Spliting a Round Ball

[LarryFox1]

Hi guy's .I saw on Guns&Ammo on the OLN where they were spliting a round ball on a double blade ax and breaking 2 clay targets on each side of the ax ,with only one shot with there flintlock rifle's
I thought at first this was just a TV stunt or something ,But now i know it was not and some realy do do this deed.So how far is this shot being made? And are they useing any kind of special made barrel to do this with? I konw a Green Mountain is a great barrel,but is it that kind of good and if not? Then which one is this kind of good?
I am going to build me a Flintlock,But if there is a Barrel out there that good then thats the barrel i want to use on my rifle.
Also what kind of Sights are they useing,[front&rear]? All i have seen so far would block a 6" Bulls Eye at 50 or so yards.
Thanks Guys

 

[jaybeach]

I saw that too - a couple of weeks ago. It looked to me like they were 15-20 yards away. And it looked like they were using standard sights - just purty good shots - and I'm sure they don't do it every time.

:imo:

 

[Rebel]

Any good barrel will do it if you PRACTICE enough with the gun. It just takes a lot of rds down range to get that good. Also a larger bore is helpful as the ball is larger in diameter, therefore making more mass to hit the edge of the blade. Some guys can do it with a smoothbore with no rear sight, but they really know there gun and shoot them a lot.

 

[Bushwhacker]

We use one of those ball spliters in our competition also. We shoot from 15 yards. It's lot's easier than you think. A 62 cal. sure has the advantage over smaller bores. :redthumb:

 

[cayugad]

We do it all the time at our shoots... Take a double blade axe and make sure the edge facing you has a good sharp edge. Put a clay bird on each side and then think of the blade as the bullseye of the target. If you can hit a bulls eye you can split a ball and break two clay birds.

We have done it with standard over the counter bought.. Thompson Center Renegades, Hawkins, CVA Kentucky rifle, CVA Bobcat, and a number of other rifles.

We do the trick from 25 yards. As you said, it sure makes people smile and think. I remember a friend brought his father back to the cabin where we shoot. His Dad had never shot a muzzleloader. I happened to be standing there about to try the trick as his son explained to his Dad, what I was going to do. He just laughed and said it could not be done. Well one BOOM later two clay birds were broke.

You want to try something really neat in the winter with snow on the ground, we tie charcoal brickets on a string and hang them from trees at different distances. When you hit them with a roundball you get this neat black cloud of dust...

We have shot a number of different types of targets that are a challenge and a lot of fun. Usually in the spring when everyone cleans out the root cellars and refrigerators, we have our anual "Fruit Shoot"... We bring out apples, oranges, carrots, you name it.. Anything that might have went a little bad (and usually some eggs too) We set those up at different distances and then we scatter them all over the woods... The animals are nice enough to clean up the mess...

 

[jtmattison]

What they are really doing is loading two roundballs at a time. They don't tell you that because they want you to think they are really good shots :blah: :crackup:
Joking aside, it can be done as the others said with lots of practice. Having a large bore will certainly make it easier.

Huntin

 

[musketman]

What they are really doing is loading two roundballs at a time. They don't tell you that because they want you to think they are really good shots :blah: :crackup:
Joking aside, it can be done as the others said with lots of practice. Having a large bore will certainly make it easier.

Huntin

Now if you can use three axes set in a triangle and quarter the roundball, no one will be able to top that... :haha:

I tried it once and shot low, I split the axe handle though, split it real goooooooood... :crackup:

 

[woodsman1757]

I agree with the other guys bout practice. We did this once best of 5 and a friend who shoots a lot did it 3 of 5 with a 36 flint at 20 yds. No bull here, he did it. :results:

 

[bub524]

We used to have one of those targets all the time at our shoots 20yrs. ago. I did it one time, most likely by accident then skill. We had each clay worth 5 pts. If you're not right on the money the ball will go right along side the blade and miss both. So some shooters would just shoot one clay and figure 5 for sure is better then maybe 10. We changed the rules to say both or none. The charcoal target is great for an impromptu shoot while trekking.

 

[Stumpkiller]

I've never been too good at this.

By the time I call "pull" for the two clays, throw the axe, and then get my rifle up, wait for the axehead to spin back pointing at me, and jump or duck to get the angle right so the ball splits to hit each of the clay pidgeons, it just all gets too much. I think I need a better skeet launcher. My one spring-loaded Hoppes tosses doubles every which way. :no:

I'm lucky to hit a single double for six or eight tries, and the axe is hardly ever stuck in the bullseye on my log stand afterwards. Sometimes I have to throw it way off to one side. Don't seem safe. :hmm:

All I can say is those old timers must have been fast, or else they was shootin farther out than 15 yards.

 

[No Deer]

We have an axe head to split the ball on our woodswalk. We do it a bit different tho. We have a couple of clangers set up to swing if hit instead of the clay birds. We don't have to go and reset clays after the attempts this way. I have not yet been good enough to split the ball and hit both swingers with my trade gun. I have hit the axe head and glanced off it to hit one swinger though. Just gotta keep practicing.

 

[squirejohn]

At 15 to 20 yds. it's not as difficult as it appears. Easier than splitting a playing card which in order to cut it in half becomes "invisible" . Welding a large lag bolt on the back of an old single bladed axe may be a cheap alternative to a double bladed axe.

 

[LarryFox1]

Guy's,i have always thought of myself a pretty dern good shot with any type gun as long as it shoot's great.Granted i have nerver try to split a ball or bullet of any kind on the blade of a ax.But i will surely give it a heck of a great try when i get mine built.I may might not nerver get the deed done tho,lol.But the thought of maybe doing it makes my skin crawl,lol.
Dern shame there are no shoots like some yall guy's are talking about down here in BAMA,atleast none that i know about.

 

[Big John]

Just came from a novelty shoot Sun. I split a ball and broke two clays, cut an eagle feather in half, hit a 3/8in. glass bead,hit a piece of chalk and ripped a playing card in half on edge, nice shooting but still didn't win, go figure. All distances were 20 yds. :sleep:

 

[Rebel]

Yea, but using shot in yer smoothbore to do it is cheating. :: :: Congrats on the shooting, sounds like some pretty tough competition.

 

[Big John]

Hey Rebel,
Just a case of I need a bigger gun! Many were shooting .58 or .69cals, I was shooting a .50 GM barreled Hawken. Shouldn't bring a knife to a gun fight! :crackup:

 

[TANSTAAFL]

I won my first ball split back in 1977, range was 25 paces. I was using a flinter with a .45 Douglas barrel. This thread is interesting because I was just rummaging around in the shop and found my prize for that win. It was a Lyman casting pot and mold ladle. We used two playing cards (which I also have) placed on either side of the axe blade on a butt end.

 

[Rebel]

What you need is a double barrel. Then just aim and pull both triggers. Ball on each side of ax head and 2 broken clays. :crackup:

 

[loophole]

We used to snuff candles from 15-20 yards after dark--you have to get the ball just over the flame to snuff it without knocking over the candle. One of the most difficult "novelty" targets is a small dowell set at a 45 deg. angle. It is much harder for most people to hit than one standing straight up or horizontal. If you really want to get some attention, make people shot with a flintlock held upside down with the comb on the head. Once you get the hang of it you can do some impresive shooting, and people are amazed that the lock will work upside down.

If at first you don't secede, try, try again.

 

[Big John]

Great shooting idea, if you like the reverse mohawk look, ha ha!! :crackup: