Shooting Double Ball

[musketman]

Say you want to shoot a double ball, would this work?

Should we use a wide enough patch to hole both of them, or just patch the botton one?

Or should you just drop the double ball over top of an nitro card & 1/2 inch fiber wad, top with a over shot card?

 

[Leonredbeard]

mooskit man!
How badly will the two balls upset, one ball pushing the other? Will they stay together in flight or separate? What is the purpose of shooting two balls? :: It is intriguing and sets my grey matter to puttering. :hmm:
God bless.
volatpluvia

 

[musketman]

How badly will the two balls upset, one ball pushing the other? Will they stay together in flight or separate?

They should stay together until they hit something, Civil War buck and ball sometimes fused together when fired, 'course that's two different diameters...

What is the purpose of shooting two balls? ::

Test purposes only, or up close grizzly shooting... :winking:

 

[Ashelocoa]

I have no idea how you might want to try it, but loading an extra ball was an occasional tactic of the British. If I recall correctly Wolfe ordered that for the opening volley on the French on the Plains of Abraham-- and with devstating effect! Poor accuracy I'm sure, but double your chances of hurting somebody...

"...we set down among the logs determined to kill the two foremost when they came up and then die like men we rested our rifles accross a log White aimed at the foremost and Myself at the second..."

"Journal of a Trapper", Osborne Russell

 

If shooting two full sized balls, the top ball, one closest to the muzzle should be the one that's patched to hold both in place. The other, being between the powder and top ball, will automatically be held in place.

 

[musketman]

If shooting two full sized balls, the top ball, one closest to the muzzle should be the one that's patched to hold both in place. The other, being between the powder and top ball, will automatically be held in place.

How to go about doing that?

If you cloth patch the top ball, the patch will come off during loading...

Extra large patches to patch both?

Patch the bottom ball and paper wrap the top to take up the windage?

Patched bottom ball and rasp-rolled top ball"

Have a patch with a center hole and glue the balls on each side of the patch?

Double rasp-rolled patchless balls?

So many choises to think about... :winking:

 

[roundball]

If you cloth patch the top ball, the patch will come off during loading

:what: :huh:

 

[musketman]

The patch would have to be reversed, going over the top of the two balls if they are glued together and you are to patch the top only...

So, when you start them, the muzzle would strip the patch up... (off)

 

[roundball]

Didn't realize you were talking about two glued together...
:master:

 

[robinghewitt]

Are you trying to de-mast your opponents ship? :shocking:

The ball nearest the powder will obturate because all the power to accelerate the other has to go through it.

You shouldn't need a patch because the back ball will seal the bore 100% before the front ball has even moved.

Let me know when you're going to shoot it, I'll go outside and listen for the bang :: ::

 

[tg]

A friend of mine has played with this and patched both balls for the best group, they were an inch apart at 50 yds with a .40 cal. One would have to do some tinkering to find the best for his own situation,,there was a "double ball" used in the 18th century. I believe the mould made two balls connected like simese twins.

 

[Wes/Tex]

Lyman's book on black powder has some high speed camera photos of various muzzleloading projectiles including two balls loaded one on top of the other. The photo shows them both flattened on the sides that touched the other which would adversly effect their flight characteristics, to say the least. Interestingly enough, the photo also showed two seperate shock waves, one from each ball...that was kind of neat. At very short range it would be nasty but at any extended range the accuracy would be chancy at best. All I could say is try it and see.

 

[musketman]

I got that book and seen the pictures as well, still, it would make a kick butt Grizzley bear load at close range...

 

HA! - GLUED??? WHYYYYYYyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?- Oh, OK- missed that one myself. I though the idea was to have two separate balls gong down range, but close together doubling up on impact shock. If they are glued together, they'll keyhole and that will slow down them prematurely, greatly limiting shock and penetration.

 

[musketman]

Lightly glued, for loading purpose only, I know, I've gone off that idea deep end again... (remember the double flint idea?)

I guess you could place a over-shot card between the two balls, to aid sepperation...

 

After thinking about it, glued, would help in putting two in at a time, along with a fibre or thin card on top, I suppose. On the other hand, a slightly smaller ball, say a .715 then a .740 or so, both without sprues so the first would roll down by itself, would just likely shoot very well indeed, in a Bess. I wouldn't shoot that load in mine, though - I don't NEED that kind of recoil.

 

[musketman]

I wouldn't shoot that load in mine, though - I don't NEED that kind of recoil.

That's what brothers are for... :haha: :thumbsup:

I'll get coalburner to shoot mine and you get Taylor to do yours... :thumbsup:

 

[Hawkeye_Joe]

In "Lewis Wetzel, Indian Fighter" pg 67

..."as soon as the report of the Indian's gun was heard, Susan let the false man fall. Jacob shot one(Indian)dead on his approach, and Susan quickly shut and bolted the door. Jacob soon had powder down his gun, and ramming two naked ball down, fired out of a port hole just as the Indian was in the act of making off, and the two balls taking effect on the Indian's back soon brought him to the ground"

 

Trouble is, he's more recoil shy than I am. He won't even shoot a couple of my rifles - just doesn't like the look of the big cased .458's. They are hard on the back, though.

 

The military still issues a "duplex load" in 7.62 to increase the firepower of the M14s still in the inventory. Two lightweight pointy projectiles that nest on top of each other in the case neck.

This practice is were the term "loading for bear" came from. It was always intended to be a short range increase in firepower for emergency use.

It was also the way makers "proofed" their guns. Double charges with double balls.

If your gun has been commercially proofed it is safe practice?

At close range on bear or hogs, I'd do it in a heartbeat!