60 Caliber Round Ball Ballistic Gel Test | Flintlock NorthWest Trade Gun

Today we're testing my Brian Kauffman Northwest Trade Gun in Ballistic Gel at ~35 paces. I'm shooting Clear Ballistics Ballistic Gel with a .60 caliber roundball, 70 grains of 2F black powder from this smoothbore muzzleloader.
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The ballistic gel is not 1:1 to meat and bone, but this brand and gel mixture is rated for various testing applications.
For a chronograph I'm using a Garmin Xero C1, available here: amzn.to/3wc8c9z
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Muzzleloading, muzzleloader, muzzle loader, mountain man, longhunter, bushcraft, living history, longrifle, flintlock, blackpowder
#muzzleloader #muzzleloading #blackpowder
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[@Blackpowderdad]

So cool! It’s rare to see ballistics gel tests with blackpowder guns.

[@dlh1947us]

That was a great video. My best friend built nwtg for many years sold them all over the world in 1970s. 30" barrels were pretty standard .55 grains 3f for targets 70 grains 2f for hunting we always used a patch. Spit for targets, bear grease for hunting. We harvested every kind of fur and feather in the Pacific N.W.👍👍👍👍👍

[@guardianminifarm8005]

Very good demonstration. I have wondered how these would perform. Decent velocity and good results.

[@victortuten4399]

Thanks for taking the time to put this together. Any information is good information! Great shot from you and from the camera. Now we need to see what it would do to a human analog! Here goes another 45 minute internet search, cause now I want to see it!

[@GB-fq3cc]

Enjoyed the vid, shows why big RBs dont have to expand to work well. Looking forward to the next test.

[@alanparadis5061]

Great video Ethan! Keep up the good work man, God bless

[@ILoveMuzzleloading]

Thank you Alan! Good to see your name pop up!!

[@hazcat640]

Nice shot Ethan and DAYUM that's some power and only 70 grains of 2f!

[@Ledmetacdc]

So basically it just punched through, did not disrupt at all. No wonder they relied on the size of the ball to do the damage since they were mostly subsonic balls that didn't deform at those velocities.

[@Prairiewolf45]

Outstanding!! Keep up the good work!!

[@jeffreyrobinson3555]

5/8 of an inch is bigger then most expanded bullets. I would hazard you would get considerably more expansion if there was a bone in your jell

[@Dazzo586]

Really cool video. Thanks!

[@98Kentuckian]

I have to say, i did not expect it would go all the way through and out the other side. Does anyone make a Northwest Trade Gun kit today? I'd like to build one.

[@kneyork9930]

I think, don't quote me, but Kibler is coming out with a 20 gauge fowler, and I think he's going to offer it in 16 gauge also. I could be worng.

[@jeffreyrobinson3555]

Track of the wolf, sitting Fox and Pecotonic rifles all make fine kits of these

[@gerald5344]

@@kneyork9930 Yep, Kibler has announced the new fowler will be in both 16 and 20 gauge. Am saving my pennies!

[@98Kentuckian]

@@jeffreyrobinson3555 awesome i'll have to do some looking

[@98Kentuckian]

@@kneyork9930 i'm building a Kibler southern mountain rifle right now. Really tempted to order a fowler when they come out

[@jacobwilbert1018]

Really Ethan, 2 and a half minutes? That was a tease 😳

[@ILoveMuzzleloading]

😂 more tests on the way

[@jacobwilbert1018]

@@ILoveMuzzleloading You're killin it brother, hope you dont burn yourself out.

[@ILoveMuzzleloading]

@@jacobwilbert1018 I appreciate it Jacob! Doing my best not to.

[@jacobwilbert1018]

@@ILoveMuzzleloading Hope to see you in Pa in july Dont know if your commin

[@ILoveMuzzleloading]

I should be there !

[@james_lessick892]

Outstanding

[@leoscheibelhut940]

Great video. I'd love to see you test buckshot, swanshot, a birdshot against the ballistic gel.

[@ILoveMuzzleloading]

Great suggestion!

[@leoscheibelhut940]

@@ILoveMuzzleloading I look forward to the video. Thanks for the great content.

[@professorpewpuew]

This is awesome. I have always wondered just how much pasta a big bore round ball would have and how it could be visually simulated.

[@rickbreze7469]

If you think of using them in battle surprised it didn’t deform/flatten. What it would do to your enemy

[@jamesvatter5729]

Ethan, Are those pure lead ball? That seems odd it kept that shape. The last test I did with my.fowler went through a cardboard target and lodged in the sixth milk jug. It wasn't flattened, but it was well "egged."

[@ILoveMuzzleloading]

I purchased these as pure lead, so I take them that way. Gel can be weird, I've had roundballs flatten in jugs like you describe. I think the gel is "stickier" and slows the ball down slower than the contained water does. Just a hunch though. I want to try a gel test with a wood "Shoulder bone" at the front to see if it changes the behavior

[@kneyork9930]

@@ILoveMuzzleloading Oh good, I was going to suggest that. You can/could also cut the block in half, and put the "bone" in the middle. Either way, the gel it's self isn't good at stopping large round balls, (great for self-defense modern pistol rounds) and that should keep the ball in the block, for better comparisons load to load. Going to try any chewed balls, or heavier charges? Ha ha don't answer, just surprise us. :)

[@jamesjellissen7371]

Shootin balls... The ole Butters

[@1diggers1]

Well, a 60 caliber hole that goes 20-30 inches isn't something to scoff at. I've seen pictures of round balls that have gone through deer and those look pretty much the same as this one. Just not expanders.

