Patched RB?

[ncmtmike]

Do you gents ever use a patched rb? seems like I need to tighten up the load a bit,my guess is to much gas escape,to loose a ball.I shoot a .62 caliber with a .600 ball,over powder,wad,and over shot cards,just doesn't seem to be accurate :nono: . What do you think?

 

[cynthialee]

well how close are your targets?
In my smooth .56 I can hit inside a pie plate at 50 yards. Groups are not great but they are all in the plate.
I never bothered to try and get tight groups with my smoothbore. I know some guys get very good accuracy.

Ever try a larger bare ball nested between tow? Seems to work for some guns.
Also, rasping or dimpling your balls is said to help.
To rasp you either roll it between a pair of wood rasps or chew it. (not suggested, but hey...it is your brains) Dimpling the balls so they resemble tiny golf balls works. Put the balls in a rock tumbler for a few hours, or a tobacco can and put the can in your pick up and in a couple days they should be all good to go. {this presupposes that you are going to actually drive the vehicle during that time...}

 

[wayne terry]

Try polishing your bore with some fine steel wool might help it did mine.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Mine likes a .590 ball but I use a paper cartridge that snugs it up to the .620 bore... sorta like a small, paper shot cup... acts as a wad too.

LD

 

[Britsmoothy]

After trying for ages to get .562" to work in my .629" bore and nearly giving up, in desperation I tried two patches that measure around .041" and bingo!
B.

 

[Grenadier1758]

What is the size of your groups at what distance? You should expect minute of pie plate at 50 yards.

Optimal accuracy starts with knowing your bore diameter. A patched round ball technically would be one patch thickness less than the diameter of your bore. If the bore measures 0.620" and your patch thickness is 0.017, then go looser and use a 0.600" ball. You want some patch compression, Use your favorite rifle lube for the patch.

If that doesn't work then its time to try some of the other methods. Some guns like the nest of tow with an over powder wad. Some like a near bore sized bare ball with two over shot cards on the powder and an over shot card over the ball.

Every gun is different, so you get to try all manner of shooting options.

 

[BrownBear]

...just doesn't seem to be accurate...

There are guys on here shooting PRB in smoothies with near-rifle accuracy. Hats off to them, because they've put as much or more work into developing their loads than most guys with rifles.

Likely it's pure laziness on my part, but I've never bothered. When I want that kind of accuracy I just grab a rifle.

My most consistent use for PRB in a smoothie is to cure a nervous twitch. :wink:

I duck hunt with a SxS 12, but most of our duck waters are serious brown bear habitat. Try walking in brush before daylight, your flashlight showing muddy bear tracks you can put both feet into, still oozing water into them. :shocked2:

I generally avoid such places when entering before daylight, or at least decide to hunt elsewhere. :rotf:

Nuff story telling. The point is, I'm in the habit of loading PRB in both barrels for the walk in. I blow out the load (CO2) once I'm on site, then reload with my duck load. For the hike back to the truck I reload with PRB. Back at the truck I almost always shoot those out rather than blow. I can keep both shots on a bear head at 25 feet. Goodenuff.

 

[tenngun]

I shoot both patched and the tow method mentioned above. At 25 yards the shots are about the same at 50 yards patch shoots better. But with tow I can keep shots on a small paper plate and is well enough for hunting. As far as we know patchs weren't used in smooties in the old days, and you can get good shooting with out it.

 

[Dphar]

I have noticed that no matter what when I come across a big bear track my rifle suddenly seems smaller somehow....

:grin:

Dan

 

[cynthialee]

I have noticed that no matter what when I come across a big bear track my rifle suddenly seems smaller somehow....

:grin:

Dan

I'm a sissy about such things. I'd back track and leave the area!

 

[Artificer]

When I competed in the Northwest Trade Gun Aggregate at Friendship in the 70's, I found a PRB with a short starter was the ONLY way to go in my Brown Bess Carbine. That allowed me to hit the stretched/taught strings at 15 to 20 yards and split the ball on the axe at 25 yards from Offhand, WHEN I did my part in shooting it well.

Gus

 

[Maven]

It depends what you mean by "accuracy," mt. mike. As has already been mentioned, 6" - 8" or less @ 50 yd. is certainly achievable, but that also depends on user skill, given the likely absence of a rear sight and the fit of the RB to the bore. I.e., you'll need to determine the bore diameter before determining which RB diameter is best. E.g, my trade gun measures ~.615" at the muzzle and will shoot a .597"- (Tanner mould) or .600" RB (Lee Precision mould) accurately (using .014" or .018" thick patch). However, it didn't shoot a nominally .605" (.605" x .608") RB at all well. You may also find that a 1/8" lubed felt wad placed over the powder charge and under the patched RB improves accuracy a bit. Lastly, you may also wish to experiment with your powder charge, as some guns respond well to higher charges. I.e., without rifling, you essentially have a knuckle ball. A bit more speed may stabilize it.

 

[smokepole tc]

in my 62 smoothbore i shoot 80 grains fffg 015 patch lubed with mink oil .600 ball keep them in a 5" circle out to 70 yards.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

I shoot a .600 ball with .015 patch and 65 grains of 2Fg. It will shoot one hole groups at 25 yards and 3 inch groups at 50. I attribute the accuracy to the rough bore.

 

[wattlebuster]

In my 12 ga flinter I shoot 80 grns ffg pushing a patched self made 690 ball. It shoots like a rifle out to 50 and does fair enough to 75 that I would'nt hesitate to take a 75 yd shot. I have not tried it past 75. The barrel is a colerain 32 in oct to round thats jug choked by Danny Caywood. And it does have a back sight on it :hatsoff:

 

[nwtradegun]

always have and always will use a patch rd ball.
top accuracy .

 

[cullen1780]

I always shoot a bare ball in a smoothbore for best accuracy. One fouling shot and then .670 with 70gr FF in my .69 Charlesville and have to dry brush the bore after about 20 shots. I use a 570 over 60gr in the .58 after fouling and have to brush more frequently as it fouls.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Don't believe there are many "gents" here. But, I'll try to answer you enneyhow. :wink:
Using a prb is common. Some prefer a bare ball over wads. Some like prb over wads, others just the prb.
Bores do vary. I have trouble loading a .600" ball down my 20 ga./.62 cal. barrel. Others find is easy going.
I have a match coming up next month I plan to shoot trade gun in and hope to try a bare ball over wad. But near 100 degree weather has given me the lazies. Haven't tried it yet.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Mine likes a .590 ball

Where do you get them?

 

[Ken Cormier]

Like rj I only shoot a patched r/b in my Centermark Tulle. I shoot 70 grains 3fff real BP 600 ball with 16 thous pillow ticking. When I first started shooting smoothies. I had a hard time getting good acc until a old gray beard pointed out that I was try to shoot it like a rifle. This is what worked opp for me. I developed a simple point and shoot method like a shot gun.
After a couple hundred rounds thing's came together. ( could have been all that practice) I don't know fer sure BUT that's my story and I am sticking to it.