I don't thwap, tap, bounce or tamp. I just press the ball against the powder, trying to use the same amount of pressure each time I load. You can feel when the ball seats, and you can even feel the powder "crunch" a bit if you press too hard. This improved my accuracy quite a bit over other methods I've tried. It's also pretty easy on the ball and doesn't deform it too much.
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"Pile Driving" (bouncing) the ramrod on a PRB?
- Thread starter wolfe28
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I never tried to say anyone else should or should not do anything, or that anyones way of doing anything was wrong, not as good as mine, or anything else. All I said is that I do bounce myself, explained how I do so, and what the results are when I do. As has been said, there is more than one correct way to shoot a muzzleloader. Tis one of the most beautiful things about them.
If your short starter is cutting up the ball, you need a larger tip with a more shallow dish to keep those edges away from the ball. I got stuck on one trip with my 36 starter and my 50 Mountian rifle. Anything beyond close range was a waste of time.
If your short starter is cutting up the ball, you need a larger tip with a more shallow dish to keep those edges away from the ball. I got stuck on one trip with my 36 starter and my 50 Mountian rifle. Anything beyond close range was a waste of time.
DanChamberlain
45 Cal.
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I never knew you were supposed to. So I don't. Too late to start now.
Dan
Dan
fisher king said:
So that's something else to get away from. :winking:
I just push hard with finger pressure. Try not to put any part of my hand over the rammer. Know that three fingers of rod is full set. And lube and patch so I don't need a short starter to get the ball going.
A tapered rammer helps.
"seat the ball to the mark on the rod"
I've always loved this. Just how does this marked get on the rod? I have to make the mark. So how do I know when I made the mark, that it was seated all the way? :blah:
You guys must be using awful dang heavy ram rods if it's distorting the ball.
I've always loved this. Just how does this marked get on the rod? I have to make the mark. So how do I know when I made the mark, that it was seated all the way? :blah:
You guys must be using awful dang heavy ram rods if it's distorting the ball.
woodmaster62
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Hey all! :hatsoff:
My bro-in-law and I go to our local rondyvoo and try to have a good time at out shoot. You wait your turn to shoot, and meanwhile you observe others doing their thing. I've seen some with starters and some not. I've even seen seen some of the hammer tappers. And you always see some rod bouncers. It seems some of the more pc of the guys go for the bounceing and even the hammers. Some shoot well some don't. It seems to me that the indians back then would have really liked the scalps of the ones who spent their time doing all these things. But hey!--to each their own.
As for me, I don't use a starter, just a ball board and the ramrod. I don't bounce because I have the depth marked on the rod to:
1--be sure that I'm seated correctly
2--Make sure that the powder is really in there
(I don't know about anyone else but you dont pay attention you forget where you are at!)
3--Make sure that I only have 1 load in there
(hey-I've done two before luckly I caught it)
Does it affect my shooting? Sometimes I nail almost everything - sometimes nothing. I do best when I'm having fun at it.
I do get a kick when its time to shoot--while all the short starting, bounceing, and hammering is going on - I'll get asked aren't you going to load? Shucks - I'm already done.
Have a good un! :thumbsup:
grumpy bear
My bro-in-law and I go to our local rondyvoo and try to have a good time at out shoot. You wait your turn to shoot, and meanwhile you observe others doing their thing. I've seen some with starters and some not. I've even seen seen some of the hammer tappers. And you always see some rod bouncers. It seems some of the more pc of the guys go for the bounceing and even the hammers. Some shoot well some don't. It seems to me that the indians back then would have really liked the scalps of the ones who spent their time doing all these things. But hey!--to each their own.
As for me, I don't use a starter, just a ball board and the ramrod. I don't bounce because I have the depth marked on the rod to:
1--be sure that I'm seated correctly
2--Make sure that the powder is really in there
(I don't know about anyone else but you dont pay attention you forget where you are at!)
3--Make sure that I only have 1 load in there
(hey-I've done two before luckly I caught it)
Does it affect my shooting? Sometimes I nail almost everything - sometimes nothing. I do best when I'm having fun at it.
I do get a kick when its time to shoot--while all the short starting, bounceing, and hammering is going on - I'll get asked aren't you going to load? Shucks - I'm already done.
Have a good un! :thumbsup:
grumpy bear
Blizzard of '93
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I can't see it doing any good, loading pressure consistency is good for accuracy. I dry-patch between shots and use a barely wet patch (Go-Jo white for lube) around RB and do OK.
For accuracy, consistency is everything. That said, if you consistently do something that can harm your bore, accuracy will become inconsistent.
I've rod bounced in the past. If done carefully and 'consistently' it did seem to help accuracy a bit...at times. Other times it was just wasted effort. Whether it helped or not, seemed to depend on weather conditions.
Don't do it anymore. Concern about bore & projectile damage partly. Partly, because I like to shoot and I get more shootin' the less I monkey around between shots.
Bob
I've rod bounced in the past. If done carefully and 'consistently' it did seem to help accuracy a bit...at times. Other times it was just wasted effort. Whether it helped or not, seemed to depend on weather conditions.
Don't do it anymore. Concern about bore & projectile damage partly. Partly, because I like to shoot and I get more shootin' the less I monkey around between shots.