[@kneyork9930]

yes, I've never recovered a ball from my .62" rifle, they zip right through deer, and one bear. I suspect they are not expanding. However, everything I've shot drops on the spot. One deer did go 50 yards, but it was already moving pretty fast when I hit it, had momentum.

[@kneyork9930]

Okay, great vid, I'm a fan and all that. The .60 caliber, or 20 gauge is a very powerful rifle or smoothbore. However, I'm always a little puzzled by your very light powder charges. Anyhow, shooting a .60" ball out of my rifle one day, I had a shot go wide and hit one of the steel fence posts holding up my target. Over 110 grains of Swiss, it sheared the post in half. Hey, try a "chewed" ball with a somewhat stiff lube on it, about the consistency of SPG lube, or perhaps Wonder Lube 1000, and a little more powder. Really, in a smooth bore with a loose fitting ball, 90 to100 grains would not be unreasonable. But you will need more water jugs. :)

[@kneyork9930]

@@Nick-wn1xw Truth, and much of the reason for long barrels was for the economy of powder. However, no longer back-then anymore, 70 grains is a light charge in that large of a bore, and I believe accuracy and trajectory would improve with a higher charge than 70 grains. Or, I could be wrong...!!! :) Just my experience. And I guess it all depends what you are hunting or shooting at.

[@jacobwilbert1018]

@@kneyork9930 Im always puzzled at people loading top end heavy charges today, especially on the range or for fun. I never understood burning double charges and beating urself up to put holes in paper or fence posts n swiss is 30 some $ a pound. I know sometimes accuracy dictates a preferred charge, i guess some folks just dont shoot a pound of powder a month so they dont mind burnin it up when they get out.

[@kneyork9930]

@@jacobwilbert1018 Truth to that. I use my guns mostly "in the field", and hunt/trek/hike in a grizzly recovery area, so I do go for top loads for defense, and to maximize trajectory, accuracy and smackdown. Most of my shooting is just load development, so no I don't burn a lot of powder even with top loads. I guess I would be as puzzled as you to see people shooting super heavy loads at the range (I can shoot in my backyard, don't do ranges, don't have "range toys") or just for fun. Once I have a rifle or musket dialed in with a heavy load, I'll only shoot a three shot group, once a year before hunting season. For "fun" I just shoot black powder pistols and revolvers.

[@trevorfitzgerald4996]

What the brand of your trade gun?

[@ILoveMuzzleloading]

This was a custom build from a blank

[@haroldconner2645]

I would have guessed the round ball would have more deformed or flattened out… I would’ve guessed wrong lol

[@Justin-op8gg]

New to ml. I have a question to anyone who wants to respond. 50 cal gun. Do I buy 12.7mm brass or copper balls and maybe shave them, or 12mm balls and extra wad them? I dont want to shoot lead. Never have (with cf) never will

[@mailliw75]

Nope pure lead......

[@TheDesertSpear]

Why not shoot lead?

[@donwyoming1936]

You can get copper plated, lead balls. Don't know if I've ever seen solid copper or brass balls for muzzle loading. They would be somewhat lightweight compared to lead. You really want to go lead free, might be easier to use a solid copper 45 cal slug in a 50 cal sabot. But rifling twist will probably come play too.

[@marksellers4875]

Welcome to the Madness! You will be disappointed with non lead ball, especially on game. In some states, like Pennsylvania, non expanding projectiles aren't legal for hunting. You'll find that breechloaders and muzzleloaders have little in common, except they both burn powder, and something comes out the hole in the end. Different techniques, expectations and breaks in discipline have disproportionate results. That being said, they are a WONDERFUL madness. Welcome to the land of Galena and Du Pont!

[@kneyork9930]

Well, that will be a great way to get a ball hopelessly stuck in your bore. Perhaps ML is not for you.

[@samuelmills3612]

We're going to win it Trump🎉

[@D5quared91]

70 grains is not a historically correct load. Native Americans were fond of using heavy powder charges for these trade guns.

[@guaporeturns9472]

Sources?

[@bennetttalley4024]

I believe that was before corned or picked powder. During the colonial era many charges were over 100 grains, but by the American Civil War chargers were around 65 to 70 grains.

[@squeelerwheeler7753]

Im not sure where I read it, but I guess alot of them would make a shot measure for 1oz and that would equal to 100-120gr of powder and they would just use that for both ​@@guaporeturns9472

[@briargoatkilla]

They drank twice the whisky you should drink , too.

[@kneyork9930]

I agree, 70 grains is a very light load. I know nothing about the historical perspective, but I'd like to see the same test with something more in 90 to 100 grain range, which I think is a reasonable charge for a smooth bore shooting bare ball. In my experience, with my Brown Bess, accuracy is much better with a heavy charge, compared to a light charge. That would not be a hard thing to figure out, even 200 years ago.