In order to participate in the GunBroker Member forums, you must be logged in with your GunBroker.com account. Click the sign-in button at the top right of the forums page to get connected.
1851 Ballard problems
dunntawkin
Member Posts: 18 ✭✭
just got home with a ballard in 45/70...tried to shoot it with my moderate loads and it's all over the target at 50 yards.. what the heck?...relegated it to the crap pile unless somebody knows something I don't....
Comments
A couple more things. Be sure to compress the powder. Your moderate loads probably have the powder loose with some air space. This is deadly to .45-70 accuracy and for a lot of other black powder calibers as well. The powder needs to be compressed into a more or less solid cake. Do this with a piece of dowel or some other device before adding the bullet NOT by pressing the bullet which will distort it and cause accuracy problems. Be sure to fill any empty space between the powder and the bullet with cardboard wads, Wonder Wads, kapok, etc. NO AIR SPACE. Finally, you need a long burning primer such as the Federal #215 to provide proper ignition. Some claim that the flash hole needs to be enlarged but I have not found that to be the case.
Good luck!
It is likely your loads not the gun if the barrel has decent rifling, the muzzle is not damaged, and you have scrubbed out all the fouling, lead, and hardened grease. Some pitting is generally not a problem as long as the rifling is good. Several things are VERY important to accuracy in the .45-70 with black powder loads. Are you using standard sized bullets (0.458 - 0.459)? Have you slugged your bore? Standard bullets may be as much as 0.006 too small in an old Ballard. If you don't want to cast oversize bullets, you will need to use hollow base or very heavy bullets. If you are using bullets of less than about 500 grain, they need to be hollow based so that the pressure will expand the base to seal the bullet in the bore. 500 grainers have enough inertia that the pressure will upset the base to make a seal unless your bore is way way oversize. Oh yes, make sure you are NOT using hard cast bullets. They should be cast from 1/20 alloy with NO ANTIMONY. Lube needs to be very soft such as SPG or JSW. Proper bullets for .45-70 black powder loads are made by several casters including Montana Precision Swaging. Cabelas carries them.
A couple more things. Be sure to compress the powder. Your moderate loads probably have the powder loose with some air space. This is deadly to .45-70 accuracy and for a lot of other black powder calibers as well. The powder needs to be compressed into a more or less solid cake. Do this with a piece of dowel or some other device before adding the bullet NOT by pressing the bullet which will distort it and cause accuracy problems. Be sure to fill any empty space between the powder and the bullet with cardboard wads, Wonder Wads, kapok, etc. NO AIR SPACE. Finally, you need a long burning primer such as the Federal #215 to provide proper ignition. Some claim that the flash hole needs to be enlarged but I have not found that to be the case.
Good luck!
I just finished shooting the aformentioned ballard using your wonderful suggestion of just filling the damn case up with FFG and crunching a cast soft lead 500 grainer on top of it....I got about the purtiest three shot cloverleaf at fifty yards that you could imagine...I'm gonna have ta recoup for about week before I move back to a longer distance...many thanx and maybe we can get together some time at a SASS event...I'm gonna shoot the Calif state shoot at 5- Dogs in a couple of weeks...my handle is Dunntawkin, SASS #334