The current issue of 'Handloader' magazine has an article by editor Dave Scovill on shooting RB in the .38 Spl., .44 and .45 calibres with smokeless powder.
I've got a Kirst 5 shot .45 Colt conversion for one of my Remington .44 cap & ball guns. Never occurred to me to shoot RB from the .45 Colt cylinder with BP or smokeless when I already have the .44 cap & ball cylinder and two other Remingtons.
I can see the value of the application for 'gallery loads' and pest control - low noise, no recoil.
in fact the ball is innacurate with light loads, in general, and needs speed, and the load I give of around 23 grains of 3F or 4F is powerful with ball...around the power of a 38 special...230 m/s or a bit less or even more....far more of 300 m/s..for a 140 grain ball,....it is not mild at all. .
the thing is that if you are doing CAS, shooting ball makes no sense...but if you are competing in BULLSEYE in historical weapons matches, at 25 metres, you must get the best accuracy possible...as you may loose the match by just...one point.
a normal competition is 13 rounds, 25 metres, in an ISSF official target, one hand...in 30 minutes.. only BP rounds....they will count your best 10 shots, so maximum is 100 points....
to get a "10", your hit must be 50% in the 10 area ..and the same with 9, or 8 etc...
last spanish championship was won by a guy with an STEVENS type pistol, and got 95 points..in other words, a lot of 10´s..and very few 9´s...
what do i mean with all this BLA BLA BLA? i mean that the reason for ball maybe just one and very powerful: ACCURACY, as it is extremly accurate in black powder revolvers if you need that, and it does not lead the gun.
in many revolvers only with balls you can get real top accuracy from BP.......in a 45 colt, for example, unless you are lucky and have a extraordinary revolver or got a wonderful load for bullet or a UBERTI with a good rifling.....which is almost impossible..these guns are made for shooting plates, not for bullseye.
as i said,, 20...23...25 grains of BP is quite powerful.
please check this link...
http://www.avancarga.com/8_articulos/cartucheria/44-40_wcf/44-40wcf_6.htmsorry, it is in spanish but gives interesting pictures and loads for 44/40 and describes all the problems many shooters have found with accuracy in some italian black powder revolvers when using bullets...and top accuracy was demanded. Not the same with modern COLTs, they have a deeper and much better rifling for bullets.
they still know how to make the best SAAs in HARTFORT...thats why they cost more..
this picture is not mine, but people are getting this type of accuracy in matches....
it was in a championship a few years ago...it is 100 points, ten 10´s..(remember, we take de 10 best hits out of 13) in Veterli... it shows the miracles of the humble "round ball"...this time in rifle....50 meters...standing!
this is what i call "accuracy"...not exactly "gun writer style" acccuracy...like shooting at 10 yards two handed and getting a 2" group...i am talking about shooting one hand at 25 meters and getting 1" o 1,5"..1,75"...or you will place 20 th in a match if you dont get that from your gun.
dont discard, please, the " forgotten" and "humble" round ball in your revolvers or rifles...BP, of course... because it normally surpasses the bullet when wanting top of the top accuracy...
all the best
PD: please, focus your attention on the target, not on the pretty girl on the right...