I remember reading once about Turner Kirkland (of DGW fame) making a homemade smoothbore pistol as a kid. I'm not sure of the source of ignition, but it said he used blasting powder and glass marbles :shocking: as the powder and shot! Just out of curiosity, have any of you ever tried shooting anything other than lead balls/bullets or shot out of your smoothbore? Talk about a "shooter" marble! :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :thumbsup:
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Projectiles other than lead?
- Thread starter Musketeer
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Back in my younger (unmarried days) I have experimented with different projectiles, like porcelain balls, paint balls, solid copper balls, flechette rounds, rock salt, gravel and even a much undersized steel ball bearing...
All with fair to good results...
Marble are agate and could also be broken up and used to spark a flinter, if you can find a chunk large enough...
All with fair to good results...
Marble are agate and could also be broken up and used to spark a flinter, if you can find a chunk large enough...
Leonredbeard
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musketman,
How did the paintballs work? I have proposed paintball wars with some friends. I thought it a good idea, ie., we could actually shoot stuff at each other with our smoothbores and be 'safe'. They stared at me like this :shocking: and snorted and looked at me like this :youcrazy: :shake:
. Now I realize that we wouldn't want to wear our best 18th century togs or they would be ruined. Does the paint wash out of fabric? It could be fun. One would need to keep the powder charge low for not breaking the ball in the barrel and not maiming each other.
God bless.:huh:
volatpluvia
How did the paintballs work? I have proposed paintball wars with some friends. I thought it a good idea, ie., we could actually shoot stuff at each other with our smoothbores and be 'safe'. They stared at me like this :shocking: and snorted and looked at me like this :youcrazy: :shake:
. Now I realize that we wouldn't want to wear our best 18th century togs or they would be ruined. Does the paint wash out of fabric? It could be fun. One would need to keep the powder charge low for not breaking the ball in the barrel and not maiming each other.God bless.:huh:
volatpluvia
I don't know about shooting them in a ml, but paintballs made for paintball guns, not something you made up, are supposed to be water soluble (sp?). I haven't actually tried that stuff though. I know the stuff we use in police simmunitions training does wash out. All the same I wouldn't wear my best when doing this.
I just had a thought, what if a paintball broke while still downbore? That could redfine fouling for you! :redface:
I just had a thought, what if a paintball broke while still downbore? That could redfine fouling for you! :redface:
I've tried .68 calibre paintball in a 12 gauge shotgun. I tried them with smokeless powder, blackpowder, only the primer, different types of wadding, but no matter what I tried they always broke up in the barrel.
A stack of coins makes an interesting load. At 10 meters all of them hit sideways and spread out into a two meter circle. At shorter distance some of them may hit flat side first.
If only I could pay my taxes this way, "come and get it taxman" ::
A stack of coins makes an interesting load. At 10 meters all of them hit sideways and spread out into a two meter circle. At shorter distance some of them may hit flat side first.
If only I could pay my taxes this way, "come and get it taxman" ::
Load the paint ball in a plastic shotgun wad suitable for your caliber and a over shot card above it...
Use a very light powder charge as well, you'll have to experiment with how low you can go on the charge and still have powder to the flash hole...
The plastic shotgun wad cup will keep your barrel from getting painted if the ball breaks in the bore...
Use a very light powder charge as well, you'll have to experiment with how low you can go on the charge and still have powder to the flash hole...
The plastic shotgun wad cup will keep your barrel from getting painted if the ball breaks in the bore...
Leonredbeard
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tg,
My father and some of his buddies got together sometime before I was born back in the first half of the twentieth century over and original tweleve gauge capper. One had powder, another had caps, I don't recall what they used for wads. They had no shot. :huh: They were young at the time. One suggested CUT NAILS for the shot load. :shocking: They actually did it, loading very carefully, and shot the load at a carp in the creek. I don't see how some of the "shot" didn't come out through the sides of the barrels. :youcrazy: Well, the carp disappeared. So they tried the second load on a stump and ripped it to shreds and so understood why the carp disappeared. :what: This story should actually be under the thread 'stupid things to try'. Like I said they were young at the time.
God bless.
volatpluvia
My father and some of his buddies got together sometime before I was born back in the first half of the twentieth century over and original tweleve gauge capper. One had powder, another had caps, I don't recall what they used for wads. They had no shot. :huh: They were young at the time. One suggested CUT NAILS for the shot load. :shocking: They actually did it, loading very carefully, and shot the load at a carp in the creek. I don't see how some of the "shot" didn't come out through the sides of the barrels. :youcrazy: Well, the carp disappeared. So they tried the second load on a stump and ripped it to shreds and so understood why the carp disappeared. :what: This story should actually be under the thread 'stupid things to try'. Like I said they were young at the time.
God bless.
volatpluvia
Smoothbores will shoot just about anything you can get down their barrels...
They will shoot lead, glass, nails, needles/safety pins, rocks, rock salt, wood, coins, undersized balls, beads, fireworks (don't ask how I know), ect...
If you can stuff it down, chances are a smoothbore can shoot it out...
They will shoot lead, glass, nails, needles/safety pins, rocks, rock salt, wood, coins, undersized balls, beads, fireworks (don't ask how I know), ect...
