Sheridan Super Grade accuracy...

[1900colt]

I received several tins of .20 cal H&N round balls and decided to try some out.

The attached target is at 10 meters and with my bad eyes I'm beyond pleased! This was shot 5 times with the H&N round balls.

The gun was pumped 4 times for each shot as well... whatever that velocity ended up being,  I have no idea.

[19Sheridan57]

   Very good. I have never tried balls in my Supergrades, but they shoot pellets very accurately .

[45flint]

Tom Gaylord did a blog on round balls vs pellets and they were surprisingly accurate in the 10 meter range. Also not surprising H&N’s are the best for consistency.  Shame they stopped making them.  Peep sights can cure eye issues sure makes my old eyes younger!

[avator]

Kinda related question...
Are round balls better in a rifled barrel or a smooth bore?

[Ascot500]

I would expect rifled, based on what we know of Kentucky rifles vs. Brown Bess muskets

[Goose]

I received several tins of .20 cal H&N round balls and decided to try some out.

The attached target is at 10 meters and with my bad eyes I'm beyond pleased! This was shot 5 times with the H&N round balls.

The gun was pumped 4 times for each shot as well... whatever that velocity ended up being,  I have no idea.

That's surprising accuracy.  The ones I found online weigh about 11.7 grains, so they're probably moving quicker than pellets do at that power level.

I had an opportunity to both shoot and chrono a replica Brown Bess a while back.  It would consistently hit a steel (human) silhouette at fifty yards and didn't go boom like I thought it would.  It made a hiss, then a THOOOP!  We got it up to about 800-fps with a .76" round ball.

Ride on,

J~

[45flint]

Rifled barrels would be better but the sizing of a round ball is more critical?  The pellet skirts of a Diablo pellet more easily conform to seal the barrel.  Going to perform round ball testing on my CZ VZ35 when the weather warms. I think its relatively low power makes sizing the ball more critical?

Here is Gaylord’s test of round balls, kind of challenges our normal thinking?

http://thegodfatherofairguns.com/basics/how-do-pellets-compare-to-round-balls/

[sicumj]

I use to shoot .177 balls out of some Co2 pistols with good accuracy.  I have tested penetration of lead balls and pellets in wood and it seems to me weight had more to do with penetration than shape.  TG's article on lead balls kind of surprised me.

[1900colt]

Rifled barrels would be better but the sizing of a round ball is more critical?  The pellet skirts of a Diablo pellet more easily conform to seal the barrel.  Going to perform round ball testing on my CZ VZ35 when the weather warms. I think its relatively low power makes sizing the ball more critical?

Here is Gaylord’s test of round balls, kind of challenges our normal thinking?

http://thegodfatherofairguns.com/basics/how-do-pellets-compare-to-round-balls/

The cz vz35 I had a few years ago shot pretty well, however I'm not great with spring guns. 

The round balls out of the super grade really surprised me,  as 99.9% of the time I don't shoot that good.  Needless to say, I went back after taking the picture to try and shoot the target more...completely destroying that group!

I have about 10 tins of them,  which should last me for a very long time... but I would definitely recommend looking for some to at least try out in other guns as well!