Range Report: Wax Bullets

[roundball]

06/10/07 RANGE REPORT: Wax Bullets

Test fired 50-60 of the .44cal Wax bullets in a .45cal x 1:48" Flintlock today.

Could never get consistency with 5, 10, 15, 20 grain charges of Goex 3F...could barely keep them on a 2’ foot square of cardboard at a mere 20yds, and I tried both .010" and .015" patches. A lot of the wax bullets were key holing in spite of them being only slightly longer than a .440 is round, telling me I needed to step it up.

At 25 grains I thought I began to see a slight improvement in consistency, then at 30grns they started landing mostly on the paper plate, and at 40 grains there was another improvement...putting four of them in a 3" aim point sticker at 20 yards...but unfortunately the 5th one totally missed the 2' cardboard...as did the next couple. In trying to figure out what had happened I realized the rear sight adjusting screw & tension spring had worked loose and fallen out...vertical rear sight section was just flopping around loose on it's hinge within the mounting base so I had to stop.

It looks like 40grns may be a possibility for “acceptable accuracy” strictly for purposes of inexpensively practicing live fire shooting form at close distances, but not accurate enough for use as a small game bullet...there is just not enough precision in the manufacturing of the wax bullets for that degree of shot to shot consistency...ie: some of the bases were actually cut off at an angle which sets up the classic “tilt at muzzle exit” situation.

And unfortunately a 40grn charge of Goex 3F makes way too much noise to use in the driveway or backyard of a typical housing subdivision, sure to result in 911 calls...so in summary, they have marginal accuracy, only at very close distances, with a 'report' too loud for the typical neighborhood.

Just for the heck of it, I may try another range session with a 1:66" slow twist RB barrel, just on the remote chance it might make a difference, but I’m not optimistic. I really hope the owner of the Wax Bullet company comes through with his experiment with hard wax round balls that we discussed last week...at least they should be more accurate and at smaller powder charges.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Great Reporting, Roundball. Thank you very much. I think some of the problem has to be that the pellets weigh so little. They have to be pushed out very fast to keep them from tumbling and being blown around by the lightest of breezes. I hope the heavier bullets will work better, with smaller charges of powder.

I think if you were going to practice shooting in your garage, where 30 feet is probably a long range, but you would have no wind to deal with, you might find better success with these bullets at slow speed. Then, only the ventilation of your garage would determine how much powder you could burn inside it before it drove you out! The Famous Border Patrol agent, Bill Jordan, authored the book, " No Second Place Finish ". In that book, he shows how he made practice rounds for short range practice, and for indoor demonstrations, using parafin wax for the bullets, and casings with enlarged primer holes and pistol primers for the propellant out a 4 inch S&W Combat Masterpiece( Model 19) revolver. My father did a variation on that by adding about 1/2 motor oil( used, of course) to the wax to make a much heavier slug, but one that would be more easily molded, and would stay together going out the barrel. He used it in both handguns, and a rifle chambered for .38 special for short range shooting. ( 21 feet and under). That's roughly the distance from the top of the key to the net on a basketball court.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

would wadded-up aluminum foil 'balls' be worth trying?

 

[roundball]

I doubt it but let us know your test results
:grin:

 

[spottedpony]

out a 4 inch S&W Combat Masterpiece( Model 19) revolver.

actually to be historically accurate, (and per smith & wesson) the model 19 was known as the combat magnum, with the first combat masterpiece being the K-38 Combat Masterpiece, Model 15 (a Version of the Model 14, with ribbed barrel, either 2, 4 or 6 inches long and ajustable sights. production started 1949, and, its rivel the K-22 Combat Masterpiece, Model 18 chambered for .22LR. production also started in 1949, and discontinued in 1986.
Though by common terminology the K frame is generally known as the combat masterpiece.

 

And unfortunately a 40grn charge of Goex 3F makes way too much noise to use in the driveway or backyard of a typical housing subdivision

I don't know what the laws are in NC , but here in PA you can not shoot near or around a house. They call it a safety zone area. If caught doing so they can revoke your hunting privalage plus hefty fines. :winking:

 

[roundball]

Probably something similar here too...

 

[wyatt243]

in NY if it is your house shoot as close as you want.... if your neighbors don't care for guns you have to be 500 ft away from their homes.

 

[Joel/Calgary]

I suspect this may start a side discussion generating more heat than light but... How about trying a small charge of 4F (10-20gr, however much it takes to fill the patent breech or keep the bullet forward of the touch-hole) to get the pressure up behind that light projectile?

Joel

 

[roundball]

Absolutely no reason at all not to use little charges of 4F...it's just blackpowder.
I personally used up a whole can of 4F running range tests of various TC barrels from .45-.58cal.

I don't believe large charges of 4F should be used due to the sharp pressure spike of that fast burning powder's pressure curve...at least I wouldn't use them.

But 10-20grns 4F doesn't even fill the patent breeches in my TCs and were milk toast PRB loads in them...extremely accurate and clean burning.

The down side is unless you plug the vent on a Flintlock, when you seat the ball it blows all the fine powder out.

 

[paulvallandigham]

I used less than 5 grains of 4Fg priming powder behind a .62 caliber rifle ball to shoot it out of the gun after my buddy dry balled the gun. The ball traveled 25 yds, and hit the bang plate he was aiming at dead center, in front of about 10 witnesses. Darndest thing we ever saw, and the last thing we expecte the gun to do.

So, on that basis, I don't think it would take much priming powder to move those light wax slugs down the barrel at all. The real problem, as i see it, is that the wax is so soft that it grabs at the sides of the barrel going back out, burning and tearing off chunks so that it is a far different shape than when it was loaded. If you use a OS card on top of the powder to protect the base, and to see that the slug stays together all the way out of the barrel, it might give better accuracy. I just would want to keep the velocity at under 500 fps. It might also be worth it to paper patch the wax slugs, so that no part of the wax ' bullet ' actually touches the barrel. Then you could lube the barrel in front of the bullet to help the paper move down the barrel, and soften the inevitable powder fouling that will be in the barrel after each shot. Try rolling the slug in cigarette paper, then twist and fold over the end of the paper at the bottom, and trim the top off.

 

[Grizzled Roberts]

I tried using solid beeswax .648 balls in my reproduction Ferguson rifle as a non lethal demonstration load for places that do not allow me to live fire. I used them for a couple of times
but I never aimed at anything close. Then one time I aimed at a big tree about 30 paces away.
After the demo I examined the tree. Three of the shots had hit off center and skinned up the bark
as they left. Two of the shots were center and had been driven into the tree! They looked like
yellow eyes looking at me! This year I noticed the insects had carried off most of the beeswax
just leaving the cavities. I now use moulded wet paper rounds for my non lead demonstration rounds.
I think I could kill a squirrel under 20 yards
with a solid wax ball!


Grizz :grin: