Loading Oversized Balls

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Many of you have asked how is it possible to load a round ball that is bigger
than the barrel with a patch to boot!! Well here is a video of the wife
loading her pistol 32 cal Bore .320 with a .323 ball and a .010 thick patch.
Sure she has to tap it in with a brass hammer, then you see her just pushing
it down the bore. The barrel is .320 land to land and .338 groove to groove.
This is how we load.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxmCqUQJnSU

 

[TheRodDoc]

That doesn't make sense. Groove dia. has to be larger then the bore.

Your groove dia. must be around .328 or so. That would give a .004" deep groove. Then that ball size and patch size would be about right for a tight fit.

 

[Bluehawk]

Doc...bore is groove diameter and I think he meant it the other way around where .320 is bore and .318 is land.

 

[Oyeboten]

.002 is a whole lotta not much for Land height of Rifleing...

 

[mykeal]

Actually, 0.002" works quite well with the right combination of ball, patch and powder in a pistol barrel. Light to moderate load and tight ball/patch combination - I imagine the twist rate is fairly slow for a pistol, about 1:20 or maybe even 1:30?

 

[[email protected]]

Sorry guys, I was tired when we got in last night. Your right that makes
no sense. I just corrected it. The bore dia which is the land to land is .320
The groove dia. is .338 The depth of the groove is .009 Sorry.

 

[higene]

In the video I see that your wife is using a drop tube for the powder. What is the first step? Is that to prep the bore or what?

 

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First step is wiping the barrel out with a cleaning patch damp with windshield
soultion. Second is putting drop tube in barrel. Third is charging the measure
with Black Powder. Fourth is pouring powder down drop tube. Remove tube
and lube patch with water soulable mixture. Place patch over muzzle and place ball in center of patch. Next use short starter and brass hammer and
start ball and patch in the barrel. Then using ramrod push the patched ball
down on the powder. When ball is in contact with powder apply about 15 lbs
of pressure with the ramrod. Remove ramrod and walk to the firing line and
cap and fire pistol. In our timed fire matches you must load and fire five shots
in 5 min. Wife does it in 3 1/2 min. That's just her normal speed. Loading a
rifle is the same as the pistol. We use .410 in the 40 cal .454 in the 45
.501 in the 50. In the 58 Zouave I use .575 This all with .022 patching.

 

[higene]

Rifle

Do you use a drop tube in the rifle(s)?

 

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Yes

 

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Gene

Wife and I were talking about the timed fire matches and I will make a video
of her loading next Sunday. I think she performs all the above things in
about 30 seconds.