Smoothbore killing power

[54ball]

Of the game I have havested the smoothbore produced the most devistating wound. Ive made double lung shots with both a .54 rifle and smoothie.
The rifle was a 32" bbl percussion GPR. The smoothie was a .54-28ga Carolina Smoothbore with a 42" bbl.
Both hogs were roughly the same size around 200lbs. Both close to the same distance, rifle shot 30 yards, smoothie shot 40 yards. Both were hit in the same spot.
The rifle left little or no blood.
The smoothie left blood in the trees on both sides of the blood trail for 25yards.
Is it just a coincidence or does that knuckleball roundball do more damage? :hmm:

 

[tg]

I think that there are random factors that cause different effects, blood trals and how fast an animal goes down when we feel we have two or more identical "hits" but different results.

 

[roundball]

Coincidence...a ball out of the smoothbore would have acted no differently than the same ball out of a rifle

 

I agree, random...good job none the less!

 

[Leonredbeard]

54ball,
It was probably hard to tell, but you might have hit a primary blood vessel in one and not in the other. I would think a .54 is a .54, spinning or tumbling.
volatpluvia

 

[Stumpkiller]

I've gotta say coincedence. I've never used smooth vs. rifled of the same caliber but have killer deer with both and I think both tend to travel in the same path as they enter unless they encounter something solid. My rifles were/are all much smaller than the smoothbores, and I have noted the round balls will do odd things, like tunnel around a bone instead of shatter or stop against it.

One example of each is too small a sampling to make a case. Keep shooting pigs and comparing. Can I come help? ;-)

 

[Many Klatch]

Years ago at an Eastern Rendezvous, the shooting range had to provide a special temporary backstop to suit the people at New York State Parks. This was to keep lead from being put in the ground. The Rifle Range constructed a hollow wall of 2 X 6 with plywood on both sides and then filled the wall with crushed limestone. The backstop worked and stopped everything that was shot at it except for my .60 smoothbore over 75 grains of 3F. My round ball did penetrate the back sheet of plywood while none of the rifles did.

My experience is that a smoothbore does hit harder at the closer ranges. Don't know why. I think it is instructive that the Park Rangers in Alaska carry 12 gauge shotguns loaded with Deer slugs when they have to deal with rogue Grizzly Bears.

Many Klatch

 

[matt denison]

Now wait a minute you guys. I think that 54ball might be onto something here. I too have noticed some devastating effects of a smoothbore on game. I've been amazed at how hard they seem to hit. I wonder, just for speculation, if a ball coming out of a rifle spinning like it does has less traction than a knuckleball plowing it's way along. Think of a nail stuck in a board, you can't just pull it out but if you give it a twist to break the traction it comes right out. Maybe I'm screwy too :youcrazy: but it would help explain some of the damage that I've seen on animals shot with a trade gun.

Matt aka LaffinDog

 

[FishDFly]

Boar hogs have a thick gristle type plate that is behind their shoulders, sows do not have this plate. If you castrate a boar hog after he is about 3 years old, the plate will totally disappear over a matter of time.

With both hogs being double lung shot, my guess is that one which was shot with the rifle was a boar (gristle plate(s) slowed the ball down) and the second hog was a sow.

RDE

 

[Bob Gular]

I'm thinking that penetration of the backstop was due to the weight of the ball and not whether or not it was spinning. A friend had a backstop made of doubled up railroad ties that worked well with his 270, but my TC Hawken with Maxis punched through them with ease.
Just a couple sparks from this side of the fire.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I think it is instructive that the Park Rangers in Alaska carry 12 gauge shotguns loaded with Deer slugs when they have to deal with rogue Grizzly Bears.

Yeah, but slugs spin ("rifled slugs"). They're also a full oz of lead and hit with 2,000+ ft lbs of energy near the muzzle (for most of the 27 years I've been deer hunting that was and still is the normal firearm for deer hereabouts). I'd face anything this side of the equator with a full magazine of them in a 12 gauge repeater. I understand it's also the weapon of choice when going after a wounded large cat in cover among African professional hunters.

What is absolutely astounding to me is that a whitetail can take one of these in the heart and still get 100 yards at a fast run. Man!

There is no question a big 'ol punkin ball is devestating up close. I did a lot of shooting with a 16 bore musket. One cold winter day I hit a 6" diameter white pine near the base that was behind my target and the trunk split clean and the tree toppled over. Fairly impressive to see a 20 ft tree tip over as the smoke is clearing.

We might also want to note that the current 120mm tubes on our M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks are smoothbores. :wink: (And, last I knew, made in France).

 

[roundball]

:grin: yeah...but...smoothbore tank barrels shoot rounds configured with fins don't they? :wink:

 

[Stumpkiller]

Well it's not my fault you're not casting the proper balls out of depleted Uranium. I'm sure I've seen these in Cabela's m/l catalog along with the ammonia based propellant. :rotf:

 

[roundball]

What a photo !!

QUESTION:
What will an M1 tank fired Fletchette penetrate?

ANSWER:
Anything it hits. **




** But only if it's main fin has been properly aligned with the front sight of the barrel.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

... the current 120mm tubes on our M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks are smoothbores. (And, last I knew, made in France).

Correction: The Rheinmetall 120mm Gun is a smoothbore tank gun designed and produced by the German Rheinmetall-DeTec AG company. Thus they are made in Germany and licensed for use to General Dynamics.

German engineers excel with barrel making and I believe that firm also made the infamous 88mm cannon of WW2 fame. Then again, both Krupp and Walther have been held in high regard too.

 

[Stumpkiller]

The muzzle velocity is 5,166 fps (the tail fins melt mostly off from air friction by the time it reaches the target). Shazam!

Oh, and it comes in a tungsten variation if you don't want to bother with the depleted uranium, but the good news is that it's lighter so the MV is 5,700 fps. :wink:

 

[Stumpkiller]

... the current 120mm tubes on our M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks are smoothbores. (And, last I knew, made in France).

Correction: The Rheinmetall 120mm Gun is a smoothbore tank gun designed and produced by the German Rheinmetall-DeTec AG company. Thus they are made in Germany and licensed for use to General Dynamics.

German engineers excel with barrel making and I believe that firm also made the infamous 88mm cannon of WW2 fame. Then again, both Krupp and Walther have been held in high regard too.

Even better news: "The newer M256A1 is manufactured under license in the United States by Watervliet Arsenal, New York"

I've been out of the Defense Industry for 20+ years. As I remember the Leclerc (FR), Leopard(GR) and Abrams(US) were to have barrel interchangability, but that all fell apart as such things usually do. Heck, back then tanks were going to be as obsolete as the A-10 ground attack aircraft anyway. :wink:

And Claude's going to put coal in my stocking and beat me senseless with it if we don't get this back to muzzleloading PDQ. :haha: My bad.

 

[rabjr]

I understand it's also the weapon of choice when going after a wounded large cat in cover among African professional hunters.

Thought I read it was actually buckshot that was preferred for up close dangerous game in this situation.

 

[roundball]

BTW, I recently read that some ammo company now offers a .12ga load that is three .600 balls in a shot cup...seems like that would be super effective on deer compared to 00 buckshot...

 

[rabjr]

I'm not talking deer, I would never use buckshot on deer. But I know saw or read, I think I saw a guide on a program talking about it actually, that the best weapon for recovering dangerous game in africa was a 12 ga loaded with buckshot.