Powder, steel and pressure

M

Monday

New member
Hello, i found this gun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqGW09Ohd3Y&t=12s

A old .50 flintlock pistol

I noticed how thin the barrel is, and i wounder, how can it be that thin without rupture? I know black powder is low pressure compared to smokeless, but it’s still a big caliber gun with a heavy load behind.

How much lower is the pressure of black compared to smokeless powder?
Does a modern .22 long rifle create more pressure than this .50 muzzleloader does?

Back in the days i guess they didnt had that much of steels either, i read that gunbarrels used to be made of mild steel, and other soft metals like gunmetal, that would rather deform over time than explode.
 
Does a modern .22 long rifle create more pressure than this .50 muzzleloader does?
Click to expand...

Generally yes. 22 LR runs over 20,000 PSI while black powder guns are USUALLY less than 20,000. But the 22 pressure acts on a much smaller area, so there is less force.

Good steel, even old steel if it is high quality, is very strong. You can lift up a pick up truck with a 3/8 inch bolt if you load it just right.
 
First, black powder pressure decays pretty rapidly, the barrel wall thickness can taper off a lot. There are some number of Damascus shotgun barrels with holes or cracks about nine inches from the chamber because smokeless is more progressive and carries its pressure longer/farther.

Second, pistol loads were not very heavy, not compared to rifle and musket charges.
 
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