Lead alternative practice balls

roundball · #1 08-06-2008, 08:55 PM

FYI...

Last year it became obvious to me that the price of lead was going up through the roof, and California plus a couple more states were beginning to ban the use of lead projectiles. People who enjoy Flintlocks as a hobby normally shoot them a lot and of course use patched round lead balls to do so. I average 40 range trips a year with 50 shots per session and knew my hobby would come to an end if lead balls either became unaffordable or unavailable...so I started playing the "what if" game...what if that happened, what would I do.

I started researching possibilities that might exist to use alternative balls at least for weekend practice sessions...thank the lord for the Internet and Email. Turns out all the other metal balls were as or more expensive than lead so they couldn't be considered...and the other possibilities I could think of were balls made of wax, wood, rubber, glass (marbles), etc. Wood and wax were simply too light...rubber and marbles are the winners, with marbles clearly being head & shoulders above everything due to their heavier weight...a 9/16" marble weighs 65grns...holds it velocity & energy a little further than a 22grn rubber ball.

To make a year long story short...had many communications with many different companies, made many trial purchases, spent many weekends experimenting at the range with the chronograph, different powders, patches, lubes, etc...and so far found 4 commercially available alternative practice 'balls' that work extremely well to keep right on having weekend fun shooting...and most are dirt cheap. If you think about it, unless you're actually sighting in a rifle with a hunting load, 95% of the range trips are just for fun, practice, etc...and you don't need full powder hunting loads just to poke holes in paper, or shoot pine cones, or empty .12ga hulls, or 2" aim point stickers...all at 25yds...simply do not need to waste an expensive lead ball every time you pull the trigger to do those things.

.40cal
Turns out a company makes a .410" rubber ball for use in "realistic look-alike firearms" (that use compressed air) for LEO training centers across the country. These commercially available balls cost $20 for 500...the balls compress just enough with a .015" patch for a snug fit and give superb accuracy in a .40cal muzzleloader at 20-25yds...a real find for those who own a .40cal if lead becomes unaffordable or is banned, etc.

.45cal
Haven't found a commercial substitute yet

.50cal
A company makes several diameter rubber balls for use in spring loaded check valves, one of which is a .500" diameter and with a .015" patch, fits the .50cal perfectly...again, due to its extremely light weight, 20-25yd close range accuracy only.

Also...1/2" solid glass marbles are very accurate as well...a little more so as they are heavier than the light rubber. Could also be used for small game at typical small game distances of 15-25yds.

.54cal
Haven't found a commercial substitute yet

.58cal
Another huge find...9/16" solid glass marbles...only costing a penny apiece instead of .20-.25 cents apiece for a Hornady .58cal ball...they make a single ragged hole at 25-30 yards shot out of a .58cal muzzleloader with 80grns Goex 3F. After testing proved so outstanding, I had a bulk order of 6000 delivered for $60.00...$40 for the marbles, $20 delivery for 50 pounds weight. So far, I've shot 500 of these 9/16" marbles this year to date..cost me 500 pennies ($5) instead of $125 for all the boxes of Hornady lead balls I would have used.

Note: Marbles are produced for decoration and board games...therefore the manufacturing tolerances, particularly for less than a penny each, are not as precise as lead balls. For example, a company's 9/16" marble actually mic's .560"- .600". The good news is you can quickly sort them into two groups with a dial caliper. Everything .560"- .568" works perfectly in the .58cal, everything from .569"-.600” works perfectly in a .62cal.

.62cal(.20ga)
Same as for the .58cal...even greater savings because the larger .62cal lead balls cost even more than the .58cal balls...but it shoots the same penny marble with the same ragged hole accuracy just using a thicker patch....030" instead of .015".

An interesting learning experience too...also realized I don't need to 'wait' until I can't afford lead...I'm already shooting marbles in the .58cal regularly now...save $15 every Saturday I do that.

