Let’s make a rapid fire muzzleloader!

Regarding fast reloading of muzzleloaders with multiple barrels (pepperbox, over/under derringers etc.)

The goal is to be able to reload the gun faster than you can reload a modern cartridge revolver using a speedloader. Since you don’t need to manipulate the cylinder and extract spent cartridges, it’s not an unrealistic goal.

Maybe a combination of these designs will work? https://youtu.be/Yf9mM15TRCY https://youtu.be/56ODcH2C_Xw

attaching a magnet that stick to the muzzle holding it in place while ramming everything down with a ”multi-ramrod” is my spontaneous thought.
 
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Regarding fast reloading of muzzleloaders with multiple barrels (pepperbox, over/under derringers etc.)

The goal is to be able to reload the gun faster than you can reload a modern cartridge revolver using a speedloader. Since you don’t need to manipulate the cylinder and extract spent cartridges, it’s not an unrealistic goal.
Click to expand...


With a little practice a normal person (not Jerry Miculek) can do a speedloader reload
in 3 seconds and a full moonclip reload in 2. Even if you double those times you are still W-A-Y faster than anything you can do with a muzzleloader.
 
Years Ago I had the opportunity to buy a four shot side by side Muzzle loader .
It had two barrels and four locks . I past and happy it did .
 
4V50 Gary, nitrated paper, rolling paper or maybe pure black powder pellets, like those pyrodex pellets that you can buy for rifles, could be used, but none of those are waterproof. Is there any material that will burn clean and is waterproof too? A cartridge could be made out of packing tape for example, but the downside is that it left too much residue.

Maybe a lacquer could be used, that wont prevent the cartridge from igniting?

Regarding the Belton, how did it solve the problem of gasleaking and overcompression?
 
The goal is to be able to reload the gun faster than you can reload a modern cartridge revolver using a speedloader. Since you don’t need to manipulate the cylinder and extract spent cartridges, it’s not an unrealistic goal.
Click to expand...

Personally I think it's an unattainable goal. With a six shot revolver push the cylinder latch, swing out the cylinder, eject the empties. Drop the new rounds in, release them from the speed loader, close the cylinder and it's loaded with six fresh rounds. That's about five or six seconds without really trying. You'e going to have to do some sho nuff hustling to load six bp rounds in that time frame. IMO you could empty and reload six rounds out of a single action faster than you can reload six rounds in a front stuffer.
 
For your application I'd say a lubed patch. I wouldn't use grease because it will contaminate the powder. Also you want to use vegetable based lubes not petroleum based lubes.
 
I’m curious, what’s the reason that I shouldn’t use a petroleum based lube? I’ve been using a petroleum based lithium grease, the label says that it can handle stress well, high pressure and high temperatures.

I have some beeswax and different kind of vegetable oils, like coconut oil, olive oil and canola oil. Which oil will work best? What about storage? What’s the best beeswax/oil ratio?
 
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Lithium grease is an exception. Depending on it's level of refining petro based fouling is harder to clean than vegetable based fouling. Petroleum jelly is another exception. I use wads lubed with olive oil and they don't get rank. I use about a 60/40 beeswax olive oil mix for bullet lube. I never used a mix for patches.
 
If both charges ignite simultaneously you might have a problem. If the rear charge ignites first you will have a problem.
 
Maybe it’s time for an update.. I made a barrel with a tapered chamber in the lathe, and it works, I havn’t had any issues yet. But one has to be careful when loading the gun, since the powder charge sets the spacing and you don’t want to charge it over the tapered line but neither do you want to leave an air gap.

The reloading of an untapered barrel is in that sense much easier and more foolproof.

I can’t understand how the old superposed guns could possibly work. Without a tapered chamber the compression of the next charge(s) is a big issue, atleast based on my experience of it.
 
Hawg said:
If both charges ignite simultaneously you might have a problem. If the rear charge ignites first you will have a problem.
Click to expand...
I have been thinking of these scenarios.. In theory if an ignition would occur simultaneously the biggest issue may be that the recoil of the front load prevents the rear load from pushing the rear ball forward, and therefore making an extreme peak in pressure in the rear chamber until the front ball has left the muzzle.

If only the rear charge is ignited, it should basically be like firing of a double ball load, the only difference between an ordinary double ball load is that there is some gunpowder in-between the balls which doesn’t make that much of a difference regarding the weight anyway. So if the barrel can handle two balls (which shouldn’t be taken for granted either) it should be able to handle this scenario too, shouldn’t it? The issue I could think of is that, since there is gunpowder in-between the balls, when the rear charge is ignited it will initially propell the rear ball forward and therefore compressing the gunpowder of the front charge then it will smash into the front ball which will make a sudden change in the pressure curve, so that the front ball will basically act like a squib load.

But what do I know, it’s all speculations.
 
I would tend to think with the powder charge it would be more akin to a triple ball load or even a barrel obstruction. Maybe the barrel can stand it and maybe it cant. The best way to find out is load it up and remotely fire the rear charge.
 
I think there were patent drawings at theUS Patent offic..

where slow match connected thru the projectile and had a "pellet of powder"
between the adjoining projectiles.

Never saw any model that were made.

Fire the lead and let the match burn, what happens to the pellets that get compressed???
 
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