Loose balls in bag

[jbwilliams3]

This question is both utilitarian and historically-minded, thus I may copy it onto the hist. accurate equ. forum as well. Anyhow”¦

So, I made my hunting pouch pretty small (only about 6 ½” wide) because my old one was considerably large- I didn’t need the space, etc. I think it may be much easier to load my rifle from loose ball at the bottom of the bag. I’m thinking of ditching my ball bag (I’ll at least try it out the next time I’m out.) It was taking up quite some space and the only purpose it was serving was in keeping the balls from fall out of the bag if I was, for some reason, running or falling, etc.

Do any of you hunt with loose balls at the bottom of your bags and find it practical?

Also, from a historical perspective, do you find this an acceptable practice?

Thank you, kindly.

Only a few more days until I get some days off to hit the woods!

 

[FishDFly]

Why does sex have to become a topic when a person wants to increase their knowledge about a M/L guns?
RDE

 

[rabjr]

Not sure I want loose lead balls rolling around touching everything else in my bag.

 

[jbwilliams3]

apologies- not a comment which I thought would offend.

 

[54mountain]

For hunting I would not see a problem with a few loose balls in the bottom of a small bag they would be easy to get to and IMO the less clutter in the field the better :wink:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I have one bag that has a small pocket in a thin buckskin divider that I use to keep a few balls in.

I've seen some original hunting pouches that were, in fact, merely "ball bags" and held little else. One really slick rig was a deeply curved horn that had the half-moon shaped bag nesting in the curve of the horn. Would have held maybe 50 balls, a strip or two of patching and maybe a tin of caps or a couple flints. For years I have wanted to copy that idea but haven't found a suitable horn.

I still use a ball bag otherwise. I keep ball blocks with three to eight pre-lubed balls and load from them. So to refill the block it's not bad to dip into the ball bag.

My favorite hunting/shooting bag has no pockets or dividers (well, one pocket in the back that's only big enough for two flints). To have everything loose & in the bottom would risk losing things onto the ground when I was feeling around for a lead ball.

 

[redwing]

It is often mentioned by hunters and trappers in the days of yore. They carried their RBS in a bag tied to the waist belt.
They were very important to survival as was the powder horn. I think if the balls were allowed to roll around in bag they could be lost in an accident . As for a modern hunter in Virginia you are never that far from Sporting Goods store, Why worry. :rotf:

 

[jbwilliams3]

Stumpkiller,
Methinks I like that original idea, but right now far exceeds my ability.
Redwing,
This is true, never too far away that I can’t hop in the car and find me some balls or make some at home.
Anyhow, I made another ball bag to tuck inside of my possible bag (not hunting pouch) but realize this is overkill when just on a short hunt. The ONLY things that would be at the bottom of my current set up are the balls. I try to keep things simple in my pouch- balls (previously in another bag inside the pouch), patching, pocket knife, and worm in a small leather pocket inside pouch, and maybe a turnscrew hanging in a small tool loop. So the lead contamination really isn’t an issue.

 

[jbwilliams3]

Oh, and for a short hunt there would only be a few balls down there.

I suppose it's not that big a deal to just keep one of my ball bags in there, it just seemed so much more free without it. Of course, not too many shots taken while in the woods anyways...

 

[paulvallandigham]

I have tried using loose balls in the bottom of my possible's bag, then in a small ball bag carried inside of it.

Frankly using a ball block- or 2 or more-- to hold patched round balls makes a lot more sense when hunting. I go through and past a lot of brush that will whip ya', stick ya', or grab ya' where I hunt in the river bottoms here. You can easily trip and fall if you are moving too fast, and not watching where you step. Keeping the balls in a ball block already patched makes for faster loading, but more important, it keeps them in the possible bag- or around my neck-- where I can find them quickly. I am tying a thong to the ball block, and then looping the other end around my bag strap, so it doesn't matter if I fall and the contents of my bag spill. The Ball block will be attached to the bag.

