Weighted Golf Balls.

[Div Arty]

   With a 3/4" X 3/4" chamber in my GB Mortar, my shots don't seem to quite reach 100 yds.  I thought maybe a heaver projectal would help.  So I dook a Golf Ball and bored it with a 13/16" spade drill.  Just letting the point pierce the bottom of the ball.  You now have a hole that will be filled with 13/16" of lead.  The rest can be filled with fixall for cannon or left alone for mortar.
    Golf Balls weigh 45 grams.  With the lead added it brings them up to about 111 grams depending how accurate the pore is.  According to George's Round Ball Calculator, they would be just under the weight of an alum. ball.
    No I haven't tried them yet, too much snow.  Maybe Evil Dog or another fair weather shooter could take a shot at them.  As to size of hole, the bigger the heaver, could go to 1" but make sure to center the slug.
           Div Arty

[GGaskill]

If you don't get the center of gravity the same as the center of form, they will wobble in flight and get less range (although most likely more than a plain golf ball would.)

[Double D]

Why not just get a mould and cast your round ball.

[Evil Dog]

Double D has the idea... get a mold and find some scrap wheelweight.  The LMCB-1 mold from Hilts will cast a 1 pound "cannon ball" sinker the is just the right size for my golfbore bore half scale Napoleon. 

http://www.hiltsmolds.com/CannonBallSinkerMolds.htm

[Victor3]

 Just don't do it with one of the old style golf balls that are wrapped with a long strip of thin rubber around a core. I tried drilling one when I was a kid, and it didn't work out all that well...

[Div Arty]

Thank's gentlemen for the info.  Just thought I may have hit on something, I have lots of golfballs.  They drilled well, all plastic inside.  Soon as the white stuff melts, I'll try what I have and give a report.  You never know.
                    Div Arty

[MikeR C]

I'd be curious to know what you use for a load. The chamber in my golfball mortar is 1/2" X 1" and the ball goes over the tops of the trees at the end of the gravel pit roughly 200 yds away. Without going out and measuring, I think it's just over 50 grs of FFFg.

Thx
Mike

[Div Arty]

Well Mike, my load is about the same as yours.  The chamber will hold just about 3 ea. 45 ACP case's of FFFg.  Each case holds about 26 grains of powder, so I stay with 2 case's full.  I have even pushed it to three plus but at 45 deg angle it spills out of the chamber.  Maybe the chamber shape makes a difference.
I'm not looking for 200 yds. but would like a little more range. 

       Div Arty

[Double D]

Get a denser material for you projectile...I have a mould now for golf ball

[accuratemike]

You may look into windage. When I was having a go at some mortar golf, I noticed that golf balls vary in diameter. I found that in my mortar I was getting around 75 paces from most balls with a ~teaspoon load. Some balls would have a noticeably sharper report and go over the trees on the same load. Upon checking I found that these balls were bigger and reduced windage, increasing pressure. If I remember correctly (batteries are dead in the caliper) my bore is ~1.720-1.725" and most balls ~1.687". If a ball was .007-.010" "big", range increased a ton. If your bore was ~1.750"+, it would certainly make a difference. I need to get some batteries, if/when I do, I'll check the numbers again, but it is certainly food for thought. I usually don't sweat the range that much, but when it matters, I mic my balls. Good luck, MIKE

[Div Arty]

  I think you hit on it Mike.  My bore measures out at 1.770".  At least now I have an idea of what the problem is.  I still want to try the leaded ones.  If not that, might have to add a little steroid to the Golfball patch.  Fatten them up a bit.

    Thanks   Div Arty

[b. snipes]

Hi, I have thunder mugs that are 1.750" bore. I use golf balls also but I patch them and it is a perfect fit then. Those suckers go. I do use more powder though. beech

[Ex 49'er]

The bore on my GB mortar is 1.710 with a .910x1.360 powder chamber. I usually load 85- 90 grains of 2f and get 200yds easily. I haven't tried reining in
my powder charge for a shorter range yet. Is there any way you could enlarge your powder chamber?

[MikeR C]

I checked my bore and it appears to be 1.727, by 3.3 inches long, (from the mouth of the chamber to the muzzle), 1/2" chamber one inch deep.
If you go back thru some of the posts during the mortar contest it seemed like as the chamber got larger some people were having problems with erratic ignition with smaller loads. The range was 30yds.

Thx
MikeR C