Conicals in smooth bore

[naterflint]

Has anyone tested if conicals bullets shoot straighter in a smooth bore

 

[Grenadier1758]

Yes, @naterflint, there are a number of threads on the Forum that have tested the use of conical bullets in a smoothbore. The consensus is that wadding, patched or bare, a round ball is the better solution when we want a solid projectile to be shot from our smooth bored guns.

Conical bullets need to be stabilized by spin to be accurate.

 

[wiscoaster]

.....

Conical bullets need to be stabilized by spin to be accurate.

Ditto that.

 

[stubshaft]

They shoot great out to 10 feet

 

[naterflint]

They shoot great out to 10 feet

Ok thanks. just wondering about huntin load if I had a smooth bore

 

[stubshaft]

There is nothing that a pure lead roundball will not kill. Davy Crockett claimed 125 bear kills with his .40 caliber rifle!

 

[brazosland]

OP, have you held a .62 caliber ball in your hand?

Tell you what, stand at 50 yards and let me shoot you with one.

Then, if you are able, let’s discuss its effectiveness as a hunting projectile. Let me know when you are ready.

 

[deerstalkert]

OP, have you held a .62 caliber ball in your hand?

Tell you what, stand at 50 yards and let me shoot you with one.

Then, if you are able, let’s discuss its effectiveness as a hunting projectile. Let me know when you are ready.

does he have to catch it in his teeth?
I tried a couple REAL bullets in my fowler, as what was stated earlier in the thread, accuracy is great at 10 ft.
At 15 feet they are minute of chronograph. don't ask.

 

[morehops52]

It would take the equivalent of a shotgun rifled slug. I'm wondering if one of the old time German smiths came up with one to use in their smooth rifles.

 

[Mad Professor]

I think they would start to tumble. Holes in a target would tell you that.

 

[Eric Krewson]

I tried a conical or two in my 12ga, I didn't have any cast so I cut apart some 12ga slug rounds and tried the rifled slugs. They shot an awful group and key holed on every shot.

I would suspect that someone could try a wide variety of conicals and loads and find something that would shoot OK. In my 12 that would be something in the 500+ grain weight that would punish the shooter to the max, no thanks!

 

[nkbj]

Somebody somewhere has a lead bullet design that stabilizes like a badminton shuttlecock but I haven't seen it. But I know it's out there because curiosity and inventiveness are irrepressible.

 

[Billy Boy]

Has anyone tested if conicals bullets shoot straighter in a smooth bore

It would have to be very Foster Slug like (think badminton birdie), they have been working in smoothbores (12, 16, 20 ga) for about 70 some years now. Solid conical in a smoothbore - save your powder...

 

[Timber Wolf]

I am embarrassed to say I tried a conical in a smoothbore and the experiment was an abject failure. I bought a mold from a member here off the forum for a conical, maybe a Ballard or something. It cast a beautiful slug that was a nice fit for the bore of my .56 smoothbore Renegade. Lubed bullets had just a hint of resistance as you pushed them “whistling” down the barrel. It also had a nice thin skirt around a hollow base that theoretically should expand on firing sealing to the barrel. Anyway, although it appeared to have every chance to succeed it keyholed badly, all over the paper. Those big, ragged, sideways holes were impressive in their ugliness. This from a long gun that shoots very well with a patched round ball. And yes, I am a little slow and hard headed at times but I just had to try it for myself. Oh well, even a bad day casting and burning black powder is better than working.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Has anyone tested if conicals bullets shoot straighter in a smooth bore

I think it was also done in the ACW, but not as an "idea" but as a logistics faux pas. I read somewhere that Confederates shooting .69 smoothbores got hold of a mess of .58 cartridges, and were using those until "better" ammo was found. I wouldn't want to be within 50 yards of a volley from those, .58 minies or .69 round balls.

It was a very old source, and I read it decades ago, and I'm not sure if it was conjecture, where they saw a unit with old .69 smoothbore muskets had been issued .58 cartridges, or if the unit had been upgraded to rifled muskets so the ammo was correct, and the historian didn't know of the weapon change, and assumed the old .69's were still being used.

LD

 

[nkbj]

Foster slugs versus shuttlecocks...

You'd have to make the slug conical in cross section like an old style water cooler cup, like an ICBM delivered warhead reentry vehicle. There's no reason why you shouldn't except that people seem to want the front end big.