Opening day is soon... ball or conical?

[antsi]

I have a Lyman deerstalker and want to use it for its namesake purpose in a couple of weeks. Problem is I waited too late this Fall to start sighting it in, and I've been playing around with different kinds of projectiles -- too many variables. I need to narrow down my focus here.

In the past I have gotten fairly good groups with both conicals (Hornady great plains maxiball) and round ball. I have also gotten inexplicably bad accuracy results at times. Inconsistency is the problem here.

This year I decided to try out some of the Barnes hollow point banded bullets - a mistake - I was getting irregular holes in the paper that looked like keyholing. I guess a 1:48 twist isn't stabilizing these things very well.

Now with limited time I am needing to decide on what I'm going to shoot this year, quit playing around, and get the thing sighted in -- round ball or conicals.

So far I have been using GoEx FFg, and overloading slightly beyond factory spec (95gr with the conicals, 100 gr with the ball).

So help me decide -- accuracy is my major concern here - ball or conical?

 

[RON in PA]

One in 48" is a compromise twist, too slow for most conicals and not slow enough for most large caliber balls. I would use a ball and play with the powder charge to get approximately 2" at fifty yards. You didn't state caliber (I'm guessing 50 cal.), but my guess is that if you dropped down to 90 grains you'd get good hunting accuracy and reasonable velocity.

 

[antsi]

Ron, thanks. Yes it is a .50 cal. In all my experimentation I have not gone down on powder charge... perhaps that is where I need to go. I will try round ball and less of the black smokey stuff.

What is the disadvantage of spinning the ball too fast?

 

[bp_cowboy]

I would use a Ball

and also decrease your powder charge. I have a TC Hawken 50 and I use ball over 80 grs of FFg. It is quite accurate and still holds good accuracy out to 150 yards.

 

[Mark whiz]

DEFINITELY lower that powder charge for shooting round ball..............80 to 90gr is the max that ball can handle out of that twist.

Also, what size ball and patch thickness are you using................you might need to go to a different size on one or the other to improve your seal over the powder.

 

[Fatelvis]

Id go with a RB.

 

[Dr.Rob]

I use a hollow base conical, the charge flares the bullet and grips the rifling better.

Remington makes really good ones.

 

[Poodleshooter]

I shot a doe on the 30th using a roundball. It penetrated fully on a neck shot from broadside. I'd shoot roundball if you can keep your groups small and your range under 100yds.

 

[antsi]

Thanks for the Help, High Road!

I dropped my charge to 85 grains (the rifle's book recommends 90 max) with round ball and it is shooting much nicer. Still a solid thump, but less of a harsh nasty kick. Not as much fireball. And most important, a lot better accuracy.

Will be out for opening day in Indiana. Hope I get a good shot at a nice doe or young buck.

 

[Iggy]

Too much powder

Try and find your patches about 10 or 15 yards beyond the muzzle.. If they are frayed and ripped, you are overloading and destroying the contact between the ball and the rifling..

It takes some serious testing to find the right combination of caliber, and patch combination..

Frayed patches are a good starting place..

 

[RandolH]

Buffalo Bullet Company makes a projectile called a ball-et, I've rather liked it for use at the range but I can't comment on it's effectiveness while hunting. It's sort of a cross between a conical and round ball. It has a cylindrical base that with a small hollow and a spherical nose, with pre-lubricated cross hatchings.