Testing Different Sized Round Ball in a Muzzleloader 

I wouldn't worry too much about the naysayers or your sight on backwards. That's the beauty of using muzzleloaders, you can put pretty much any size ball combination down the barrel as long as it fits. I've shot my muzzleloaders using pillow ticking patches, thin muslin material, cardboard wads, grass, leaves, cotton cleaning patches & yes, even no patch material at all. I've shot muzzleloaders stuffing 2 balls down the barrel to discover their spread patterns. About 2 years ago...I even tried over an ounce of #7.5 shot down 2 different rifled barreled guns with reasonable results at 25 yards. Ball starters are for those fellows that wants to put down an extremely tight load for accuracy. Whether they are more accurate or not is subject to debate. You'll also notice those fellows don't use ramrods, they use extra long steel or brass range rods with round palm savers on one end to load their guns. That's fine on the range, but carrying an extra cleaning rod in the field is a hassle. All of this is fun & the amount of variance of the loads placed in these type guns keeps it VERY interesting. Good video my friend. Keep on shooting!

i used to make bird shot loads for my 50 cal. flintlock rifle. they worked just fine and were not in any way damaging to the bore. when shooting the 50 cal. patched ball it is a nail driver. so, have fun with your muzzles loader. during the revolutionary war they loaded their guns with both patched balls and buck shot. thus the term "buck and ball" . in a real situation if you did not have the exact right caliber of round ball you could make a smaller cal. work at close range with a thicker patch.

The only thing that would make me nervous is loading your powder straight from your flask every thing else you’re all good.

Black powder is very "forgiving" when it comes to use. While there are things you need to do to be "period correct," there is absolutely no need for anything except having fun. A ball starter can be made from an old golf ball and a short section of dowel. Drill two holes 90 degrees apart. Fill one with a section that sticks out about a half inch, and the other with a section that sticks out about 6 inches. Using only a ramrod is acceptable, but never grab the rod more than 6 inches above the barrel. It can easily break if you grab higher and that risks stabbing your hand with the broken part. Round balls aren't really undersized. They are sized according to the thickness of the patch - which can vary from 0.10 to 0.30 thickness. The most common material is pillow ticking, but anything sturdy is acceptable. Sometimes, they even used pieces of buckskin. With a 0.10 patch, the proper ball is 440. With your. 433 ball, you should be using a 0.20 thick patch. The purpose of the patch is to grip the ball firmly enough that the rifling imparts spin AND to carry the lube that keeps the fouling soft and easy to clean. Always use natural based lubes. Cleanup is easy with soap and warm water. Petroleum-based lubes yield a hard and difficult to clean fouling. Loading without a patch is acceptable, and period correct, but you do indeed lose a lot of speed and energy - plus a lack of lube allows rapid fouling buildup. After cleaning, and just before loading, firing a cap on the empty barrel will prevent those misfires from leftover oil. And remember, the key is to have fun 👍.

Not sure what the grove to grove diameter is on that specific rifle, but 0.452" and 0.457" should be pretty dang close to full bore size give or take a few thousandths, so you shouldn't need a patch with it anyway, and probably can't use one with those balls. I figured you'd be cutting lead rings with the 0.457" like loading a cap and ball cylinder. Don't listen to the FUDDs!

Your sights is your sight, what ever works best for you. Just some recommendations from out of the wood work. When you have a clean gun. Pop a couple of caps before your first load to clear the channel. 30 grains in a .45 is plenty for plinking. The patch primary job is to hold the rifeling. A thick patch on an undersized ball is a traditional load. A patched round ball on a 60-70 grain 3f charge will kill any deer in the woods and a maxie conical won’t be a better killer…. However you want to stay in range. 50-75 yards I’ve been using ml loaded with patched ball since the 1970s and taken deer, elk, and antelope

Cool thinking out the box

" Track of the Wolf " has all ya would ever need for smoke pipes..... S.S. ram rods for just range shooting 25 bucks when I bought mine.. Your a smart guy ya know what you would need.... btw Ive never used such a low powder charge worried about balls getting stuck... 60-100 grains is my usual charge .. Got a 50 cal. Renegade n patch clean between shots n it's dead on rifle.... Have a bunch of plastic speed loaders one side is the ball other side is the powder.... Usually get around 2 dozen shots shooting at my range in an hour.... They are fun to shoot n cheap.... Good thing your getting the Brass n Wood bullet starter over the plastic one.... Hot water n Windex is your friend just pull the wedge stick the barrel only in a bucket n swab in n out then Ballistol when done.... You know what to do... Be back in S.W. Florida in a couple of weeks had to get the house fixed after the Storm... Good lil video n have a good Sunday.... be well..

