BB's are easy to find, but where do you get Ball Bearings? I found some on the internet, but they are very expensive.
Check the links on the WWCC website, under Suppliers: weapon-related. http://www.westernwarshipcombat.com/index.php?option=com_weblinks&catid=20&Itemid=4 Royal Steel Balls "Grade 1000 Steel Balls" in 1/4", 7/32" or 3/16" 304 E. 29th St - PO Box 901 Sterling, Illinois 61081 Bus. (815) 626-2539 // Fax (815) 626-2544 one of the problems with larger ammunition is it costs more
Royal Ball Bearing in Sterling Illinois.Do not know address or if they have a web site. I actually visited the place. It is a ball bearing recycle plant. Very neat place.
What do they cost from McMaster (too lazy to check myself)? Royal Steel Ball sells them in bulk for about 1000 per US$1 (I think their minimum order is 10,000 pieces, or maybe it's 50 lb.; it's been awhile since I was the one who procured supplies for a club). I know I can get a handful from the local hardware store for about $0.25 APIECE!! Royal is great to do business with. I've called them plenty of times, on a Tuesday before a Saturday battle, needing an emergency ammo supply. They shipped with no prepayment or even credit card or COD - just my name & address - & got what I needed delivered to my doorstep by Friday, with an invoice attached. JM
MSC Has them also: mscdirect.com 1/4" Balls are Item #00073254 $3.44 for 250 Pcs. I've heard of a few different prices / minimum quantities for Royal, but don't remember what any were offhand. If John is close on the approximate price he listed, Royal would be the best place. Has anyone ordered from them lately??
I Know this is an old thread but may be helpful for you. In Australia we source steel balls (thats what they are I found out) in the 3 calibres for big gun at about $3.30 AU per kg, there's 957 1/4in in 1kg, 1400 X 7/32 and 2270 X 3/16 per kg. Ours are imported by General Bearings so you guys will have similar businesses there, we just get low grade carbon steel cheapies? used to be $100AU per 10kg but a bit of sussing about has saved us heaps.January 2009 we got 700kgs of balls from china through general Bearing and just got in 260kgs in April 2010
Yep, Strike now supplies ammunition. I bought my last 30,000 rounds from him, they've lasted two years already but it's getting about time for more. My VU is a real gas-and-ammo guzzler.
Ball Bearing ammunition for the boats is surprisingly easy to ship. It's nice and small and dense, so you can fit a lot of it into one of those flat rate boxes that you see on the TV ads. They'll take up to 70 pounds and ship for cheap. We get our money's worth out of the post office when we send ammo. If only the hulls were so easy to ship!
