The Bevel Brothers did an article on this very same subject in either the Febuary, June or July issue of Muzzle Blast magazine. Just checked, it was the May 2007 issue.
Their research/experimentation bassically stated that wheel weight round balls work. They don't effect accuracy, and they're not hard enough to damage the barrel.
The normal load for the gun was a .445 round ball with .012 denim patch. The .445 ball became .446 when made of wheel weights. To get the .446 ball to work, he had to drop down to a .008 patch. To get his normal .012 patch to work, he had to use a .440 wheel weight ball, or as he calls them "steelies".
It's italicized in the article "once I found a patch and ball combination that I could load, the hard balls shot just as accurately as my regular soft ones."
They were using "chunk" guns.
The article is a good read.
I had thought about doing the same thing, then I happened upon a local gun shop that was closing down. I bought all the lead he had for a quarter a pound. I bought a lot.
Their research/experimentation bassically stated that wheel weight round balls work. They don't effect accuracy, and they're not hard enough to damage the barrel.
The normal load for the gun was a .445 round ball with .012 denim patch. The .445 ball became .446 when made of wheel weights. To get the .446 ball to work, he had to drop down to a .008 patch. To get his normal .012 patch to work, he had to use a .440 wheel weight ball, or as he calls them "steelies".
It's italicized in the article "once I found a patch and ball combination that I could load, the hard balls shot just as accurately as my regular soft ones."
They were using "chunk" guns.
The article is a good read.
I had thought about doing the same thing, then I happened upon a local gun shop that was closing down. I bought all the lead he had for a quarter a pound. I bought a lot.
