Wheel Weight balls

[Supercracker]

I saw in an old thread where someone mentioned using "Wheel Weight Balls". I can only assume this means balls cast from wheel weights.

My question is what is the advantage. Is this material that much more heavy than regular lead to make an appreciable difference or is it ????????

 

[eaglesnester]

Wheel Weight lead is generally thought to be too hard for PRB use in a muzzle loader. You are better off with pure lead which is softer.

 

[Coot]

The "advantage" to wheel weights is that they are cheap & readily available. The disadvantages are that they are various alloys that vary from batch to batch and both the weight and hardness of any roundballs cast from them will also vary from batch to batch. The hardness (wheel weight alloy is harder than pure lead) has an effect on the ability of the patch to grip & spin the ball and the ability of the ball to expand in game. The weight variation will mean that a load worked up with pure lead balls will have to be reconsidered with the lighter wheelweight balls. That said, they are cheap & some use them for plinking or in a smoothbore where patch grip is not an issue.

 

[Supercracker]

Sounds like far more trouble than it's worth.

 

[caddo]

I want pure lead for my rifle. I heard wheel weight lead is ok in a smoothbore but never tried it.

 

[Jimbo453]

I make my RB from wheel weights and I sight my rifles in with them I also make my own caps patches ,lubes , ball starters ect Why you ask ? just because I can
I think it adds that feeling of a time gone by when not everyone could $$ BUY $$ everything they needed I also think it helps me to know and understand my guns more then the next guy that just buys what ever the setler has to sell him if next week or next month boughten pure lead balls are no longer availble I will still be shooting and hunting with my guns maybe not so for those that depend on the store to provide for them.
shoot more
worry less

 

[Dphar]

I saw in an old thread where someone mentioned using "Wheel Weight Balls". I can only assume this means balls cast from wheel weights.

My question is what is the advantage. Is this material that much more heavy than regular lead to make an appreciable difference or is it ????????

Hard lead was the normal load for ML used on heavy game in the 19th century and possibly before.
I have a 16 bore rifle that shoots WW as well as it shoots pure lead but I can shoot a thicker patch with pure lead. WW is harder and also casts a slightly larger ball from the same mould since lead shrinks more than WW as it cools.
James Forsythe wrote that his 14 bore rifle (69 caliber) with a 15 guage ball would shoot through an Indian Elephants head from side to side with a hardened ball and 5 drams of powder (about 137 grains).
WW is lighter than pure lead, but will usually penetrate better (thus the use on heavy game).
There is no real benefit when shooting non-dangerous game. But if hunting Gbears I would likely use WW in the 16 bore (.662 ball).

Dan

 

[Bearbait2]

Mr. Supercracker,
In our weapons we have found the WW PRB to be just as accurate as the pure lead ones.
Additionally, for our purposes we do not want the PRB to expand. We want it to penetrate to its maximum ability, preferably completely through the animal. It is already of .62 caliber or .72 caliber, depending on the firearm we are using.
Merely our opinion based on our experience hunting Moose, etc.
Best Wishes

 

[gmww]

I saw in an old thread where someone mentioned using "Wheel Weight Balls". I can only assume this means balls cast from wheel weights.

My question is what is the advantage. Is this material that much more heavy than regular lead to make an appreciable difference or is it ????????

I use wheel weight RB's in my .62. I recently chose this over pure lead because I was shooting a thick skinned, heavy boned animal. (American Bison) I wanted deep penetration and because soft lead in this animal tends to expand and not penetrate when combined with a hit on a bone. The wheel weight in my buffalo hunt past through the neck and spine like butter. The hole on both sides were the same and the animal dropped instantly.
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/243211/

 

[BrownBear]

I use wheel weight RB's in my .62. I recently chose this over pure lead because I was shooting a thick skinned, heavy boned animal. (American Bison) I wanted deep penetration and because soft lead in this animal tends to expand and not penetrate when combined with a hit on a bone. The wheel weight in my buffalo hunt past through the neck and spine like butter. The hole on both sides were the same and the animal dropped instantly.

Contrast that with my experience shooting a blacktail buck face-on in the neck at 55 yards with a 54 cal pure lead ball. It penetrated the neck bones completely but stopped against the hide in back, expanded to very nearly an inch in diameter and about as thick as a quarter.

Nothing I'd poke a bear with, that's for sure on the off chance that I'd hit a leg bone while going for the heart. Bear leg bones are heavy duty, and I'm not sure I'd trust even a 58 or 62 cal pure lead RB to get past them in a straight line to do their job.

 

[bwhoffman]

I found that I needed thinner patch in my 50's to shoot ww, due to the harder metal not taking the patch as easy nor engaging the rifling as well.
But I do shoot them at times in those gns.
In my handguns, I just cant get them dowm without using a hammer of sorts to get them started.
In my .40, not enough area to work with, so it eats only pure lead.

My .62 smooth bore eats nothing but wheel weight balls and a new to me .58 hawken...well. it is a bit tight with pure lead .570's and a decent patch, wont even start to go down. I made up some .562's in wheel weiht lead and uses a .018/.019 patch and have a match made in heaven.
it shoots tight groups and loads as easy as it should and the patches look good with no bad signs.
I wont be fixing something that isnt broke!

wheel weight balls....some guns like them,some dont. You gots to try all the possibilities!

 

[Tom-ADC]

I've cast wheel weights for cartridge guns but think its to hard for ML. Pure lead is better.

 

[nkbj]

What Brett said.

 

[brubincam]

-----won a shootin match once with solid solder balls-----

 

[nkbj]

I got some No.2 babbitt. :grin: