mauser06

im going to be shooting roundballs this ywar out of my 50cal tc hawken flintlock...with homeade patches cut the old fashioned way out of pillow ticking and homemade moosemilk for lube....but im about out of balls...and will need more....i was just wondering if anyone has any reason to believe roundballs arent created equal?? and if so...what maker makes the best?? i shot a box of hornadys now....only thing i killed though were 2 groundhogs with them....so what do you guys say who makes THE best roundball?? or all they all created pretty much equal??.....also...shooting a 50cal with say...90grs of 3fg goex....what kind of performance on deer can i expect from 5-75 yards?? or should i limit my shots to 50?? im confident to 75+ with it...well was...gota go shoot the new patches and balls and powder...but i used to beable to whack a coffee can at 75yds no problem...so that would be no problem putting one in a deer that far..but will a ball have the power and effectiveness to put a deer down?? i have no expirience with a round ball except 2 groundhogs...which were pretty much clean holes in and out...so i was just wondering what to expect hitting a deer...and how far youd limit its effectivness saying that you can hit the deer cleanly...i wouldnt shot farther then comfortable...and know a roundball drops pretty good.....but if im comfortable what would the max be for a good clean easy kill?? thanx guys

cayugad

For roundball I like Buffalo Bullets, Speer and Hornady in that order but I shoot homecasted ones. You would not want to live on the difference.

You can expect DEAD!! People need to remember, you are putting a 1/2 inch hole through the vitals of an animal. That is not counting the expansion of the roundball that will probably happen, the bone it might break and push through with itself, and the hole on the other side with a good strong charge like that.. Yep, you can expect DEAD!! I would not limit my shots to 75 yards, my friend has killed deer at around 100 yards with the same load you mentioned and dropped them where they stood. Was he lucky, maybe... but we dragged deer out that day.

The roundball will not drop as much as you think Mauser06. Sight that rifle in for 100 yards and if you have a nice broadside shot, and are sure you can place your shot, I still think that is not too far. I understand many people feel the .50 is not powerful enough for that kind of shooting. I personally disagree. I would shoot that far, but then I know I can place my shot.

mauser06

thanx alot cayugad....i knew youd be the first to reply...and with the info i was looking for.....as you can tell my moosemilk and patch making turned out good(i think...looks like itll all work..) i put a ball down with no powder to see how cutting patches work...pretty slick....worked nice...i think im going to add a touch more oil to the mix though...i just like it a little slicker...i got the ball out fine though...ill buy a pound of powder here this weekend and hopefully make it out to shoot some...maybe another groundhogs in order...i like shooting roundballs...and seems like cutting patches will be my style too...just like doing it the old fashioned way....soak the strip in my mouth for my reload with it hanging out while stuffing a ball down there....you know them old pics of the mountain men...thanx alot...ill let you know how it goes.....i definently dont take shots i dont know i can make....and if i dont think my gun will make it i wont shot....im going to have to set targets up clear to 100yds and see the trajectory for myself....but around here 75yds is a long shot...so ill sight in for 50...and know where it hits at 25, 75, and 100 just incase......thanx alot

eldeguello

The ONLY RB I/'ve ever killed anything with have been .500" diameter ones I cast myself with a Lyman mould.I use them in my ..50 with 90 to 120 grains of GOEX FFg. I have fired Speer, Hornady, and Remington "Gold" RB's at targets, and can see no differences between any of them when shot with the same powder charges and patch thicknesses. For hunting lightly constructed critters like whitetail deer, I insist on using pure lead balls or bullets, regardless of type of bullet.

As cayugad says, the load you propose using is plenty deadly enough out to 100 yards or so, plus the trajectory is pretty flat out to that distance. If you zero at 100 yards, your RB will be no more than 2.5" or so high at all ranges in between, so you can aim dead on at any range out to 100 yards and make a killing shot.

The round ball is the only bullet I've ever used that often makes a bigger entry hole than an exit hole. The ball seems to "splatter out" on impact, and the dense center portion then carries on through, leaving about a .50 cal. exit hole, whereas the entry wound can be from pingpong ball diameter up to baseball size, depending on distance from the gun- the closer the deer is, the bigger the entry hole! Every deer I've killed with a round ball has been when using 90 grains of GOEX FFg with a .50 caliberball. Balls leave a tremendous blood trail on both sides of the critter, and the farthest one has ever travelled after I shot it was perhaps 30 yards.

Longbow Bowhunter

I like Warren round ball very nice for the price.

roundball

IMO, Hornady and Speer own the commercial swaged roundball market.

I've used Hornady products all my life, so I naturally went with Hornadyfor muzzleloading...but I'vetried a couple boxes of Speer roundballs from time to time and couldn't tell any difference...

Charley

I've never noticed a dime's wort of difference between anybody's swaged balls. Cast balls are a bit different. I've seen some that were almost Lyman number 2 alloy they were so hard. My own cast balls are as pure a lead as I can find.
No problems with taking whitetails at 100 yards using a .50. Sight dead on at 100, and as said above, trajectory will be flat enouh to hold dead on at any range up to 100.
I've never had a deer run more than 40 yards with any round ball, and most don't make it 5 yards.

mauser06

thanx alot guys....im going to pick up some supplies i need today if i can make it...or tomarow...and hopefully do some shooting today or tomarow...dont know if ill get a chance to do either...just had another ingrown toenail fixed....and i cant put weight down on it..its really sore on the bottom..the dr must have gave me a novakaine shot down there and its sore...but im tryin to get it to feel better...got my gun back together...possibles bag all back in order...and i list of minor stuff i need.....cant wait..thanx alot....ill let you know how it all pans out.....maybe a .51 inch group with pics for you guys lol....ive punched some clover leaf groups with roundballs in my gun...thats why im sticking with them till i harvest a deer with one..then i will stick with them or go with a big nasty bullet....thanx alot....sounds like they work great...

Tahquamenon

I can't tell the difference between Hornady and Speer. Whichever is the least expensive at the time is what I buy up.

And, 50cal PRB will certainly do the trick on deer. For a stout load, try a wad on top of that 90gr 3FG then load your PRB. Also .018" ticking patch. You may just find exceptional accuracy out to 100 yards.

I always shoot wad's on top of the powder and a tighter patchfor heavy hunting loads.

Deersmoker243

Does it matter?? I think they all shot the same.