I have used oversized patches if needed. That is the fun of muzzleloaders. A good measuring device is handy to check the thickness of patches. Well played Sir.

Very interesting video I like how you are making do with what you have and still making it work awesome

Mike Beliview aka duelist1954 often puts a wad of flax fiber over the powder, drops in an undersized ball, and uses another wad of flax fiber to hold it in place. That always makes me cringe. In my mind, I can see that ball bouncing down the bore when it's fired. In case you're wondering, no, it's not very accurate.

Oh my god, I can't believe you didn't have eye and ear protection on that tree! Just messing with you. Great informative video! Thanks.

There is alot of mythos and lore around smoke poles and some is grounded in reality some isnt

I don't think 18th century frontiersman used patches or short starters to be honest each rifles barrel was pounded out round from a piece of flat iron, so the end bore diameter was always slightly unique to each gun, so gunsmiths made bullet molds specific to each gun they made.

You know those 4 in 1 screw drivers that are only like 2 bucks.... I use one of those without the bit as a ball starter. What works works....

I picked up a Traditions 50 Cal BP for $25 because the barrel was rusted but I got it cleaned up well enough that I now I use it for squirrel hunting with game load lead.

I shoot .32, .44, and .45 balls out of my .50 flintlock muzzleloader with different thickness of patches. I even shoot my balls out of it with shot gun wadages I think they're 410 GA. Ones I load it put the ball inside of it then put a patch down the barrel to hold in from falling out and it shoots very well for small game and long distance. I even use the shot gun wadage with shot with a patch on top and shoot rabbit, squirrel and pheasant. I'm shooting a 1:66 twist .50. I shoot Sabbat bullets also. That's the beauty of muzzleloaders they shoot pretty much what ever you put down the barrel. My inline does the same thing. So don't worry about what people say. Can't be scared to try different things in life or you won't get any where in life or know anything. My family been shooting muzzleloaders since the early 80s. I'll listen to them instead of others. People say the same thing about bows and crossbow. You have to shoot heavy arrows and heavy broad heads for nock down power to send the arrow or bolt through the deer. Well I've been shooting bow since 1985 I'm a long range shooter I shoot lightweight arrows or bolt if it's my crossbow a 100 grain broadheads still to this day and I fill all my tags for deer season. And here in pa we get 6 doe tags plus buck tag. Mytags are all filled this year. My buck tag I filled flintlock/ archery season after x Mas. I took a doe with my flintlock and tagged it with my buck tag. We're aloud to do that here in pa. But every other deer this year my recurve bow and my center point crossbow I shot deer out to a hundred yards with that bow with the killer instinct scope and all Mt bolts go through the deer and they don't run far trust me on that. But my freezer is full. Nice video dude keep them coming and don't be afraid to experiment. Try shooting a .44 and .32 cal out of your muzzleloader see how it shoots do a video on it. Find a patch that will make it fit tightly.

Do you roll your own?

When it comes to muzzleloaders people have been getting creative for centuries. Some things may not be the most accurate, efficient, or clean methods. Buuuut if its your gun its pretty much dealers choice, thats the fun of it. The natives did things with smooth bore trade guns that would have the internet professionals heads spinning

If it works for You, shoot it! 👍

I have the same rife. It is a blast.

I'd just use a lubed wad and no patch with the larger rounds. A Sharps paper cartridge gun uses no patch. Keep shooting.

Just as the foumding father’s intended.

What rifle are you using

I like your videos so I’m going to give you some life saving advise here. Never NEVER NEVER NEVER load your rifle straight from your powder flask or horn. Use a dedicated powder measure. Trust me on this.

I'm sure you are aware by now everyone knows everything about everything - except you. Ignore the chest beaters and have fun.

Do I need a short starter for a percussion pistol

As far as ball starter, ram rods good, should swab somewhere at 2nd or. 3rd shot

Haha toob.

Without a patch to seat the ball against the charge and keep it there, if your ball rolls forward while aiming you now have in effect a "barrel obstruction" and excessive pressures. Possible Darwin Award for the cost of a patch...

Dude why do you have a blurry smudge in the center of the video almost every damn time. I think your fingering your lens with greasy hands