Shooting Traditional Firearms and Weapons > General Interest

References for patched ball in a smoothbore?

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tg:
What type of docums are there for the use of PRB in smoothbores this would be aimed more at civy guns, I suspect they were used but wadding of some sort and bare ball was the norm. particulary with the wide range of ball sizes one might come across, you could grab a handfull of balls  out of a barrel for a .62 gun that might range from .562-600 in size.

Capt. Jas.:
To date I have found no references for the 18th century. It seems to me at this point it could be something started by modern BP shooters to replicate the way they were accustomed to shooting a rifle when the smoothbore craze came about.

mario:
After looking through primary sources for the 18th century (F&I and RevWar), I have yet to uncover ANY use of a patched ball, military or civilian.

Wadding was the norm.

Mario

tg:
That is what I have found, rilfes usimg patched balls go back past the middle of the 18th century it would seem that there would be some duplication of useage in the smoothguns, not looking for a if they had it they would have used it mindset  just thinking out loud. A thin patch is a quick way to load and keep the ball in place, it seems odd that there would be no usage as many smoothbores as there were from say 1730 on, I suspect at some time some period evidence will arise to validate this practice thou it be the uncommon approach.

mario:
My philosophy about it is this.

If you lived in, say, New England, where rifles were practically unknown until after the RevWar, would you have thought to patch the ball?

Maybe. But I don't think so.

Mario

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