copyright William Marion 2008
Black Powder Revolver
The Online Magazine and Resource for Black Powder Revolvers
May-Jun 2008 Edition
Page 6
Mail Bag
Which end is up?
Which end is up?
You recently recommended the following,
"When loading a cast ball, put the sprue up so that the plunger of the loading lever is pressing the ball in the cylinder by the sprue."
But I also found the following at this link:(http://hunting.about.com/
od/blackpowder/l/aa_loadcbrev_b.htm)
"Should you be using a cast ball that has a sprue, always turn it downward, against the powder. This will prevent uneven engagement with the rifling in the barrel, and turning it downward rather than upward will ensure a more consistent and aerodynamic "front" to the bullet in flight."
Now they both seem to make sense to me but they can't both be right. Could you look into it?
Kind regards,
Juan
Juan;
Very interesting question. I did a bit of research and like you found conflicting advice. My theory is, that because revolver balls are slightly oversized, a great deal of force is needed to seat them in the cylinder. So much so, that a small ring of lead is often left around the plunger. If you apply that much force, it is sure to deform the ball. If you put the sprue down, and then press the ball in, it will be deformed on two sides, the sprue on the bottom and the flat spot from the plunger on the top. Granted that cast lead balls don’t have the best ballistics to start with, you still want to minimize the deformation. When loading sprue up,
"When loading a cast ball, put the sprue up so that the plunger of the loading lever is pressing the ball in the cylinder by the sprue."
But I also found the following at this link:(http://hunting.about.com/
od/blackpowder/l/aa_loadcbrev_b.htm)
"Should you be using a cast ball that has a sprue, always turn it downward, against the powder. This will prevent uneven engagement with the rifling in the barrel, and turning it downward rather than upward will ensure a more consistent and aerodynamic "front" to the bullet in flight."
Now they both seem to make sense to me but they can't both be right. Could you look into it?
Kind regards,
Juan
Juan;
Very interesting question. I did a bit of research and like you found conflicting advice. My theory is, that because revolver balls are slightly oversized, a great deal of force is needed to seat them in the cylinder. So much so, that a small ring of lead is often left around the plunger. If you apply that much force, it is sure to deform the ball. If you put the sprue down, and then press the ball in, it will be deformed on two sides, the sprue on the bottom and the flat spot from the plunger on the top. Granted that cast lead balls don’t have the best ballistics to start with, you still want to minimize the deformation. When loading sprue up,
the plunger may not totally eliminate the sprue, but it will help get the ball closer to round. As far as engaging the rifling, the ball has already engaged the cylinder walls and if you look where the cylinder meets the barrel, there is a cone shape to the mouth of the barrel to force the ball into the barrel and rifling. As far as the aerodynamic front, I’d be surprised if a ball maintained the same orientation exiting the barrel as it did when it was loaded. Between being forced into the cone and the rifling itself, the ball has most likely turned. You have given me a great idea for a test, just need a higher speed camera to see a ball in flight. Below is another sprue up article.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=65820
“If you're using cast balls that have a sprue or teat from casting, center this sprue UP in the cylinder. It is difficult to get the sprue mark perfectly centered in the chamber, when viewing from the side, so I remove the cylinder when possible for this operation, if I'm target shooting at the benchrest.”
Thanks for the email
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=65820
“If you're using cast balls that have a sprue or teat from casting, center this sprue UP in the cylinder. It is difficult to get the sprue mark perfectly centered in the chamber, when viewing from the side, so I remove the cylinder when possible for this operation, if I'm target shooting at the benchrest.”
Thanks for the email