Which handles jacketed bullets better and which works best with lead boolits?

I forgot and now can't remember.

I asked this very question once. The answers I got were that Ballard likes cast better, but Micro Groove likes them both.

I asked this very question once. The answers I got were that Ballard likes cast better, but Micro Groove likes them both.


The above answer is pretty good.

Most gun-nuts believe miro-groove isn't as cast bullet friendly becasue their tradtional cast bullet loads for other guns normally won't work real well in their new micro-goove rifle. They often make the judgement that multi-goove won't shoot cast...they are wrong.

It takes some changes. I've had my best cast bullet micro-groove shooting when using (1) bullets larger in diameter than "standard" (2) bullets will more bearing area than nose and (3) medium hard alloy.

Have not found micro-goove barrels to handle black powder fouling well. Even though some 1800's (and proably in the 1700's as well) target guns used multi-goove barrrels, the idea then was to patch clean between each shot.
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Digression (but still related to the topic at hand):

Bullets (except for wad cutters0) have a nose and a body. Body is the bearing area, nose isn't engraved.

Have found the best accuracy where the bullet nose is at least partly supported by the tops of the lands. Too big, and you can't fit in in the barrel...too small and it's hanging free.

Hanging free CAN shoot well with just the right load...one that kicks the bullet hard enough to just start to slump the bullet nose. Slumps..contacts lands...centers. OF couse, sometimes they don't "slump" uniformly and sometimes you kick them too hard and they slump too much...then they will be fully engraved, and without lube for such a long length, lead the bore esides shooting poorly.

In general, if you can't find a nose-ridling bullet, then one that has 60% or more of it's length as bearing area usually shoots well. Is enough mass in the base to counteract most of the unevenness that might happen from a nose slump that's a bit off center.

(And some old two-groove barrels have such a small land-to-land diameter, it's hard to find a bullet nose skinny enough.)

With micro grooves, you get a larger land-to-land diameter. large enough taht finding any long nosed bullet with a bullet nose diameter that fits that barrel is very rare. Which is why i made the recommendation for a bullet with more bearing area than nose.

Most of the Beartooth designs are right for multi-goove barrels.

What ribbonstone said. They are different and need to be handled differently, but either will do perfectly well with either type bullet. The finest shooting benchrest rifles use rifling similar to what is being called "Ballard" though. So far as I am aware only Marlin has used a rifling system that can be described as "Microgroove" which is a trademark and peculiar to Marlin.

Thanks, I've got my eye on a nice Marlin 1894 in 32-20 from the 1980s and I was wondering what to load it with if I get it.

My micro-grooved 1895 shoots .460 sized cast bullets quite well, jacketed bullets OK, and doesn't like Rainier plated bullets at all. It also shoots long body cast bullets better than long nose bullets.

I don't know about the rest, but that is my experience with my rifle.

I asked this very question once. The answers I got were that Ballard likes cast better, but Micro Groove likes them both.

Actually, it should be the other way around, MicroGroove likes jacketed, but Ballard likes them both. MicroGroove will not shoot a cast bullet worth a crap!

Actually, it should be the other way around, MicroGroove likes jacketed, but Ballard likes them both. MicroGroove will not shoot a cast bullet worth a crap!

Eh..... spent much time on this forum, Bob????

Might want to check out some of the Postal Match targets in the Leverguns topic, before you condem Micro-Groove and cast bullets.....

Eh..... spent much time on this forum, Bob????

Might want to check out some of the Postal Match targets in the Leverguns topic, before you condem Micro-Groove and cast bullets.....

Actually, I have, just been a while since I logged in and I happened to forget my password. In fact you are a newbie compaired to my original join date!

Im not condeming microgroove and cast bullets, just simply stated the previous poster had his facts reversed. Ballard will shoot both types of bullets with more reliability than microgroove.

Bob, what was the other login name? I can reset the password for you, FYI.

Bob, what was the other login name? I can reset the password for you, FYI.

Bobshouse, only problem is my old isp that I was using went out of business (ureach.com) and I am unable to get my old password or email off that account.

It would really be much appreciated if you could set me back to Bobshouse! Thanks Mike!

I'll see if I can update the email address to your current one (possibly by merging the accounts), and will send you an email off the forum when it's done.

Bob, you can see that the accounts have been merged - password change emailed to the account you registered CynergyBob with.

Oh and I thought a bit about your assertation that Ballard rifling handles cast bullets better. I'll agree if we change it to state that ballard rifling handles crappy (undersized, wrong hardness, etc.) cast bullets better :D

Thanks for the reset Mike.

Guess your not a newbie compared to my original start date..lol

Thanks again!

I've been around a while for sure!

You're welcome.

If the bullet fits, it will shoot accurately. A statement with actual groove size stamped into the bbl of all firearms should be an industry necessary, it would make shooters everywhere happy. Slug your groove and buy the bullet that fits when you want the ultimate out of any firearm. Me I would like the decimal stamped on the bbl and the gaging also I would not buy anything that was not at least XX on the gaging. That was what I used to do when building a bench gun back when I competed, specify a groove at XX air gaged full length of the blank. I guess just wishful thinking.

I have a Ballard. It shoots poor but it has a problem I have not found yet. I have chosen to try and work it out myself and it is frustrating but informative. I have learned a lot.

Fortunate for me it is MOD at 50 to 75 yds and the beartooths are sledgehammers.

Hope to confirm that again this evening.