[CrazyIvan]

I believe he was hunting rabbit. A patched, hard cast round ball with a light load would both stop inside the game and deform little. I've hunted with a .54 Hawkins replica and even with the soft lead balls I use they stay fairly round if they don't hit bone. Wonder if I could do a little ballistics testing on this?

[lentulusgracchus]

I've hunted with a .54 Hawkins replica and even with the soft lead balls I use they stay fairly round if they don't hit bone.

That was my point.....the ball would have to be re-cast practically every other time, if not every time, and at some point it's fair to ask, OK, is that really the same musket-ball you used two years ago? Remember, there will be small losses to sprues, flashing, coating the crucible and so forth on every melt.