Billiard Balls???

[intoodeep]

Well, in the search for cheap ammo. Has anyone used billiard balls for ammo in their 2.25" bores. I have received some flyers showing the economy billiard set for $18.99 which is not too bad for 16 balls. Heck, might be able to get them even cheaper used from someone who leases tables to bars and such. The sizes I've come across are as follows.

Standard Ball size is- 2.25"
Snooker is- 2.125"
Mini is- 1.375"

And I have even seen the Mini billiard balls on ebay at 1.5" dia.

So, I guess my guestion now is.... Do any of you outstanding members have a pool table? If, so, could you take a pair of calipers to a standard ball and see if it is actually 2.25" or, maybe a bit smaller.

I know I could always use the Snooker balls but, they are quite a bit more expensive.  Anyway, I'm just thinking out loud and getting "intoodeep".....

PS- I would be using them for a mortar.

[jeeper1]

I would guess that they would shatter on firing.

[GGaskill]

My guess is that they would survive firing but break up if they landed on something hard.  That is what happens with bowling balls.  I have shot the same one as many as 10 times before it broke upon firing.  A soft landing is dirt of almost any hardness. 

[Double D]

Reminds me  of my childhood Cowboy hero Rick O'Shay....billard balls will bounce

[jeeper1]

Where do you find the mini billiard balls? I never heard of them.

[Rickk]

welcome fellow 2.25 inch shooter... i was wondering if I was the only one.

who made the barrel? Hern I am guessing?

My lead 2# balls sure could pass for a pool ball if painted appropriately ... would be pretty funny at the local drinkin establishment later in the evening :-)

[intoodeep]

Jeeper1,

Mini billiard balls can be found on ebay or any billiard supply such as the one below.

http://www.billiardwarehouse.com/accessories/stbbmi.html

These are a bit pricey from this supplier but they can be found for a more reasonable price.


Rickk,

My mortar is actually an SBR. I came across it on the internet for a good price. So, once again Impulse went to battle over Common Sense and Common Sense Lost Again . Now, I need to make another bed for this one. It's in really good shape just needs a few layers of paint removed.

[John N]

Intoodeep,

My standard pool balls are exactly 2.25" in diameter which provides zero windage in a 2.25" bore. I should be getting my own 2.25" bore cannon in the next week or so and have been looking for inexpensive fodder. I found some round decorative wooden balls I plan to try. They also measured at 2.25" but I sanded down a couple to a max diameter of 2.20". That was a pain to do and I don't recommend it. I wish I could find some 2 and 1/8th inch balls.

[rusty barrels]

I like it, it sounds better than a golf ball cannon, a barroom or tavern cannon, Yeah a barroom cannon.

[intoodeep]

John N,

 Check this out http://www.billiardwarehouse.com/accessories/stbbsn.html. Once again these are a bit pricey but, it's a start and they can always be found for a reasonable price. 

[Rickk]

You can get a 2 # "cannon ball" style fishing sinker mold from "Do-it". They run a bit undersized... something like. 2.10 . I can measure one when I get home tonight if you want.

Or ask Powder Keg to make you a mold to your specs.

I have one of each of the above. The custom mold balls are definitely a better fit and look better as well.

I have also made projectiles out of 2 1/8 muffler pipe filled with concrete. They are a bit loose in the bore. I wound masking tape on the outside on both ends to reduce windage and also prevent steel to steel contact. A 5 inch long concrete filled pipe will weight about 1# (half that of a lead ball). I only fired one muffler pipe projectile to date. The charge was wicked light, and it still went farther than I would like....way past the end of my 100 yard celared range and ito the woods. I heard it hit in the woods after about 5 seconds of flight time. The lead balls stay in the 100 yard range for the same charge.

If you use a projectile that is cylindrical rather than round, make sure you can get the powder bag pick thru the vent hole and past the projectile. With light charges I have that problem and had to put a 1/8 inch coorogated cardboard over-powder wad into the charge column to hold the projectile up a bit to sneak the pick by. My vent hole is angled (on purpose) so as long as I can get the pick in there it will puncture the powder bag no matter how small it is.I guess with a full charge that would not be an issue, but it would probably touch down in the next state if I tried it.

Note that my mortar does not have a sub-chamber. If yours does have one then things will be a bit different.

[Double D]

If you use steel for a projectile in a steel tube make sure that there  is no steel exposed what so ever and that no steel can get exposed say bumping the muzzle when the projectile loaded. A serious danger of creating a spark while loading exist using a steel projectile.

[intoodeep]

DD,

 I agree. I'm not really a fan of steel projectiles either. It's lead, zinc, or plastic/resin for me. Well, except maybe a canister round using marbles ($.99 a bag)....

[Rickk]

The problem with marbles is they are made of glass, and they will break.

Broken glass eventually will suck for someone.

I am on the BOD of a gun club. If I find someone shooting at glass at our club his membership instantly expires.

I guess if you are shooting on your own land you are the keeper of your fate. My land is an old farm that was full of broken glass when I moved in. I don't mean a few broken bottles, I mean a couple hundred cubic yards of the crap. 10 dumpsters later and I still find the stuff.

I raise llamas here, and I still worry about cut toe pads from glass residue. I worry about finding it with my tender bare feet as well.

Plastic can be almost as bad... be careful with it.

As much as the EPA whines about lead, unless you are dumping lead in solution (li.e. lead sulphate or something like that) it stays relatively intact and is easy to pick up. There are water pipes in Rome put in pre-BC that are still there... it oxidizes on the surface and then just sits there in a fairly stable form. If you have access to a gun club with a decent bullet trap lead can be easy and free. I paint my lead balls florescent blue. Nothing in nature except for the sky is blue, so they stand out really well.

Zinc is probably an awesome choice if you can afford it or sleeze it.