Comparing the Vortex Ball Roller to hand filing

[Maillemaker]

https://youtu.be/nYLakgQTXVs

You can buy your own Vortex Ball Roller here:

http://www.forth-armoury.com/vortex-ball-roller.html

Thanks,
Steve

[danajhanson]

This video got me thinking...

The advantage of roughing up a lead ball for N-SSA smoothbore has been cussed and discussed on this forum for years...

Would you expect the same positive (or negitive) effects when shooting a roughed up ball with a cotton patch in a rifled barrel?

DJH

[Maillemaker]

To me, roughing up the ball does 2 things:

1) It increases the effective diameter of the ball, eating windage but not hindering loading as the bumps are deformable.
2) It gives a tooth for the Xlox lube to adhere to, which also eats windage.

Some people have suggested that the rough texture imparts greater aerodynamic capability (i.e. the golf ball effect) but I have no opinion on that, other than that the roller does a good job of obliterating the sprue remnant and making the ball uniform.

Steve

[Harry Gaul]

I like by vortex ball dimpler. After setting up in my table top bench drill press, I get a rhythm going of 12 taps on the 69 cal ball and crank them out. I have a pair of wood rasps for sale if interested for $20 shipped or delivered to Springtown or Fort Shenandoah.

Skirmish this weekend in Springtown. April 21 and 22.

True Blue and diamond Hard,
Harry
3rd US
3626v

[gmkmd]

There is no advantage to roughing a ball that is going to be shot as a patched ball in a rifle. The patch itself takes up all windage and carries the lube.

[Maillemaker]

There is no advantage to roughing a ball that is going to be shot as a patched ball in a rifle. The patch itself takes up all windage and carries the lube.

I would say this is probably true, except for obliterating the sprue and getting a more uniform round ball.

Steve

[Hal]

Or, if you subscribe to the golf ball correlation.......

[Harry Gaul]

dear Flatlander,

Here is an article on the science behind dimpling a golf ball that supports the reasons to dimple a 69 cal round ball. Now, there is a mental component to the discussion. If nothing else, velocity and drag should be reasons for dimpling the 69 cal round ball. For members, This is America and not Egypt. Dimpling is the way to go and you should no longer be in De Nile. :D

PS The Earth is not flat.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-dimples-in-golf-ba/

True Blue and Diamond Hard,
Harry
3rd US
3626v

[gmkmd]

This is a pointless comparison. As I've pointed out before, a musket ball is not a golf ball. The dimples on golf balls are completely uniform and evenly distributed. Unless you have some way of making perfectly uniform dimples on a musket ball, the results would make the ball's flight more erratic rather then more uniform.

BUT.... if you are talking about STIPPLING a musket ball, in order to make it hold lube and take up windage in the barrel, this may work well for those purposes. But it bears no resemblance in form or function to the dimples on a golf ball.

http://www.methodshop.com/wp-content/uploads/caddyshack-betheball.jpg

[Harry Gaul]

I referenced Scientific American, so where is your source? If you have a feeling or instinct, that idea went out with the Age of Reason years ago. If I talk about Rain, is it going to rain at Spring Nationals? Did I just jinx the Nationals with rain. Shooting is a science and we should do our best to control the variables. I would hate to sacrifice a Virgin mint musket to the Gods of Skirmishing just to pray for good weather. It is better to light one candle than it is to curse the darkness.


True Blue and Diamond hard,
Harry

[Maillemaker]

While the knurling is pretty uniform from my roller, since I double-dip the balls in Alox after the fact most of the voids are probably filled in. I don't think there is much aerodynamic impact here, if any, other than helping make a uniformly round ball.

I think the main benefit is the effective increasing of the ball's diameter in a way that is still deformable on loading.

Steve

[Hal]

Ought to easy enough to prove if someone wanted to do some experimentation. Shoot some smooth ones and some roughened/dimpled/knurled ones across a chrono and see if either of them prove to go faster under otherwise identical load and conditions.