normal load for hunting.

Don't use this load, hard to seat and with a .606" prb. 8 shots at 50 yds & two unexplained fliers.


No real difference to speak of as both prb and bare are roughly equal. Prb just seems to hold accuracy better beyond the 50 yds mentioned and is more consistent.

 

[RjSixgun]

how does it work with tin foil cartridges? isn't is hard to tear it open with your teeth and pouring it into the barrel?

Tin foil comes in different thicknesses so youll need to see which works best for you, but tearing them open is not a problem.

Is it timed?
If you use foil do you drop that on the ground?
Don’t want to sound pissy but that seems a step away from an hc contest.

Team events are based on time and number of hits on breakable targets.
individual events are standard N-SSA bullseye targets events are timed but score is not based on time used.

[U]RjSixgun[/U] thanks for trying to explain what BARE BALL SHOOTING is Thanks! To all others please read what BARE BALL SHOOING is !

Yes bare ball means just that bare ball, only thing on the ball is lube, no patch, wad, card. Just powder and ball on top!!
One thing Id like to point out here is something we call a "cook off". Anything you put in the barrel may leave a burning ember behind and when you drop powder down the barrel it will ignite. This is what we call a "cook off" I have see many people have them and a few people loose a finger or 2, one guy sent a brass ram rod threw his and and another took 45 grains of powder to the face (thank God he was wearing shooting glasses)


Didnt mean to take this thread over with n-ssa stuff, so if anyone would like to know more about the N-SSA either PM me or see the N-SSA website. Thanks!

 

[tenngun]

Well I found your comments interesting. Never been to a NSSA match and all them new dangled guns

 

[RjSixgun]

Well I found your comments interesting. Never been to a NSSA match and all them new dangled guns

Check out the N-SSA website or youtube, there are so many videos about it.
Ive been a member for 30+ years now.
also check out how to make paper cartridges. Id suggest using the American 1861 style, and modifying to your needs and caliber. You can use stick glue instead of string, you can also glue the edges to make it a little more water tight. and like I said tin foil works well too! plus if foil gets in the barrel it wont leave any embers to to cause a cook off.