tumbling balls

[Scota4570]

Any ball with an perfection or low weight is remelted, orienting voids is not an issue. With the sprue obliterated there is no fussing with aligning it, that saves time. The time spent pouring them into and out of the tumbler is negligible. I have observed that the graphite, and sometimes I add pinch of carnuba wax, seems to help prevent oxidation of the balls over time. Experimenting with a new idea is never, "a waste of time". Sometimes you end up learning something along the way.

 

[Cowboy]

I remember this topic coming up some time back? I remember some fella put his ball’s in a coffee can and taped down the lid. Then threw the can in the back of his pickup and drove around for a few days. Presto! Round Balls!!

I laughed my but off when I read his reply!

Respectfully, Cowboy

 

[Logcutter]

I load em spru up just cause I do. A step in the process. I'm not convinced it makes a bit of difference spru up down or sideways. Never worried about truing the ball or removing the spru. I doubt there is one shooter in 100 that's a good enough shot that it makes much difference.

 

[Griz44Mag]

"tumbling balls"

Oh, never mind.... it's an issue that changes with age....

 

[Greenjoytj]

Forward facing sprue + rifling imparted gyroscopic stability = superior semi wad cutter like bullet accuracy.

It has been tested many times using modern high powered rifle bullets that intentionally damaging a bullets nose will not cause that bullet to land out side the group fired with unmodified bullets.

A forward facing sprue is both harmless and beneficial to accuracy. It makes loading properly more positive by informing the loader that he has positioned the ball correctly.

Downward facing balls, why make loading more difficult?
Unless each ball has been placed sprue down on a flat surface and then some kind of paint dot marked onto the top dead center of each ball, upon loading you cannot be sure the sprue is exactly oriented straight down and not tilled slightly off side.

Balls do get cast with a void inside, but they never get shot because all cast projectiles get weighed and all castings found to be out side of the casters desired weight range are culled out for remelting. So shooting unbalanced balls are a non issue as the don’t make it to ball inventory storage.

 

[thixotropy]

I had an old timer at a match, I'm 68, insist I load my balls sprue down to increase accuracy. This was opposite my method-out of respect and curiosity I later shot 5 each off the bench just to see- sprue up was only slightly better and I mean marginally. I started rolling balls between a couple sheets of plate steel a half inch thick with a sawed off tuna can as a 'retainer' just for the reason mentioned above; as a time saver. I found a rock tumbler at a yardsale, but it's lame I can only do 15 or so 45's at a time-looking for a 2 dollar brass tumbler next.

 

[Huntschool]

I think I posted this in another thread sort of about the same thing but.... When I use cast balls, I trim the sprue as close as I can get it and then randomly roll the balls between two pains of tempered shelf glass. This pretty well removes almost 100 % of the sprue mark. At that, I just load the ball which ever way it lays. I really don't feel that it has effected accuracy any at all.

I only shoot RB's.

 

[Dryball]

I've experimented with tumbling. Level of success depends on mold used and spru size. My Lyman molds leave a larger spru and have never really gotten it to go away. Lee molds tumble well but I eventually decided it's not worth the effort.

 

[waarp8nt]

I load with the sprue up. Never thought about tumbling them to remove or lessen the size of the sprue. I did attempt to remove it by cutter and knife, but ultimately settled on sprue up.

Since it was brought up, another source for metal containers can be your local automotive parts store. Our local Napa store is a Martin Senour paint store and Dust & Sons, the parts store down the street, is a DuPont dealer. They have supported me in the past by giving me new one gallon paint cans for my various projects. The lids stay on tight and I even cut a plug in one lid, like a piggy bank, to have easy access to the contents.

 

[Eutycus]

A sprue on a round ball is one of lifes realities, learn to live with it, the old timers did.

 

[brayhaven]

I load em spru up just cause I do. A step in the process. I'm not convinced it makes a bit of difference spru up down or sideways. Never worried about truing the ball or removing the spru. I doubt there is one shooter in 100 that's a good enough shot that it makes much difference.

I think you’re exactly right “logcutter”. I recall some years back at the friendship national match, we were practicing on the pistol range. Some chatting going on and a guy, said he thought that flyer was because his sprue was off center. A master class shooter nearby, said it didn’t matter and a discussion ensued. The guy proceeded to look around in the gravel and found a rock he said looked about 32 cal, loaded it in his Yazel and shot a 10 at 25 yards.
The amazed shooters watching said he couldn’t do that again for anything. Of course he looked around for another 32 rock and shot another 10. Probably couldn’t do it at 50, but he made his point. I Shoot swaged buckshot in the smaller calibers (32 & 36). So not an issue with me, but I load sprue up in all the others out of habit. Not that it matters much
Muleskinner

 

[Grimord]

Sam Fadala wrote about deformed round ball shooting in one of the Black Powder Hand books. He tested sprue up and down, and balls with "X's" cut into them and found there was very little change in the point of impact. That said, I still roll my cast balls between two steel plates to smooth out the sprues just because it is something I do. I also weigh the balls, which is a whole other discussion that has been had on this forum. To each his own.
Watch your top knot (if you got one) and keep your eyes on the sky line.

 

[bang]

Sprue up is typical way. My thinking it's because you can see the sprue and can center it. If the balls are proper always center as best possible the patch. If accuracy remains an issue try slightly thicker patch. It helps a bunch to mic the barrel at the bottom of the lands that way you know exact proper diameter ball plus patch thicness. Have seen .45 barrels measure closer to .44 thus needing a .437 ball and .018 patch. If proper selection does not solve it check crown. If using a scope check for gaps in mounting and even alignment accross mounts and rings. Also, and this is only my thoughts, only use scopes that are shotgun capable. If all that checks out then its something you are doing.