Smokeless in a BP ???

You are a man of imagination.
You are a thinker and an adventurer.

You want to go where no other man has gone before.

You remind me of Otto Lilienthal, whose last words were "Sacrifices must be made."
 
systems

Do BP Cartridges have vents or a way to vent?
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I was revisiting this thread and this question caught my eye and my attention. The answer is, of course, no. Within the context of this thread, though, the question of "venting" in cartridges as opposed to front stuffers is at least a bit off the track. One can load a cartridge with either and the cartridge will probably be safe if the gun is safe. Neither BP nor smokeless powder require a vent.
The difference is that a muzzleloader, by default, is not sealed - the nipple or flash hole provide a way for gas to escape and it does; while the lower pressures of BP are normally not an issue when the gun is fired, the pressures of smokeless powders are.

Also -
If there is any doubt about whether or not smokeless propellants can be ignited by percussion caps, follow this link.....http://forums.handloads.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=27675&PN=1

Pete
 
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the nipple or flash hole provide a way for gas to escape and it does; while the lower pressures of BP are normally not an issue when the gun is fired, the pressures of smokeless powders are.
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Modern revolvers vent high pressure gasses between the cylinder and barrel and even with some of the extreme magnums where pressures approach or exceed 50,000 psi, that cylinder gap seems to hold up quite well.

You can also blow up modern cartridge guns with injudicious use of powder. That bozo who was the subject of that link would likely have blown up a modern magnum revolver if he had gotten ahold of some reloading equipment and a can of Red Dot or Bullseye.
 
OK

that cylinder gap seems to hold up quite well
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Absolutely. That gap --- you wouldn't want any part of your body near it when it was venting. Think about where a nipple on a BP pistol or a BP rifle is pointing when it vents gases.
Pete
 
I was going to be snide and say that this thread should be locked down for excessive stupidity, but I will be nice and won't.

No reason my being ticked right now should lead me to say what I am thinking and hurt anybody's feelings. :rolleyes:

The Doc is out now. :cool:
 
DrLaw your a good guy!

Drlaw,

I applaud you for not wanting to shut this down because this thread might just save someone’s life some day! I mean this sincerely...

Also, I learned more from this thread than I ever could have imagined... I also learned that just because you read something on the net doesn't make it so hahaha!!!

I recently have been reading many OOOOOLLLLLD reloading books my grand pap gave to me about black powder and loads and a lot of good stuff. I am going to be a much safer guy at the range now for it all. Best part about all of the stuff I learned is how to VERY INTELEGENTLY tell others why they should NEVER use Smokeless in a BP gun instead of just saying "well just don't do it" because that does nothing to deter. Remeber back when you would say "awh mom why can't I"? Her reply usually was "BECAUSE I SAID SO"? That doesn't cut it for adaults...Because we are stupid!:D

THX again EVERYONE!
 
darkgael said:
Absolutely. That gap --- you wouldn't want any part of your body near it when it was venting. Think about where a nipple on a BP pistol or a BP rifle is pointing when it vents gases.
Pete
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You really don't want any part of your body in line with the cylinder gap of a revolver loaded with black powder either.
Anyway, what I have mostly been trying to say is that it's not just about the strength of the guns. The cap and nipple system is just not suitable for smokeless powder. Smokeless wants to be kicked off hard with a powerful primer in a sealed system.
Black powder is fine with just having a glowing ember dropped on it.
 
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