Balls are the thng!

[ZVP]

After shoting a few years, I've come to the conclusion Balls are best! To carry, toload, and to shoot.
Least problems loading and most constant shooting too!
Heavy conicals look good on paper but a speedy ball is best and easiest!
JMHO
ZVP

[g.willikers]

Same here.
So far I've not found any improvement, or even an equal in accuracy over round balls in my .44 cap and ball.

[swathdiver]

Rifle or revolvers?

Round ball all the way every day in our rifles, some of the sixguns shoot them Kaido Conicals just as accurate as round ball, they're for reaching out to big game at 50 yards or in heavy brush and of course are just fine for self-defense.

[wogpotter]

Both!
I tried all sorts of clever loads & went back to .454" RB in the 1858 & .495" with a .005" patch in the .50 Hawken carbine.

[maillemaker]

I have not found any conical bullet to make a load workup as accurate as round ball in my revolvers. I read a review of the Kaido Conical in Guns of the Old West that claimed better accuracy than round ball.

I have read that the reproduction revolvers have twists set up to be optimal for round ball.

Steve

[rodwhaincamo]

My 170 and 195 grn bullets work just as well as a ball in my NMA and ROA. I'd take them any day over a ball.

My Lyman Deerstalker shot the 320 grn REAL much better than a .490" PRB, though I hadn't done enough trial with it as I was breaking it in. But without trials two REALs were nearly touching at 50 yds.

[ZVP]

Iforgot to say in my revolvers.
I have 6 250 gr >45 conicals saved for a H#AVY charge outa my sherrif Remington 5 1/2"! If I ever need to try and slit the frame, I pity what's in front of that load!!!

My standard load is 35 gr pyrodex and a .453 ball and a 36 cal charge 0f 25 gr of pyrodex.
Balls love the charges!
ZVP

[FrontierGander]

in my inlines i use conicals but in my sidelocks, patched ball. My 58cal does the job on deer just fine. Shot one in the chest last year and found in up against the rear leg bone!

[4V50 Gary]

For revolvers I'll stick with the old round balls too. Easy and fun and besides, I'm not competiting.

[swathdiver]

In mid 2012 Pietta tightened the twist on their .44 Remington revolvers from 1:30 to about 1:16.

Uberti did this on their Remington .44s in 2007 and in their 3rd Model Dragoons in 2002.

Presumably this was done to enhance the performance of the cased loads fired from conversion cylinders.

I have done extensive testing with a Pietta New Model Belt Revolver (.36cal) with both round ball and Kaido conicals and this sixgun shoots them both with equal accuracy. This gun has a 1:30 twist barrel and thus far, they have not changed them.

The .44s were also tested but at present I cannot recall the results other than that my 8" Remmy shoots .88" groups at 25 feet with round balls over 35 grains of powder and a lubed felt wad (.480). The next closest grouping was an inch wider with 15 grain powder charges using cream of wheat to get the rammer to work and the ball closer to the chamber mouth.

Someday I'll cut an 11 degree forcing cone and ream the chambers so they are .002 over groove diameter and use .457 round balls.

[dr1445]

i use cast lee conicals in my roa and rem 1858 loaded hot with t7, they shoot as well as i can shoot with a hot rb load. the conicals are for knock down power but mostly i punch paper with cast rb. i tried a sabot with a lee cast 44 rb, a reduced load of 60gbv t7, in one of my 50cal inline rifles, it group well at 50yds. i am just starting to get back into shooting as my part time job, kayak fishing and bicycle riding is winding down. i have 2 other inlines that i need to work up rb loads for.

[DeeDubya]

I too prefer the Lee conicals in my ROA. I bake the "bullet pie" with a 50/50 mix of bees wax and paraffin and save having to lube the chambers. Way faster to load and never had a chain fire. At 220gr they pack a punch, are as easy to cast as balls and for me also more accurate. Too much fun!

[B.L.E.]

Originally Posted by swathdiver

In mid 2012 Pietta tightened the twist on their .44 Remington revolvers from 1:30 to about 1:16.

Uberti did this on their Remington .44s in 2007 and in their 3rd Model Dragoons in 2002.

Presumably this was done to enhance the performance of the cased loads fired from conversion cylinders.

The Ruger Old Army has always used the same .45 caliber barrel with a 1:16 inch twist that is used in Ruger's cartridge .45 Colt and .45ACP chambered revolvers.
Round ball accuracy in this gun is superb.

I suspect that Pietta and Uberti are just using the same barrel stock for their percussion revolvers as they are using for their cartridge models, same as Ruger, and likely for the same reason, why make a special barrel for the percussion revolvers when the cartridge revolver barrel will do?