Bob
I use a thingy that looks like a gear shift knob on the end of the rod, then I apply pressure until I feel the powder give a little. Maybe it ain't the right thing to do but that's how I do it. I also put a witness mark on the rod for my favorite load. I use a Sharpy, and if I want a different load, use a different color. I'm pretty sure my ball is seated. :v
Given that experience is knowing when you make the same mistake AGAIN, I prefer not to pee on an electric fence (Paul, I love that line, I hope you don't mind if I use it some).
Okay, sorry to stir up such a hornet's nest, but thank you to everyone who has answered. I'm learning a lot about this new "addiction" of mine (muzzleloading), and I can really use the feedback. The reason I asked the question, and engaged in "pile driving" is: first, the one shot I fired out of a muzzleloader at scout camp, I was taught to load that way (not to mention, to "throw" the ramrod down the barrel to move the ball down the barrel; this may be due to a decrease in risk, meaning your hand is not in front of the barrel if the charge goes off). That was also my first muzzleloading experience. Second, air is compressible, solids and liquids are not. If the ball is not firmly on the powder charge, the air under the ball will compress, absorbing the shock of the ramrod hitting the ball, hence no bounce. Once the ball is on the powder firmly, there is no air to compress and absorbe the shock of the ramrod, and therefor, the rod bounces. Third, you all have way more experience than I do, so, ask the people who know.
I have marked my ramrod (with a sharpie) to know where the current target load is, so technically, once the mark meets the muzzle, the load is ready, and I should no longer need to bounce the rod to figure out if the load is properly seated. But (the word in the sentance that negates everything in front of it), that brings up another question.
I have a TC New Englander in .50 caliber, as well as the TC ball starter as an accessory. The stub and the short starter, although listed as .50 caliber accessories, do leave some ring like marks on the ball as it is seated. Since these should all match the ball, does this mean something else is amiss?
Also, back to the evil bouncing question, assuming the ball is seated on the powder correctly, does bouncing the ramrod cause the ball to expand in the barrel? If this did occur, and happened unevenly, that would definitely throw off someone's accuracy. If I had an air discharger, I could test this, but using a screw to pull out the ball run down the barrel would ruin any chance of measuring to see if the ball changed dimentions.
Thanks again, one and all.
D
Okay, sorry to stir up such a hornet's nest, but thank you to everyone who has answered. I'm learning a lot about this new "addiction" of mine (muzzleloading), and I can really use the feedback. The reason I asked the question, and engaged in "pile driving" is: first, the one shot I fired out of a muzzleloader at scout camp, I was taught to load that way (not to mention, to "throw" the ramrod down the barrel to move the ball down the barrel; this may be due to a decrease in risk, meaning your hand is not in front of the barrel if the charge goes off). That was also my first muzzleloading experience. Second, air is compressible, solids and liquids are not. If the ball is not firmly on the powder charge, the air under the ball will compress, absorbing the shock of the ramrod hitting the ball, hence no bounce. Once the ball is on the powder firmly, there is no air to compress and absorbe the shock of the ramrod, and therefor, the rod bounces. Third, you all have way more experience than I do, so, ask the people who know.
I have marked my ramrod (with a sharpie) to know where the current target load is, so technically, once the mark meets the muzzle, the load is ready, and I should no longer need to bounce the rod to figure out if the load is properly seated. But (the word in the sentance that negates everything in front of it), that brings up another question.
I have a TC New Englander in .50 caliber, as well as the TC ball starter as an accessory. The stub and the short starter, although listed as .50 caliber accessories, do leave some ring like marks on the ball as it is seated. Since these should all match the ball, does this mean something else is amiss?
Also, back to the evil bouncing question, assuming the ball is seated on the powder correctly, does bouncing the ramrod cause the ball to expand in the barrel? If this did occur, and happened unevenly, that would definitely throw off someone's accuracy. If I had an air discharger, I could test this, but using a screw to pull out the ball run down the barrel would ruin any chance of measuring to see if the ball changed dimentions.
Thanks again, one and all.
D
If you make sure the spent cap has been removed from the nipple, and the hammer is at half cock, the air won't compress, it'll be pushed out the opening.
One way to remove a ball to examine it's nose is with a grease fitting replacing the nipple and pumping the ball out with grease. I've never tried this, but the compressed air gadget will throw the ball a good way from the muzzle. Who can tell what the ball looked like before it landed. :winking:
One way to remove a ball to examine it's nose is with a grease fitting replacing the nipple and pumping the ball out with grease. I've never tried this, but the compressed air gadget will throw the ball a good way from the muzzle. Who can tell what the ball looked like before it landed. :winking:
I heard of the pumping the Ball out of the Barrell with the greese method,Sounds messy.Why not just shoot some Balls either way.Some with the rod bounced and some just seated.It would be a good way to get some extra range time and to find out for yourself. :v
If you have the luxury of an air compressor, just bloop it out into a cardboard box of old towels...done it many times and it doesn't mess up anything that[url] way...in[/url] fact, I've occasionally used a too-small size short starter and the faint ring is still visible on the ball
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I agree with paulvalladingham. If you mark your ramrod for specific loads and seat the ball using a well lubed patch then you can be cocked - locked - and ready to rock all day. If the PRB is resisting after shooting for a while - then brush out the bore. It takes what, 5 minutes? On a more drastic note - I have heard of some guys expounding favorably on the practice of bouncing the RIFLE BUTT on a hard surface to ensure load seating. :nono: The only person I have ever heard say they practice this "method" changed his mind after he cracked off the toe and heal of his stock. Maybe thay did this under combat conditions just before they used the rifle as a club. :haha:
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