If you can stuff it down, chances are a smoothbore can shoot it out...
The trick is not to use a wad, so the extra-light charge of BP will not only light them, but launch them as well...
Bottle rockets are the most fun, you can load 4 at a time in a .69 caliber musket...
Never tried a roman candle ball...
Bottle rockets are the most fun, you can load 4 at a time in a .69 caliber musket...
Never tried a roman candle ball...
Guest
WARNING...DANGER, DANGER:
I don't mean to pee in your cornflakes, but DO NOT shoot a paintball from your muzzle loader at a person or thing that you don't want to kill or destroy. :nono:
Those paint ball guns shoot at a velocity of about 400 fps or LESS. Remember it might be 99% water but it still has mass. If you shoot that sucker at much over 400 fps you could really hurt someone badly.
Up the velocity a bit more and you will shoot a water ball into the body. The water will rip a huge surface hole, then there is blunt force trauma even if you get NO penetration.
Cops wearing threat level 2A vests have been shot over the chest by 12 ga. slugs. The slug did not penetrate the vest but the cop was killed instantly by the blunt force to the chest.
Ever see anyone hit on the bare skin with a paint ball? Leaves a heck of a welt and bruise.
There have been a few fatalities with paint ball guns recently.
Not from the ball, from the GUN. The co2 can blew killing at least 2 people.
Dumb, really, really dumb.
Shooting at a person with your muzzle loader is a realy, really BAD idea.
I think the whole idea of 'paint ball battles' is STUPID and flys in the face of never point your gun at a person you don't intend to kill. :shake: :nono:
Now when we were kids we shot nails from out b.b. guns at each other. ::
You could bury a nail in another kids arse. :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
Man did I get into some big time trouble. :cry: :cry:
Then we discovered how to make solid fuel rockets and had a ball 'till I put one thru the neighbors roof. :shocking:
He never did figure out how his attic caught fire. ::
I just bought some KNO3 and I'm gonna make some more solid rocket fuel..just for grins. :what:
I don't mean to pee in your cornflakes, but DO NOT shoot a paintball from your muzzle loader at a person or thing that you don't want to kill or destroy. :nono:
Those paint ball guns shoot at a velocity of about 400 fps or LESS. Remember it might be 99% water but it still has mass. If you shoot that sucker at much over 400 fps you could really hurt someone badly.
Up the velocity a bit more and you will shoot a water ball into the body. The water will rip a huge surface hole, then there is blunt force trauma even if you get NO penetration.
Cops wearing threat level 2A vests have been shot over the chest by 12 ga. slugs. The slug did not penetrate the vest but the cop was killed instantly by the blunt force to the chest.
Ever see anyone hit on the bare skin with a paint ball? Leaves a heck of a welt and bruise.
There have been a few fatalities with paint ball guns recently.
Not from the ball, from the GUN. The co2 can blew killing at least 2 people.
Dumb, really, really dumb.
Shooting at a person with your muzzle loader is a realy, really BAD idea.
I think the whole idea of 'paint ball battles' is STUPID and flys in the face of never point your gun at a person you don't intend to kill. :shake:
:nono:Now when we were kids we shot nails from out b.b. guns at each other. ::
You could bury a nail in another kids arse. :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
Man did I get into some big time trouble. :cry: :cry:
Then we discovered how to make solid fuel rockets and had a ball 'till I put one thru the neighbors roof. :shocking:
He never did figure out how his attic caught fire. ::
I just bought some KNO3 and I'm gonna make some more solid rocket fuel..just for grins. :what:
Guest
I think even 400fps is a bit high - the rules I saw held 280/290fps as being max for the .69 cal pain balls.
: My point is that a Philly Derringer attains something like 425fps with it's .41 to .45 cal ball. That is not only enough to penetrate through the ribs into the lungs, but was just enough to completely penetrate one surface of Abe's skull.
: My point is that a Philly Derringer attains something like 425fps with it's .41 to .45 cal ball. That is not only enough to penetrate through the ribs into the lungs, but was just enough to completely penetrate one surface of Abe's skull.
Leonredbeard
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maxiball,
That was me that proposed paintball battles with smoothbores. I'll take my horse whipping now. Thanks for the input, I will heed your warning and never suggest it again. :master: :master: I am glad I asked before trying anything this stupid. :shocking: That is what this forum is all about. Thanks again.
God bless.
volatpluvia
That was me that proposed paintball battles with smoothbores. I'll take my horse whipping now.
Thanks for the input, I will heed your warning and never suggest it again. :master: :master: I am glad I asked before trying anything this stupid. :shocking: That is what this forum is all about. Thanks again.God bless.
volatpluvia
Can say for sure that 'shooter' marbles will turn to a fine white powder if fired against a concrete structure from short range! Brother and I had one of those so-called "Tower" pistols during the 1960's and couldn't get it to spark to save our lives. This was before we knew there was such a thing as DGW that would harden the frizzen and adjust the springs. We solved the problem by having the non-shooter light her off with Ma's kitchen matches!! :: :blah: :blah: Oh yeah! Soon discovered it was best to light it from the rear...standing to the side got real interesting!!!!!!!!! :crackup: :crackup:
