Running Ball
Running ball was an essential skill that kept frontiersmen alive.
Guns are a topic that many western history buffs simply can’t get enough of. While people enjoy learning about old guns for a variety of reasons one reason is that people understand their utility in everyday life on the frontier. On the western frontier you needed a gun. It not only provided meat for you and those in your care, but it also served as defense from attackers of all kinds. Freedom on the frontier was pure. While this freedom was what so many pioneers were chasing, it came with the huge responsibility of protecting and providing for yourself completely. Nobody was there to help you, and so your firearm often was your saving grace. Part of this responsibility was creating your own ammunition as well.
If you are reading History of the West with Jemmey Fletcher: Shinin’ Times, you know how important their rifle was to their survival. You also know that when Jemmey is running low on ball, he has to make more. Unlike modern days where we just go to the store and buy cartridges, in the early 19th century you had to run ball if you needed more ammunition. Running ball is a simple process, but one that is important to understand if you are to understand the lives of frontiersmen.
Here is a brief video showing how to run ball.
As you can see, with a few simple tools and supplies you could keep yourself in ammunition while living in the wilderness. Oftentimes, mountain men and other frontiersmen often relied on simple technology due to the fact it was more reliable. Due to their simplicity, black powder guns remained popular on the American frontier even after cartridge guns hit the scene. If you had powder and could run ball, you could continue to provide for and protect yourself in a place where nobody else was going to.
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