muzzleloader round balls

does anybody have any luck with really good accuracy regarding hornady round balls diameter .490 in modern day inlines im paying about 1.25 just for a 50 cal powerbelt bullet alone when i can get 100 round balls for less than $20.basically its a budget thing, i basically only shoot 50 yards but would like the option of shooting 100 i dont and will not take any shots over 100 yards as of ethics regarding muzzleloader accuracy at longer ranges. i can load and shoot 6 powerbelts without cleaning my muzzleloader and have ease of loading and accuracy is the same regardless of how many shots i shoot through it. will i have to clean my muzzleloader more if i shoot patched round balls throu it? any help on what kinda lube and patches to use would be much appreciated as well

thanks turkey

I shoot .490 balls in a flintlock that has only a 48" twist. Good accuracy out to 125 yards, but the first shot, with a clean barrel, is ALWAYS six inches high at 100 yards, with my rifle. You can try rounds in an inline, but I don't know what the accuracy would be. Most likely has a faster twist and more suited to conical bullets. Give it a try and see if it works. Can usually get around ten shots without running a rag down the barrel before there is enough residue to make loading difficult. Only use black powder, though.

wb black powder substitutes like triple 7???

Haven't ever shot anything but black powder. Maybe someone with knowledge of it will chime in.

The advantage of something like a Powerbelt other than accuracy is that they are a lot heavier than a round ball and therefore can have greater killing power. If you are talking about muzzleloader hunting I would use a conical if legal and I wouldn't be too concerned about the economics when it comes to making sure you have the most lethal round possible.
If you're just shooting for fun then go for the round balls and see what load and patching works best with your rifle.

The round ball does better in a longer twist barrel. Mine is a 54. caliber with a 1 in 60 twist. Very accurate . The tighter twist a barrel has the better in will stabilize the longer conical bullets .

The twist in your barrel will likely be the biggest factor effecting your accuracy. I don't know what the twist is in your inline... Probably faster than a sidelock.

If it's a fast twist you might be able to reduce your powder charge some to keep a patched ball from stripping past the rifling... But I don't know how much advantage that would give you on shooting at game.

Mike

Generally speaking, inlines aren't round ball shooters to begin with. They usually have shorter barrels with a faster twist and are intended to shoot a conical round that is longer and heavier . If you want to shoot round balls (because it's a whole lot cheaper) buy a gun with a long barrel and a slow twist that is made for that, like, say, my Lyman Plains Rifle in 54.

If you shoot alot, you can buy just the sabot and then buy pistol bullets for in them.
50 sabots are around 10 bucks and pistol bullets are around a dime a piece.

I looked them up for ya.
https://www.cabelas.com/product/Harvester-Caliber-Sabots-Per/740368.uts

horaday xtp 250 grain bullet in a sabot, most deer are dead right there.

I agree with the conical bullet deal in an inline, so if budget is a concern, just buy a conical bullet mold and pour your own.

Try them round balls. If you can hit where you are aiming with em, idont see why you couldnt kill anything you wanted with em

The short answer in this, is do not shoot round balls, as what is the price of shooting a deer with a 182 grain lead ball, which does not kill as efficiently as the loads available in the minnie balls or the sabots.
For deer, the sabot is the choice as components are affordable, and you can shoot a jacketed bullet which will penetrate and kill far more effectively.

There is the issue of twist in an inline is reamed faster than the old round balls in being 1 in 48. You should ask yourself why the old hunters threw those round balls away, as did the military for maxie and minnie balls, and the answer was range and killing power offered in the heavy bullet. With slower moving black powder, a major factor is the weight of the bullet for penetration as speed is not available.

If you had a chance to harvest a trophy buck of a lifetime which weighed 300 pounds, do you want to be standing there regretting you had an inferior round ball because it was cheaper as it ran off and you spend hours trying to find it.

Turkey sent you a PM. I have Lee R.e.a.l. bullets in 250 grain 50 cal I could send you to try.

I use a side lock and used round ball in it beside real bullet and yes you can take down a deer.but alot of times they do not stay down if the twist in your barrel is not made for the size and use of what you are usen.I found that out the hard way.If like stated if it is a fast twist like my side locks are then it is for sabot. If it is slow twist it is made for round ball and real bullet.So for the fast twist for my side lock is made for sabots and cast bullets of use for 45-70. It is over a 1" boolit.the mold is from Lee and say for the weight of about 405grs depend on the alloy you use.I use it this deer season during the early muzzle loader season and got a young 8 point at about 35yards and the deer drop in its tracks.Did not get that with round balls in the same rifle and same amount of powder by volume.I just buy the sabots and cast my own boolits.It works for me now.I did get a used side lock with a slow twist that will be able to use the round ball and patch and real bullets I got it already.If it takes 24" to do one complete turn when you pull the rod up. You have a fast twist in your barrel.It is for sabots. If it take 48" for one complete turn then it is for real bullet and round ball to get the best out of that barrel. If it is wrong for what I wrote then please correct it.