I have had the bag spill its contents, once in my car, where it took forever to recover all the lead balls that managed to find ways to fall down more cracks than I knew existed in that car! The other time was at some area where the Grass Gods ate more balls than I recovered. That is what inspired me to get a small ball bag. I still carry too many balls in that bag, and certainly more than I ever need when deer hunting. But, I am trying to do better. A 3 ball block plus the round in my rifle will probably be 2 shots more than I will ever need, but that is okay, too.

I am also trying to make a small flat horn, that will only carry about 500 grains of powder in it, to take hunting, and leave my bigger horns home. The small horn should fit in a pocket for me, and that makes it easier to carry, and less likely to get caught on something than my powder horn carried on a strap around my neck and arm.

My suggestion is that while carrying balls loose in the bottom of a bag sounds " free and easy", it can make unintended problems that are much harder to solve. And, you are more likely to carry more lead than you need to when you do this. Give it some more thought. :hmm: :hatsoff:

 

[PreglerD]

Hello from Germany!

When starting with ML hunting 2 years ago I used also the loose balls. But I found that it is not practically to grab around for the ball and the patch. So realy fast I started using the ball block with 5 PRB carrying them around my neck with a leather string. I feel very confident with this solution.
Just my 2 cents.


Regards

Kirrmeister :hatsoff:

 

[410-er]

When I squirrel hunt,somtimes a quick 2nd or 3rd shot is needed.I recently started taking the ball bag plus about 10,32cal balls in the bottom of the bag.This started by accident as some spilled in the bag.They were always at the same spot in the bag.Think I'll start keeping a patch ready between the barrel and rod to make it a little faster.

 

[tg]

I carry a handfull of loose balls and sq. patches in the bottom of my bag, I don't know about PC as there is not a great deal of detail in period records, its kinda like which side did they carry the bag on. there are some period mentions of some ways of carrying balls but likely not all were recorded. I find it very usefull when hunting as it is for a reload and I just powder ball and spit patch and I can reload in 20 seconds or less (smoothbore)this shot usuall goes into the deer head at point blank or dumped into a stump at days end.After a number on years the contents od my bag kept getting to be less and less so there is no problem with clutter.I have used a bullet board which is a bit faster but gave it up as I leaned toward more documentable item.

 

Ball bag, inside the pouch.
:v

 

[wvbuckbuster]

I use loading blocks only for deer hunting but carry extra balls in a ball bag along with the blocks when squirrel hunting. Just what I do. :grin:

 

[Melton Kidd]

My bag has a pocket on across the back inside that is about 1 1/2" deep and just wide enough for my thumb and fore finger. A ball wrapped in a pre lubed patch will stay there and the patch does not come off. I have tried the ball board but the narrow pocket is faster for me.

Signcutter

 

[Larry Pletcher]

I tried loose balls in by pouch because of some nerve damage in my hands. It didn't work well at all. This solution below isn't historically correct, but I gave it a try anyway.

The flat horn hangs around my neck and dispenses one ball at a time. The tension is adjusted with a filing to fit the ball you use. I think the horn holds about 10 balls.

During a woods walk, a bullet block works because you don't have to mess with patches. Do what works for you. Because of hand problems I changed loading methods, which side my bag hangs on, and tried this flat horn idea.

Regards,
Pletch

 

[Chilidog]

Wow Pletch, that's cool. I've not seen that done before. 'Splain a little more about the tension, what do you mean be a "filing?"

 

[Larry Pletcher]

I cut the beak shape out of a flat horn. (This was done with no plug.) I dropped a ball down inside and noted where it stopped rolling. Then take a round rasp and begin to relieve the inside of the beak. Work from the tipo and not the sides. Continue until a ball will roll down to the tip of the beak. Trial fit until you can pull a ball out and can reinsert it. When the tension is right you can do both. You can feel the flex in teh top and bottom beak parts. Don't take too much or you'll have to shoot a bigger ball. Install the plug and a staple to hang it.

Hung around your neck, you can grab a ball with thumb and index finger and pull it without any extra effort. The next ball will roll down to replace it.

As I said, this isn't PC. I did see a ball horn in Madison Grant, but it wasn't this design.
Regards,
Pletch

 

[RonT]

Now that is slick............ :bow:
R