I think I've figured out the way a ball works

[Confederate rifleman]

Watched a couple videos of ball meets ballistics gel. I noticed that the balls didn't so much expand as flatten. This mirrors my own experience with recovered balls ( dirt, not critters). In flattening, they form a FLAT surface, and this sets up a very impressive shockwave.
Now a conical or jacketed will expand, but then the edges fold along the shank. The is a reduction in diameter ( potentially)The ball just seems to flatten and stay at its max diameter. No loss through folding back. Constant diameter all the way through.
This is extremely rude to tissue.
Perhaps this is the reason the ball kills way over what its paper figures say it should?

 

[52Bore]

I bet all bullets will try to turn inside-out.

 

[52Bore]

52cal 500gr

 

[brucebuilds]

52cal 500gr
View attachment 8669View attachment 8670

That’s impressive. Test medium or animal?

 

[52Bore]

That’s impressive. Test medium or animal?

A nice 8pt my friend shot from about 90yards away, over 85gr Swiss 2f. Went thru both shoulders and recovered under the far skin - shot from about 90 yards away.

 

[Idaholewis]

Watched a couple videos of ball meets ballistics gel. I noticed that the balls didn't so much expand as flatten. This mirrors my own experience with recovered balls ( dirt, not critters). In flattening, they form a FLAT surface, and this sets up a very impressive shockwave.
Now a conical or jacketed will expand, but then the edges fold along the shank. The is a reduction in diameter ( potentially)The ball just seems to flatten and stay at its max diameter. No loss through folding back. Constant diameter all the way through.
This is extremely rude to tissue.
Perhaps this is the reason the ball kills way over what its paper figures say it should?

A Patched Roundball is VERY underestimated. This was 325 Yards with my .54 Cal, .535 Ball, 230 Grains. This is the 2X4 Of my Gong Target Stand, Even at 325 Yards The Round Ball BLEW THROUGH my 2X4 and Disappeared in an Old Dead/Fallen Tree, I could see the Holes Going in, But i was unable to Recover a Ball. I wouldn’t want Hit in the Ribs with 1 of these

Entrance

Exit

 

[DaMitch]

Good Thread. It is always interesting to see a recovered ball from either game or whatever. I have found it to be true that a 50 cal ball will flatten vs. expanding as noted in above thread. It is pretty amazing to me how much damage to a deer internals a round ball will create. This of course depends on where the deer was hit.

 

[mrhunterken]

Hey 52, where or who made the mould for that cast bullet you're shooting??

 

[Confederate rifleman]

That conical is a flying ashtray! Ouch!
But it kinda makes the point. Look how flat/ wide it became. It doesn't have the velocity for the massive hydrostatic shock found in smokeless loaded breechloaders, yet the results ARE similar. A hollow point REALLY helps here!
Its my experience that my modestly loaded muzzleloaders kill as fast, sometimes faster, with similar hits than the centerfires I've used. We're talking .243, .270,.30-30, 7.5x55 Swiss .308, .303 British and .35 Remington.
The frontstuffers are more interesting and a LOT more fun too!

 

[52Bore]

Hey 52, where or who made the mould for that cast bullet you're shooting??

I made it, actually bored it from a set of RCBS mold blocks.

 

[eekjellander]

As I understand around 80 yds the RB (in my case 54 cal @83yds)slows enough that expansion lessens that pass thru"s happen depending on placement where as closer with increased velocity flattens ball where you get less penetration . Having read that ,it doesn"t help in my case as 80 gr OE of 2F under the ball (hit ranged @83 yds ) broke the front shoulder ( quartering in ) and stopped under the hide behind the far shoulder . The amazing thing was with his head down feeding the ball entered high on his shoulder and no exit (shot out of an elevated stand) I watched him run off with 5-6 other deer in 5 inch of new snow with a dragging leg and not a drop of blood for 100+ yds . Following the drag mark I found him piled up against a cedar tree bled out . So weather that was true about velocity making a difference ,I "m still not sure /Ed