Loading musket balls in a shotgun shell

[WVGunman]

Right now I just can't find the bigger sizes of buckshot or pumpkin balls for sale (though I admit I haven't looked all that hard). I've got some surplus .535 balls I use in my .54-cal muzzleloader. Has anyone ever tried to make a load with these, and knows how many can be fitted into a 2 3/4-in. shell? Any suggestions for wadding?

 

[GooseGestapo]

It’s been done for years!
“Pumpkin” ball is backwoods slang for a rifled slug. They have ridges formed by swaging the soft hollow lead slug with spiral ridges in an attempt to attain spin stabilization.

Round ball as in “musket” balls work well in smooth bore shot guns to 40-50yds.

Your.535” RB will work well in a 28ga shot shell. There are various techniques available to accomplish this. Ranging from cutting off the crimp from a loaded factory shot shell and inserting the round ball (least satisfactory), to using over shot, card, and cushion wads to build up a wad column and custom roll crimping the hulls.

The round ball loads shoot especially well in my Savage M220 rifled bore bolt action. I use a .615” cast round ball in a 7/8oz plastic wad with a filler. Accurate to 60-70yds.

For much more detailed information, go to www.gunloads/castboolits.com
There is a dedicated thread to loading for shotguns.

As to your other question of how many round ball in a shot shell; it depends. A 28ga likely will hold 2 0.535” RB. Likewise, a 20ga will hold 2- 0.615” RB. and a 12ga, two .685”.
I load a 3” .410 load with 4-buckshot. A .360” in the bottom of the shot cup, and 3- .375” RB. I use a 7/16” wad to enclose the load.

 

[PapaG]

Just be sure the diameter of the round ball is less than the diameter of your choke. "Rifled" slugs are underside and have the "rifling" that can collapse to allow them to pass through a full choke. Not so with round balls.
I have shot .690" in 12 GA and also .575 minie balls through a 20 with a plastic wad. Long ago and don't remember details but I couldn't equal the accuracy of the $2.59 five packs (back then) of rifled slugs.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Foster style slugs are actually hollow! They don’t need or require the grooves.
In some cases, the rifling does impart some spin to the slugs, but are not needed to “crush” .
Even a full diameter soft lead round ball will squeeze or size down in the bore.

About 20yrs ago, Remington embarked on an effort to improve the accuracy of their slugs. They developed a spacer with a hole in it and a ribbed over powder gas seal wad that was designed to “leak”, allowing the skirt of the slug to be “inflated” better gripping the bore. It works!
I shot a new National record in the shotgun match at the NPSC in 2002 using Remington slugs I was provided by Remington. Only I got beat by another shooter who bested me by 1X. That record still stands! I won a REM 597 .22 rifle. He won an engraved presentation grade M870....
I can see the swirled leading in my bore after shooting the Remington slugs.

Federal does something similar with their slugs by inserting a slightly oversized rubber ball in the hollow base of the slug. Most factory slugs will generally fall through a full choke bore. They’re made undersized because of many OLD shotguns with soft steel barrels. And under sized full chokes.