round balls

[thumper50]

Just a question? I haven't shot rnd balls in years. Would reccomend speer or hornady .490 for a .50? Is there that much difference? I have apartial box of hornady .495s left over from the past. Gonna be shooting them in a TC bbl, .50 cal

 

[GreyWhiskers]

I doubt there's enuf difference between the two brands to notice. They are both swaged lead. A couple years ago I compared Speer, Hornady and my own cast balls for consistancy in weight. The Speer were the least consistant. GW

 

[paulvallandigham]

Since you have been away from shooting your gun for awhile, you probably need to measure the land to land diameter( bore ) of your barrel, to determine its actual width in thousandths of an inch. A caliper can be used to do this. There is a difference shooting a .495, vs. a .490 ball. Mostly it changes the thickness of the patching you CAN use without using a mallet to hammer the ball into the barrel! :shocked2: :rotf: :surrender: Measure the thickness of your old patches, then THROW THEM AWAY. The patches may have deterriorated over the years and will not hold up consistently now. Buy new fabric for your new patches. ( or new- pre-cut and/or Pre-lube patches). My Green Mountain barrel .50 caliber measures .501" from land to land. I shoot the .490 balls, with a .015 patch, but I am going to be trying a .018 patching this next time out to see if the groups won't close up to what they were doing when the gun was newer. I also have some .020" thick patching to try if the .018 doesn't work.

I have compared Hornady and Speer swaged balls, and also found that the Speer balls were more inconsistent in weight. Others have found the reverse to be true. I just weigh the balls if I am going to enter a target shooting contest, and sort them into groups so I have consistent weight for a string of shots for the match.

 

[thumper50]

Thanks guys!! I have some pillow ticking and some .015 precuts. going out today and pick up some hornady .490s. appreciate the quick responses!! :bow: :bow:

 

[BrownBear]

Here's a bit of unsolicited advice:

Don't buy many boxes of whichever. If you like RBs you'll be shooting lots more. Compare the price of a couple of boxes with that of a Lee mould. Shoot more than a couple of boxes and you'll be way ahead of the game to cast your own. It's easy and WAY cheaper. And I can't tell the difference between any of the brands and my own Lee home-cast. If you go so far as recovering your lead like I do, the balls are virtually free.

 

[renovato]

I've always gotten a little more consistency with Hornady. Not enough to be worth going out of your way to get them though. I'm not sure if it was more related to the fit of the bore or if they're just a better ball. I began casting my own and have never looked back. If you're careful when you cast, you can throw some really accurate balls.

 

[Freedom]

Here's a bit of unsolicited advice:

Don't buy many boxes of whichever. If you like RBs you'll be shooting lots more. Compare the price of a couple of boxes with that of a Lee mould. Shoot more than a couple of boxes and you'll be way ahead of the game to cast your own. It's easy and WAY cheaper. And I can't tell the difference between any of the brands and my own Lee home-cast. If you go so far as recovering your lead like I do, the balls are virtually free.

Amen to that!! Cast your own.... It easy, fun, safe, and very rewarding..... but be warned, it is very addictive. :thumbsup:

 

[MSW]

ayup, what BrownBear said.

(ha ha... another one about to be turned to the dark side)