I use the Hornady 240grn XTP .44 cal hollow points in green sabot sleeves, deadly bullet with very very good accuracy, longest kill on a deer with it for me was 125 yards from a CVA inline. I paid right around 20-22.00 per 100 plus another 7.00 or so for the sleeves.

My .54 Hawkens shoots round balls with great accuracy, but went to Power Belts for ease of loading just like you did.

The twist will determine if you can shoot a round ball. anything faster than 1-48 and the ball will knuckle. You may be able to adjust your sights so that it hits dead on at a certain yardage, but 20 yards either way and it will probably be way off. Kinda like a baseball pitcher throwing a curve ball. Puts the spin to it, it looks way outside the zone until it gets to the plate.

Below 1-48, most in the 1-28 range are made for longer bullets. Above 1-48, closer to 1-60 are ideal round ball barrels. Sorry, but that's the law of physics.

1-48 twists are what we call "tweeners", will shoot both for the half.

Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone shoot a gain-twist barrel?

Well, come on now, the whole idea of shooting the round ball in the first place is so that you can be proud of the work you did there, if you happen to be shooting a round ball shooter. My .54 is a 235 grain pill and will go through both front shoulders of any deer within the reasonable limits of this gun. I don't have to take that trophy buck at any cost if I have to lower my morals to do it.

If you know what your gun can do then you can get whatever you like with it.Also with shot placement also.So a round ball in the right twist barrel will do what it needs to do.This also remind me that you can not shoot cast bullets because it leads up too much.

I would think in-lines have a 1-28" twist. Best suited for conical projectiles. My 40 caliber is 1-48" which is about right for that caliber down to 32 caliber. My .50 is 1-60" twist rate and it will hold a great group out to 60 yards which is about as far as I can see the target.

you can shoot round balls in a 1:28 twist but you can't push them very hard .

you can load a Hornady great planes connical they work very well for deer track of the wolf has them for 50 cents each

or learn to pour your own Lee R.E.A.L

I pour 320gr Lee R.E.A.L I got started pouring them with a stainless steel sauce pan from good-will on a camp stove with a borrowed mold and a soup ladle. I poured a bunch and shot them and liked them so I bought my own mold for 20 dollars , I now have a better electric pot but if your just pouring enough for you you can get a mold and do it on a camp stove , a few hours one afternoon and you have a supply for a few years if you know someone who casts you might be able to visit them with pounds of lead and make a several year supply in an hour or two.

I shoot an in-line with self poured Maxi-Hunters. I bought a mold and buy lead flashing off Craigslist. Using a propane burner and a lead pot I’m able to melt and pour lead cheaper than buying round balls. I had to make a bullet sizer to get consistent diameters for consistent shooting. My sizer forms the bullets to .504.

I always shoot FFG black powder and will not change to modern powders. I used to shoot pyrodex but had horrible groups. Much better with FFG.

The way I do it isn’t for everyone but I’ve taken a number of deer using low budget lead.

I’ve also seen many deer taken with round ball. My thoughts are buy some round balls, lubed pillow ticking, and hit the range. I say the s because my 1:28 twist White Mountain Carbine shoots balls very well. Every gun is different though.

Today i'm fitting a custon .45 barrel to a handi-rifle today and got to thinking.....Scary, i know, lol.

I bought my first muzzleloader in the late 70's from Dutch at Cocolamus creek. It was a traditions Pa. long rifle, flint lock kit in .45.
Any guesses what i paid for it?

$75 or so, I'de say.

I sure like my .54 Lyman Plains Rifle. When I know I'm going to take in the black powder season, I just spend the whole fall small game hunting with it as it's cheap to shoot. Once you get yourself handy, head shooting grouse and hares...you just go ahead and take what ever deer you want . I have never had a lung shot deer go more than 70 yards, and I've never missed the lungs. I've took quite a few . It is a long gun and about 9lbs, a percussion sidelock. When I went to the occasional shoot, I could hit a milk jug at 100 yards offhand, 3 out of 5 shots, all day long . That would qualify me for another heat.

I got change back from a 50 Les. It was either 44.95 or 45.95 +tax, i forget exactly but i do know a fifty bought it with some room to spare.

Shot a handful of deer with it but haven't used it for quite awhile now.

I have one 54cal, a cap lock gun. Traded for it. Most of my muzzleloaders are 50 and 45's.

I'm sold on the 45's. Shot a deer in Iowa a couple years back at 200yds. My buddies had shotguns and couldn't think about shooting as far as i was. The trajectory is much better with a 45 and with today's bullets is plenty to kill deer at that yardage.

Not sure why 45's didn't catch on like the 50's, but there's no denying the 50's took over the market unles you o with a custom barrel.

I have killed deer with round ball 45s all my life never had a problem in there effective range, have helped freinds get there inlines tuned up and they shoot good with round ball, I wouldn't be afraid of a 50 round at 100 at all! They'll flattin um with the right load!

I say that the .54 is plenty of gun, especially if you small game hunt with it, lol. It is not affected very much in the wind on the range either. That being said, the fella that got me into this discipline, had a nice little .32 and if I'm remembering right, it took regular buckshot, very accurate and fun to shoot.