Anyone shot in the shest with a black powder round is in a world of hurt!
Any attacker that gets blasted in the chest or belly with a black powder round, sure as hell isnt going to go too far. In fact, the attacker will probably be on his ass right where he was shot, praying for an ambulance to come rapidly.
A .44 caliber round ball with a cloud of burned black powder behind it is a horrendously terrible thing for anyone to run into! For close range work inside of a home or at a moderate distance outside, it will most probably be a one-stop-shot. Heavy, soft lead, slow moving, bone shattering, meat grinding impact is the trademark of the round ball.
The conical probably cuts and clips more than it smashes. But lets be honest; do you really think any attacker is going to know the difference if a conical or a round ball enters his chest or stomach? The conical will probably maintain more energy and velocity for an extended distance shot. It might even fly slightly straighter [but only to a slight degree] than the roundball.
Both the conical or the round ball will stop an attacker with a solid torso hit at short range. That is why for hundreds of years people have been throwing conical and roundball at their enemies out of black powder operated machinery; because it sure as hell works!
Cartridges facilitate rapid loading. You dont always need a cartridge gun to stop an attacker. Black powder guns work.
One question, will black powder store for long term inside of a revolver cylinder without damaging the inside of the cylinder?
Many pieces kept for defensive purposes probably have a tendency to be left in a desk drawer, or under a bed, or under a mattress, or in the glovebox or console of a car or truck for very long extended periods of time. Will the black powder store inside of the chamber for very long term without damaging the interior surfaces, flash hole, etc, and will a percussion cap sitting on top of a nipple for an extended period of time begin to corrode the nipple and flash hole?
Where we do get an advantage with a cartridge is that primer, flash hole, and powder are all stored in the cartridge case, which can be disposable, and they dont contact the interior surfaces of the weapon until they are detonated. The cartridge case - among other things - acts as a storage container and physical barrier between the propellant components and the interior surfacaes of the weapon.
Can we leave a black powder piece loaded for long time periods?