round balls in general

[oomcurt]

Not meaning to split hairs here...but just noiticed something. "Round balls." Sort of redundant..I mean..to be classified as a ball...it would have to be round..

Oh..er....something else. I dunno about you guys...but methinks one has to use some care in mentioning accesories and all to those that are not at all familiar with our interests. (hope my wife never reads this...) I er...bought a ball bag ....and on opening the package..the wife asked what that was. Now..earlier I had been telling her I was interested in a breach cloth and leggings..Yes..I explained what they were. Unfortunately...I did not explain in advance just what a ball bag was for. Soooo...when she asked...I told her this was a ball bag.....uh huh...yup...first words out of her[url] mouth..aside[/url] from a look that expressed a state of shock..was...they won't fit! Alas.....

 

[Ohio Rusty]

It's funny when you look at decscriptions on modern ammo, it is called 'ball' ammo. Of course, there are no balls loaded in the case, it's a bullet. But the use of balls as ammo since the 18th century has stuck and got carried over to mean modern military bullets.
Ohio Rusty

 

[roundball]

".....I mean..to be classified as a ball...it would have to be round....."

Of course there's that pesky ball they use in football games...the ball was marked on the 40yd line, he fumbled the ball, etc
::

 

[rabjr]

It's funny when you look at decscriptions on modern ammo, it is called 'ball' ammo. Of course, there are no balls loaded in the case, it's a bullet. But the use of balls as ammo since the 18th century has stuck and got carried over to mean modern military bullets.
Ohio Rusty

I think you find that "Ball" refers to the type of powder in the case that is used for military rounds.

 

[BLAHMAN]

I think your correct, Swamp Rat, but, wasn't some of that ammo made of cordite, which, I think, was stringy.

 

[jim gray]

I think you find that "Ball" refers to the type of powder in the case that is used for military rounds.

Nope, Ball ammo refers to full metal jacket bullets that are used by the military. The types of ammo that are commonly used for the M-16A2 are ball, tracer, blank, and dummy. With the exception of dummy ammo, all use the same powder. Sorry I'm not sure of the origin of the term "ball ammo", but this is what is frequently and erroneously referred to as steel-jacketed ammo.

And in answer to the original post some of what you said may perhaps be the reason why we refer to our projectile by the redundant term roundball rather than just ball. It may also be that at one time it was necessary to differentiate between rifle ammo (roundballs), musketballs (bigger roundballs) and cannonballs (a really big roundball).

 

[Slamfire]

Not meaning to split hairs here...but just noiticed something. "Round balls." Sort of redundant..I mean..to be classified as a ball...it would have to be round..

Oh..er....something else. I dunno about you guys...but methinks one has to use some care in mentioning accesories and all to those that are not at all familiar with our interests. (hope my wife never reads this...) I er...bought a ball bag ....and on opening the package..the wife asked what that was. Now..earlier I had been telling her I was interested in a breach cloth and leggings..Yes..I explained what they were. Unfortunately...I did not explain in advance just what a ball bag was for. Soooo...when she asked...I told her this was a ball bag.....uh huh...yup...first words out of her[url] mouth..aside[/url] from a look that expressed a state of shock..was...they won't fit! Alas.....

And just whose fault is that? :crackup:

 

[JackAubrey]

Flash in the pan is correct.The term "ball" is a modern carryover from the days of ball,buck and ball and shot back in the smoothbore days.It is used today to indicate full metal jacket(fmj)military ammunition.I have an M1 Garand,calibre 30-06.The US military nomenclature for the 30-06 round(round, another carryover)is ball,M2.My SKS and AKM both fire soviet M43 ball ammunition.Incidentally, I have pulled the bullets on a few of these cartridges and found they used stick powder.There is a type of powder known as ball powder but this has to do w/ the shape of the granules and nothing to do w/ round balls.Once rifled military arms became more and more common "ball" came to mean a minie-BALL as opposed to a ROUND ball.So the term "round" and "ball" is actually correctly discriptive.Your servant,Jack.

 

[rabjr]

I stand corrected...for some reason all I could remember was an old article I read one time where the Military insisted on using ball powder in the 5.56 and the tests that were done at the time.

Found this in my cartridge box collection, pretty much says it all lol.

 

[walruskid1]

that box makes me want to put on my campaign hat and grab my '03 and head for camp perry!

 

[JackAubrey]

Where in the world did you come by that cartridge box?That is so very cool! :RO:

 

[rabjr]

Actually forgot I had that box. I just collect ammo boxes when I can, most are much older than this one. A friend had this one kicking around inside a steel ammo can, no idea where he got it but I asked to keep it safe lol and took it home. It is unopened and I stuck it in a small safe I have in a cabinat to keep the box from fading from the sunlight. Forgot I had it lol, been sitting there for ten years or so.