Non-Toxic Prb Alternative - Solid Brass Ball Testing

[roundball]

Received the 20-packs of solid Brass Balls from Online Metals. ($12.88 / bag of 20)
I ordered size .5625" as they'd fit a .58cal, and assuming they're accurate at the range, I could then also try them on deer this fall for some hands on field testing.

SIZE TESTING APPROACH
Sized 20 with steel Dial Calipers, 3-4 different axis measurements per ball.
Sizes seemed identical no matter which way I tried to measure them.
I even then locked the dial caliper jaws open at .5625" and repeatedly picked up & dropped the balls through the jaws knowing they'd be going through on a different axis each time.
None ever hung up, further substantiating the consistent measurements, nothing out of round, etc.

WEIGHT TESTING APPROACH
Weighing 20 of them they all came in just about perfectly at 201 grains.
A couple were 200.8 grains, a couple were 201.3 grains, the rest dead on 201 grains.
Only a fraction of a grain variance which is virtually no weight variance at all, and far more consistent than typical lead balls.

MY INITIAL TEST SUMMARY
Extremely high quality / consistent brass balls in both size & weight.
Basically .562" round balls at 201 grains.
No question that these solid brass balls will pose no risk in loading & fitting my .58cal/.580" bore.
Essentially a 200grn projectile, it falls between a .50cal/175 and .54cal/225 in ball weight.
Plus, with the added benefit of a larger frontal area at .562" diameter I’m confident that it'll get the job done on an eastern whitetail at typical woods distances.

All that remains is to test powder charge & patch thickness for an accurate deer hunting load.
This should turn out to be a readily available, high quality, non-toxic PRB out of a .58cal.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

This should be interesting. :hmm:

 

[cynthialee]

Eagerly awaiting your field test.

 

[PaulN/KS]

Looking forward to your findings Sir. :hmm:
And Thanks for checking this out and sharing it. :hatsoff:

 

[Rifleman1776]

Results will be interesting. Especially since you (probably) will not be able to engrave rifling on them as you load. The patch has double responsibility here.
And, I kinda cringe at the thought of sending brass downrange into the dirt considering the price of brass and copper these days.

 

[roundball]

I've seen posts for years that rifling marks are supposed to be engraved on 100% lead ball...even patch weave marks on lead balls. But personally, I've never recovered lead balls from water jugs, wet phone books, or deer that ever showed any marks of anything engraved on them, so at this point I'm not worried about that.
In addition, I see posts where people use lead alloys which casts a harder ball that to my knowledge does not engrave, yet IIRC, accuracy was never mentioned as being an issue.
Also, I believe the commercial non-toxic ITX ball is so hard it doesn't engrave either.

And yes, they're pricey, and I knew that going in...but they're less expensive than the ITX balls and the precision of the brass ball manufacturing consistency is incredible.
Plus, it shouldn't take all that many shots to find a load...I know my abilities and that of the .58cal so I won't be shooting dozens of groups like I was trying to qualify for entry into a National Competition or something.

My current .58cal load is a powder puff 100grns 2F under a .570/279grn lead ball. With these being a lot lighter (and expensive) in that big bore, I'll start with 100grns 2F at 25yds, and have premeasured 110/120grn charges with me.
I normally use a .022" patch with .570" balls in the .58cal x .016" round bottom grooves...with these balls being .008" smaller diameter at .562", I'll have other thicker patches with me as well. Then finalize at 50yds.

So that's the whole point of my accuracy tests with these brass balls...to see first hand if these will be accurate enough to use for deer hunting...and it'll cost some money to find out but the end game will be worth it.

 

[cynthialee]

The price of some brass round balls and powder is pretty cheap when you add meat in the freezer into the mix.


Do they make a brass ball that would fit the .50? Not that I need them, just curious. Never know, I might get brave and wanna try new things out myself.

 

[roundball]

Do they make a brass ball that would fit the .50?

This particular manufacturer doesn't seem to have one that would work in a .50cal.
Other manufacturers in the metals industry may have something in the .475" - .485" range though.
What you always need to guard against are sloppy manufacturing tolerances and/or out of round balls.
If a hard ball like this got wedged tight in a bore, you couldn't pull it out with a ball puller as the screw wouldn't go into the hard brass.
And trying to bloop one out might require so much powder that you'd risk the "bore obstruction" scenario and bulge a barrel.
However, I could imagine a drill bit on the end of a strong solid rod being used to start a pilot hole for a ball puller, or even then a 'tap' to use a machine screw on a rod, etc.

A lot of "maybes" so IMO, hard solid balls need to have a little extra undersize to them to allow for possible dimension variances without getting stuck in the bore...and just adjust patch thickness to compensate.

 

[Robby]

Cool idea Roundball. I'm willing to bet they carry better than the glass marbles at a longer distance. We don't need them here .....Yet, hopefully never, but I really enjoy these experiments. :hatsoff:
Robby

 

[cynthialee]

OK thanks.

 

[Billnpatti]

It is an interesting experiment but I don't understand the purpose in it. I am not aware of a state where you are not allowed to use lead balls in your muzzleloader nor do I know of any that are considering banning lead balls. Not that I am questioning what you do, I just honestly do not understand why you are shooting such expensive balls. If lead were to be banned, it would make sense to shoot brass or whatever worked but until that day, I see no reason beyond scientific curiosity to shoot brass balls. Help me understand the reason behind this interesting experiment.

 

It is an interesting experiment but I don't understand the purpose in it. ... I see no reason beyond scientific curiosity to shoot brass balls. Help me understand the reason behind this interesting experiment.

How much more help do you require? :rotf:

 

[gmww]

First off I'd like to thank you once again for your range experiments over the years. This one will definitely be interesting. Any chance of trying to recover the balls?

 

[roundball]

I am not aware of a state where you are not allowed to use lead balls in your muzzleloader nor do I know of any that are considering banning lead balls.

Lead projectiles are already banned in sections of California...with other states looking at doing something similar. Some states have also already implemented bans on lead shot in certain sections and not just wildlife impoundments, but general upland game hunting areas. Lead based projectiles are right on their heels.

So yes, the lead ban movement has already begun and is why commercial production of a .50cal non-toxic ITX ball already became a reality 2-3 years ago.

I see no reason beyond scientific curiosity to shoot brass balls.

That's exactly what it is...it's all about exploring, testing, learning about alternatives.
I've gone through similar testing and found certain manufacturers of no-bounce rubber balls that are outstanding in .40 & .50cal muzzleloaders...and 9/16 marbles are outstanding in .58 & .62cals.

 

[gmww]

Unfortunately I see lead being banned eventually like California. Having a resource ready such as this makes it that much easier to transition should the day come. Beside when we start talking .54" and above expandability is nice but not really crucial on some animals. IMHO.

 

[PaulN/KS]

It is an interesting experiment but I don't understand the purpose in it. I am not aware of a state where you are not allowed to use lead balls in your muzzleloader nor do I know of any that are considering banning lead balls. Not that I am questioning what you do, I just honestly do not understand why you are shooting such expensive balls. If lead were to be banned, it would make sense to shoot brass or whatever worked but until that day, I see no reason beyond scientific curiosity to shoot brass balls. Help me understand the reason behind this interesting experiment.

For folks who hunt on Federal Public Lands in a variety of states this could be good to know stuff... :hmm:
Yes, not needed now but it could be in the near future.

 

[roundball]

Any chance of trying to recover the balls?

I suspect there could be...given the price of these, and the desire to test a lot of things (ie: chronograph) there's just a lot of logistics to plan out for what started as a simple accuracy trip...LOL.
All the initial set up and accuracy testing...now ball recovery...and I'd also thought of setting up a chronograph, and so on...takes a lot of time on a range.
I'd want to do as much as I can in one trip with a handful of these balls but the heat & humidity are factors right now (for me, not the gun).

I guess I could fill a sturdy rectangular cardboard box full of sand and mount the target on one end...use it for sight-in and capture some balls at the same time...tape over the holes.
Or might line up a few gallon water jugs.
And if I do chronograph any during the same trip, it'll simply be a 3 shot average if & after a satisfactory deer load has been developed with one particular powder charge...need to have a few balls left for deer season, etc.

 

[gmww]

A potato sack with sand might work well too. I checked the site you got them from. Sure wish they had them for my .54 or .62 barrels. I don't have a .58... :hmm:

 

[BrownBear]

I use a 5 gal bucket with a sheet of innertube against the inside on the shooting side. Fill it with sand, tape your target to the side with the tube and let her rip. The innertube "self heals" and mostly stops the sand dribble. I made a screen of 1/4" hardware cloth and presto, lead recovery. Should work for brass balls. I just can't see them passing through at any velocity. I popped my bucket with an 06 and ball ammo from 25 yards, and even that didn't make it all the way through. Sure geysered the sand though! :grin:

 

[roundball]

There's just so much to get ready for the range trip that I can grab a one time use sturdy cardboard box easier than finding a piece of inner tube and all that...not trying to make a permanent bullet trap, just trying to catch some or all of these on one trip, mainly for observation.

On the other hand, as expensive as they are wouldn't it be a real hoot if they didn't deform at all and could be reused...LOL