Page 2 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 40

Thread: For Sale: The Vortex Ball Roller!

  1. #11
    stubshaft is offline
    Team:
    Visitor (non-N-SSA Member)
    Member
    NA
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Posts
    26
    Region:
    Visitor
    Can you put multiple balls in at the same time? or do they have to be done singly?

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Huntsville
    Posts
    3,733
    Region:
    Deep South - Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi and Texas
    I assume that given the near bore size ball that results, some sort of lube that softens fouling has to be used rather than Alox I often see referred to when shooting smoothbores. Correct?
    I shoot a stock Armisport 1842. I'm using an RCBS .678 mold, casting wheel weights. I did some measurements on 12 random unprocessed balls and 12 random processed balls and the measurements are as follows:



    So you can see that the ball, on average, grew about .009 inches.

    I then dip in Xlox (a cheaper Alox equivalent) and let it dry, and then dip again and let them dry.

    In my gun, it results in a near air-tight fit going down the bore. Some people don't like this so they use a smaller ball to start with.

    I've ordered one. Hopefully it will work with a hand drill. The round balls shown are properly stippled, look good.
    I tried it using a hand drill and it basically does not work. It's hard to get sufficient pressure to the ball and the Rotary Head moves around too much. You really need a drill press. A cheap-o Harbor Freight will do, or find a used one on Craig's List. If you want a refund, let me know.

    Steve

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Deep Southern Maryland
    Posts
    815
    Region:
    Potomac - Virginia, Maryland and Delaware
    Steve:
    No need, I’ve got access to a press. But I thank you for the offer.
    Support the USIMLT! Help your fellow Skirmishers go for the gold! www.usimlt.com

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Huntsville
    Posts
    3,733
    Region:
    Deep South - Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi and Texas
    Can you put multiple balls in at the same time? or do they have to be done singly?
    I would not recommend putting multiple balls into the ball rolling cavity.

    If you are careful, it can be done. If you position the balls at opposite sides of the cavity, sometimes they will stay away from each other while rolling around in the cavity. But if they collide, and they often do, they grind against each other, sometimes hard enough to jam the machine to a halt. So I do not recommend it.

    I experimented with various "races" to place inside the cavity to hold a number of balls simultaneously, but the balls tend to polish off their texture as they rub against the race walls. The original design had like a 5" cavity with a inner race with holes for 10 balls. I'm still experimenting.

    Steve

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    31
    Region:
    Northeast- New York
    Steve,

    Just sent you a PM

    Sharon Whipple 10136V
    149th NYVI
    Sharon Whipple
    149th NYVI
    Comp # 10136V

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Huntsville
    Posts
    3,733
    Region:
    Deep South - Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi and Texas
    Email sent to Sharon.

    The first batch of rollers is going out on Monday.

    I've got one more that will go out on Tuesday (ran out of Flat Rate envelopes).

    I'm currently out of hardware for making the Rotary Heads - should be in by Thursday of next week.

    Steve

  7. #17
    gmkmd's Avatar
    gmkmd is offline
    Team:
    73rd New York Volunteer Infantry
    Member
    12027
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Bethlehem, PA
    Posts
    330
    Region:
    New England - New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts
    Can anybody show me even a single, objective study or experiment which shows that dimpling, stippling, or pimpling your balls results in better accuracy than not doing so?
    Glenn M. Kaye
    73rd New York Volunteer Infantry

  8. #18
    Lou Lou Lou is offline
    Team:
    Tammany Regiment, 42nd New York
    Member
    4869
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Location
    Lung Island, New Yawk
    Posts
    1,965
    Region:
    New England - New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts
    You might research golf balls as they use dimpling for a straighter flight.
    Lou Lou Lou Ruggiero
    Tammany Regt-42nd NYVI

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Sherman's Kitchen, GA
    Posts
    980
    Region:
    Deep South - Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi and Texas
    Quote Originally Posted by gmkmd View Post
    Can anybody show me even a single, objective study or experiment which shows that dimpling, stippling, or pimpling your balls results in better accuracy than not doing so?
    There are plenty of folks shooting naked round balls, and getting good results. Certainly, shooting a sighted smoothbore has a significant advantage over a non-sighted smoothbore, but that is not to say that you can't get a tight group with a run-of-the-mill '42 musket with just a front sight. Last spring, I had four consecutive shots at 25 yards, three within the black, two of which were within the 10-ring....with a 30" Macon the first time out with the musket. Some folks here don't even lube the balls and shoot tighter groups. Go figure?
    First Cousin (7 times removed) to Brigadier General Stand Watie (1806-1871), CSA
    1st Cherokee Mounted Rifles | Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation 1862-66

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Huntsville
    Posts
    3,733
    Region:
    Deep South - Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi and Texas
    To be clear here, I don't make any claims about accuracy with this device or any particular way of making up your ammo. All this device does is rough up balls in a similar manner to rolling them between two files.

    There are lots of different ways to get good accuracy from a firearm. Some people wrap their balls in aluminum foil. Some people shoot them as-cast.

    I started roughing up my balls with a file because our team's top two smoothbore shooters did it that way. One of our guys sometimes shoots entire smoothbore team events without missing. Is it his sighted H&P or is it how he prepares his ammo? I don't know, but I figured I'd do what he was doing with the ammo!

    To me, the main reason I filed my balls was to get the lube to stick to them. I tried lubing them with Lee Alox without filing them, and the Alox tends to flake off of the ball while being put in and out of the plastic cartridge tube, and during loading. I feel like the stippling, in conjunction with the thin barrier of Alox, results in a snug but still-loadable fit that seems to give me good accuracy. But, some people shoot with loose-fitting balls and also get good accuracy.

    I just got tired of rolling the darn things between files because it was time consuming, tedious, and it made my hands hurt.

    As for my own accuracy, my first and only trip to the Nationals I made it to 10th place Expert class 25-yard smoothbore. Locally, I do OK.



    Steve

Similar Threads

  1. Ball and Lewis revolvers for sale
    By tmont in forum Wanted/For Sale Items
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 01-27-2015, 08:34 PM
  2. New Burton Ball for sale
    By cwbulletman in forum Wanted/For Sale Items
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 05-11-2014, 08:34 AM
  3. Burton Ball Moulds for sale
    By Charlie Hahn in forum Wanted/For Sale Items
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 09-29-2013, 10:19 AM
  4. ball gown 4 sale
    By jim2622 in forum Wanted/For Sale Items
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 12-22-2008, 09:57 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •