Jim Taylor
Overcast Rainy Day Games
Friday, February 02, 2024, 12:35

I bought a tin of GAMO .22 caliber round balls to shoot in the air rifle. Messing around this morning I wondered how they would do in a .22 handgun. So I got out the Bearcat Shopkeeper and went to the shop.

I have a bunch of Russian primed .22 Long Rifle brass and decided to see just how hard the priming compound would push the round ball. I seated the round ball on the Long Rifle brass with a light tap from a small hammer. Then I dipped the nose of the ball into some grease and loaded them into the Bearcat.

I set up a cardboard box about 8 feet away and put 4 layers of cardboard into the box. Then I fired a shot at it, and it whacked the box nicely. I shot several others and noted that sometimes a round shot harder than another did. The diameter of the balls vary. I noted that shooting them in the air rifle. Some drop into the chamber and some have to be pushed in.

I loaded 5 more Long Rifles and set a target at 15 feet. Some of the blame for the 2 shots to the left can be attributed to the shooter.

I ended up shooting 25 rounds or so. Fun little load. No noise other than about like a cap pistol.

The 4 layers of cardboard inside the box (6 layers total) did not stop all the balls. Especially when the shots hit close together. I had a backstop behind the box to catch the errant balls.

Recovered balls. Some engraved the rifling deeper than others.