Let’s make a rapid fire muzzleloader!

D

Derringeer

New member
Hello! I wounder if it’s possible to rapid fire/speed load a muzzleloader?

To start with, the gun itself should have a short barrel and a big muzzle, like a blunderbuss for fast and easy reload. It should also have a permanent heating element in the chamber so that it won’t require new priming between each shot.

The next step should be combustible cartdiges and some kind of magazine that holds them. The ramrod maybe can be improved to? For example it can be L-formed as a safety feature.

The third step, maybe, is to skip the ramrod. Maybe a shotgun load can be chambered only by the force of gravity? What about magnetism?

The fourth step isn’t really a reloading improvement, but adding an extra barrel like an over/under gun, and that both barrels can be reloaded as fast as a single barrel will give the gun twofold the rate of fire.

Do you have any other suggestions or ideas on how the suggestions above best should be done?
 
I'd disagree pwc and expat.

Left -handed whim-wangs are not suitable for muzzle loading as they are cycle speed limited. I'd suggest modifying a gonculator to ignite the gunpowder by RF energy, which makes for a more rapid fire option.
Second option is to use a merkel-jammer if you can find one to rapidly rotate a 24-barrel assembly with a blow torch used to preheat the end of each rotating barrel causing sponetaneous combustion of the powder.
 
I just remembered, there might be an application for a kamus afredus here. For sure use flooby dust to keep the fouling soft
 
It would be hard to beat three shots in under 60 seconds which you can do with a brown bess. Somebody on here had planned how to build a bp machine gun but I don't remember who.
 
My Great Grandpa called it a “double barrel”, and Great Uncle Hugh had a pistol called a “pepper box”. It they had a proper mustard mill, they could have made a left handed whim-wham from a thing-a-ma-jig with a little file work and silver solder.
 
Paper cartridges were used long before the American Civil War. The Brits and everybody else issued 'em in the 18th Century. There is documentation of 'em being used in the late 14th Century.
"...an extra barrel like an over/under..." Lots of those existed. Barrels were rotated.
"...a bp machine gun..." That's a Gatling, among others. Needs the brass/copper cartridge though. Paper cartridges would be too flimsy. There were revolving matchlock muskets in Europe in the late 1500s too.
 
Muzzle loading precludes the use of metallic cartridges which helps to seal the breech.

How about a magazine tube like that on a lever action loaded with paper cartridges. After the discharge, the magazine follower is pushed forward, allowing the cartridge to approach the muzzle. The a swivel mounted (think British cavalry arms) ramrod is pulled forward, swiveled, pushed down to ram the paper cartridge down the barrel, and the ramrod returned to the pipes/thimbles. It would look like a half stock with magazine tube on one side and the ramrod slung underneath.

It would also be very ugly.
 
4V50 Gary said:
Muzzle loading precludes the use of metallic cartridges which helps to seal the breech.

How about a magazine tube like that on a lever action loaded with paper cartridges. After the discharge, the magazine follower is pushed forward, allowing the cartridge to approach the muzzle. The a swivel mounted (think British cavalry arms) ramrod is pulled forward, swiveled, pushed down to ram the paper cartridge down the barrel, and the ramrod returned to the pipes/thimbles. It would look like a half stock with magazine tube on one side and the ramrod slung underneath.

It would also be very ugly.
Click to expand...
. . . ^^^^^^
And likely highly UNreliable.
 
.a bp machine gun..." That's a Gatling, among others.
Click to expand...

If my memory serves me right it was anything but a Gatling. It may not have been a true muzzle loader but it used paper cartridges. As I recall he got a lot of flak from his idea and I don't know if he ever pursued it. I can't remember the mans name but he was a regular her until shortly after that.
 
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Unreliable? There's no semi-automatic parts and everything would be manually operated. Make it smoothbore with undersized balls and paper cartridges.
 
It's all about training.
The average British soldier could load and fire 3 rounds a minute with his Brown Bess.
 
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The original Gatling Gun used a steel cylinder loaded with powder and bullet, percussion
cap on the end. They were reloaded. Next was a paper cartridge--not sure I have
ever seen a paper cartridge Gatling, but they did exist. THEN they transitioned to
a self contained metallic cartridge ammunition--which is the version most of us are
familiar with.

OP--Rapid fire in black powder arms has been kicked around since there was
black powder. Harmonica guns, chain guns, revolvers of every style and orientation.
Rifles and pistols that feed via a drum using powder and bullet reservoirs in the butt.
Heck--the Puckle gun would fire 9 rounds a minute sustained, and could be had to fire
square bullets! Find yourself a copy of "Firearms Curiosa" by Lewis Winant if you want
some interesting reading.
 
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