Bullets Without Lube Grooves

[hobbler]

Does anyone have experience in shooting bullets without lube grooves?

[Southron Sr.]

Yep.The British Army, circa 1853 to the late 1860's shot smooth sided bullets until the Snider breechloading conversion of the P-53 Enfield was issued, replacing the muzzleloading Enfields in service.

The British army issued a smooth sided "Pritchett Ball" that was "paper patched." That type of ammunition was used as long as the muzzleloading P-53 was issued.

I have shot some swaged,smooth-sided bullets with paper patches with excellent results. Unfortunately, paper patched bullets are BANNED from N-SSA competition because (apparantly)when the N-SSA rules were written back in the 1950's, the then BOD was under the mistaken impression that somehow paper patched bullets increased the likelyhood of "cook-offs" or range fires-neither of which is true.

Google up the RCE website. It has information about shooting paper patched bullets. You can shoot paper patched bullets long as you do not use them in N-SSA competition.

GOOD LUCK!

[hobbler]

Paper patched only? Read something once about smooth sided with no patch, no lube, no nothing. Didn't make a lick of sense to me but what the hey, I don't know everything.

[paulmarcone]

I have shot smooth swaged minie balls out of my Armi-Sport 2-band Enfield with good results. Instead of paper patching, I coated them with Rooster Jacket, lubed the base and used an overshot card.

This combo actually worked very well.

I got the bullets from Dixie Gunworks. Here is a link:

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_info.php?products_id=13049

[hobbler]

Does any one use a mechanical contrivance to impress knurling into smooth bullets to hold some type of lube?
Suppose you could roll them against a file or something and achieve some such effect.

[paulmarcone]

Does any one use a mechanical contrivance to impress knurling into smooth bullets to hold some type of lube?
Suppose you could roll them against a file or something and achieve some such effect.

As I posted earlier, Rooster Jacket works really well in lubing the smooth bullets. I don't know of any devices to knurl them. My understanding is that in the Civil War these smooth bullets were paper patched. Rooster Jacket achieves the same effect.

[Ken Hansgen, 11094]

When I shot with the CWSA in CA (many years ago) somebody there was shooting smooth-sided bullets he made in a mould he got from Parker-Hale. Bases were shallow but still hollow, I don't know how or even whether he lubed them. Never heard of Rooster Jacket--how is it applied? (spray-on?) Also, what is an overshot card and how/why is it used?

[paulmarcone]

When I shot with the CWSA in CA (many years ago) somebody there was shooting smooth-sided bullets he made in a mould he got from Parker-Hale. Bases were shallow but still hollow, I don't know how or even whether he lubed them. Never heard of Rooster Jacket--how is it applied? (spray-on?) Also, what is an overshot card and how/why is it used?

Rooster Jacket is a liquid -- you simply dip the bullet in it, then let it sit for 24 hours. It forms a thin, clear film on the bullet.

The overshot card is to keep the lube in the base of the bullet from the powder. This method was recommended by David Minshall of the UK -- a champion Enfield shooter. I was skeptical, but this combo has worked well in my Armi-Sport 2-band Enfield.

Corbin does make a device to uniformly knurl the sides of smooth bullets so that they can hold lube. They are the company that makes bullet swaging supplies.