Shooting steel ball bearings out of a Pedersoli Bess

[wahkahchimaol.com]

Extremely great advice here! Of all the comments, the barrel denting and the ricochets are the biggest concerns. I have seen a bullet come all the way back and hit someone from a 100 yard steel target and while nobody was hurt it was an eye-opening event.

I think I'll keep the ball bearings for demonstrate what a musket ball looks for to school kids while teaching living history, and perhaps for showing an extra-inquisitive game warden. I'll make the Bess a shotgun with ITX bismuth shot for real hunting, and hunt the big game out of state. And if a genuine bismuth projectile rises up, I'll try it out and report back.

How is life in Idaho or Oklahoma? You are right, they are insane here.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Many Klatch]

I have shot ball bearings out of a 20 gauge. They shoot great. As a matter of fact, since the steel weighs less than the lead and the bearings are perfectly round they actually shoot very well. I was able to hit targets at over 100 yards. I used the same powder charge and the same spit patching as I did when I shot lead roundball.

Two words of advice. Don't shoot at anything like steel or stone close to you. The ball bearings will ricochet and like a Daisy airgun shooting a BB, the ball bearing can come right back at you.

Second, don't dryball.

 

[wahkahchimaol.com]

Interesting Many Klatch! What kind of powder charge have you used with ball bearings? Any adjustment from lead?

 

[Many Klatch]

I used my standard load. For that particular 20 ga smoothbore I used 75 grains of Goex 3F and a .010 linen spit patch. My thinking was that the bearing wasn't going to touch the barrel and the steel was lighter than the lead so the same load sequence ought to work.

The few times I used it in competition it was at a gong at a non-Smoothbore distance, like 75 yards or more. I was able to hold dead on out to 100 yards with that load.

25 years ago there was a company in town called Bearings Inc. I just walked in one day and said do you have any .60 bearings? They did, I bought a box of 25. Still have a few.

I'd like to know how fast those bearing were going when they left the barrel.

BTW, here is a definite don't. Do Not try shooting a number of smaller ball bearings out of a smoothbore. A friend of mine was in Africa. He saw a shotgun that had what looked like grooved rifling pressed into the barrel. It turned out that the owner had loaded it with 00 size ball bearings. They jammed in the barrel when it was shot and deformed the barrel on the way out. I didn't see it, but he knew muzzleloaders so I take it to be gospel.

 

[PaulN/KS]

Some years back a fellow on the Forum did some experiments with brass/bronze bearings and wrote up the results. His "handle" was Roundball so you might find some answers in the archives here. He also experimented with marbles and had surprising results.

To answer your other question,I lived in Oklahoma and it was more than OK. Good access to public hunting and a reasonable cost of living.
I was born in California but left for the Navy in 73.

 

[MikeEasy]

Could you not use plastic shot wads/cups with all of round ball, birdshot and buckshot?

You'll have to do some testing to find the right size shot cup/wad of course.

 

[nkbj]

I'd go to youtube and look at those DIY copper melters and have a big time collecting enough scrap.

 

[wahkahchimaol.com]

Great idea. Build my own slug...

 

[Many Klatch]

You know, those .6875 ball bearings are about the same size as the .69 caliber ball that were used by the British Line troops in their Bess. Make up paper cartridges with them and go have fun.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Personally I would not.
If you need to pull it you can't!

B.

 

[rdstrain49]

RotoMetals has lead free casting alloy for $14.99 a pound. Sounds expensive, but is cheap compared to a citation and possible loss of your Bess to the local Bunny Cop. Looks to me like $100.00 would get you a life time supply.

 

[wahkahchimaol.com]

Great idea!!! Thank you.

 

[Skychief]

Personally I would not.
If you need to pull it you can't!

B.

Not a worry for those of us which never dry-ball Britsmoothy. :wink: :haha:

 

[PaulN/KS]

Personally I would not.
If you need to pull it you can't!

B.

Not a worry for those of us which never dry-ball Britsmoothy. :wink: :haha:

Or hardly ever... :shake:

 

[Britsmoothy]

If you have a removable vent and a patent breach it's not so bad.

I don't think Pedersoli Bess does though, mine doesn't.

B.

 

[Black Hand]

Even without a removable vent, a person can get enough powder through the touch hole to eject any dryball.

 

[BrownBear]

Long live CO2 dischargers! :bow:

 

[Britsmoothy]

Good points.

B.

 

[Story]

Advice welcome. Thanks in advance.

Make some in Silver. Benefit is that it works against werewolves & wendigoes as well. Lots of Wendigoes up in Jefferson. http://www.hurog.com/articles/silver/silverbullet5.shtml

 

[eggwelder]

all fine, but by the time you see a wendigo it has already called your name.....silver won`t help you then...