.62cal(.20ga) rifle...I wrote '10' marbles on the target but that can't be right...it was probably 15-20 marbles to make that hole;

.40cal rubber balls, the two on the table are those I recovered after shooting them through a couple bottles of soft drink at 25yds that somebody left at the range...like new condition...these could be caught in a bullet trap and reused over and over;

.58cal...experimenting with different thickness patches caused some POI variations but it settled down with the thick .022" patches;

Adam Helmer · #2 08-07-2008, 09:05 AM

roundball,

Excellent post! Thanks for sharing your research with us; we may have to seek these alternatives sooner than later.

I knew an old farmer in the 1960s who used to load double ball loads of marbles into his 12 gauge hulls for varmits. So, I know marbles will work as projectiles, I just never considered them in the muzzleloaders before.

Thanks for the heads up.

Adam

Rustywreck · #3 08-08-2008, 12:52 AM

Very interesting!! I hadn't thought about marbles. They might be kind of fun to shoot at hard target.

roundball · #4 08-08-2008, 01:11 PM

It is amazing how strong the 9/16" marbles are...I've actually wondered if they have a bit of polymer mixed in for strength but not at a half cent apiece...I've never broken one...I've thrown them down on a concrete floor as hard as I possibly can and they just bounce back up in the air a few feet...never broken one.

Also amazing how accurate they are ina .58 or .62cal...you can pick off empty .12ga hulls on the 25 yard line...but due to their light weight they shed velocity very fast and by 50 yards you're lucky to hit a paper plate...so they are definitely a close range practice alternative...you could squirrel hunt with them

jplonghunter · #5 08-09-2008, 08:03 AM

roundball

Good post. Always seeking better way. Has anyone tried casting roundballs with epoxy? I would think if you would use mold release you could cast in correct size bullet mold.

jplonghunter

roundball · #6 08-09-2008, 12:45 PM

We'll be waiting for your range report

rattus58 · #7 08-09-2008, 10:13 PM

How cool... where actually did you score these.... I'm interested in the .410 and 58 in particular....

Aloha...

roundball · #8 08-10-2008, 08:31 AM

9/16” SOLID GLASS CLEAR MARBLES
http://www.jabovitro.com/splash.shtml

CONTACT:
kim.jaboinc@casinternet.net
Reference a recent bulk order sale of 6000 to a guy in North Carolina so it might help her Know which ones you want.

SOLID RUBBER BALLS FOR THE .40cal
http://www.nles.com/store/catalog/Re...nt-p-1994.html

CONTACT:
Charles Tooraen, NIC Law Enforcement Supply, charles@nles.com
The company lists them as their .43cal balls, but they actually mic .41-ish.
The listed retail price is $30/500, but I was able to work a bulk order purchase discount of 30% with Charles and ordered several thousand for a group of guys for $20/500.

NOTE:
Although you can't see it with the naked eye, there is some minor manufacturing tolerance variations in these inexpensive marbles.
You should sort them a few thousandths smaller than you would with lead balls for this reason: occasionally one will be slightly out of round.

If you unknowingly mic it across is smaller diameter and think its OK, but then it unknowingly gets short-started into the muzzle across it's larger diameter, it could wedge in the bore. A ball puller is no good on solid glass of course, and you can't dare try to shoot it out as it would be a bore obstruction midway up the bore.

I learned this the hard way the first time I went to the range...had a devil of a time with a large mallet and solid brass rod driving it the rest of the way down...(it shot out fine).
So I sort using .568 as my max threshold and use .022" pillow ticking patches so I have leeway to accommodate that...have shot almost 600 since then and they all load like Hornady balls.

Everything .569 and above I set aside for the .62cal with .030" patches...outstanding accuracy...and I'm not even waiting for lead to get anymore expensive since these are so accurate and cheap just for plinking...shot another 50 at the range yesterday morning...total projectile cost to punch 50 holes in paper targets at 25 yards was .50 cents.

For best precision accuracy you have to drive these light 65grn marbles with a good head of steam and I get almost single hole accuracy with 80grns Goex 3F. But for general plinking just to enjoy shooting and practice shooting form, 40-50grns powder is also fine, but the groups will run a little larger at 3-4".
(the light 15grn rubber balls also do best with high velocity)