Muzzleloader ramblings

Greener Jim

Well-Known Member
Rough drawing of a random thought. I won't explain the why :)
View attachment 65441

Obviously just a hypothetical but basically you would load it as follows:
- load a 577 snider case loaded with powder and sealed off like a brass shotgun shell (card and liquid glass)
- close the breech.
- load the wad from the muzzle.
- load the ball/shot/slug and any required over shot wads.

As can be seen by the difference in size between the case mouth and bore, this is very much designed as a big smooth bore.

Anyone see why it wouldn't work?
 
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Firstly, it won't work. That air space between the powder charge and the below-the-projectile wad can cause a nasty effect when you pull the trigger. I had a 58 caliber muzzle loader blow up when -as near as I can determine- the loose fitting minie ball had slid off of the charge during a stalk. Had me with both eyes wrapped for 6 weeks questioning the return of my vision. You'd be far better making the charge holding case the same size as the bore, allowing the bullet to seat firmly on the over wad and charge.

Second, well... I was going to say "Why bother?" but I have brass powder cases for my black powder 54 Sharps so I can understand the appeal. In my Sharps it ended up being much more of a pain than it was worth and I reverted to paper cartridges.~Muir
 
I wasn't sure about the air gap so thanks for clarifying. It was mainly there so that the card over the powder change wouldn't get stuck although I doubt it would be a problem with all that powder behind it. The intention would be to use smokeless as you can't fly with blackpowder or substitutes. I guess the air gap would be like ramming a bullet halfway down a barrel and then firing a blank behind it. Not fun I imagine.
Making the charge holding case the same as the bore wouldn't be practical for the intended bore size. However the cone section could be easily removed so that the wad makes contact with the case this minimisin/eliminating air gap.


A big concern is pressure or lack thereof. Here's my thinking; powder charge is lit, pressure builds to let's say 20ksi, wad moves creating a much larger combustion chamber due to the discrepancy between case mouth and bore size, pressure reduces too much, ball/slug/shot barely leaves barrel (well, velocity MASSIVELY reduced).

Its an over simplification but I'm sure you see my point.
 
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How big are you thinking? I have a mold, still, I think, for a 900 grain slug for a 600 Nitro. It's about all I'd want to shoot and then only if something is about to eat me, or stomp me flat. I have a friend with a Pedersoli 72 caliber ML double rifle and it can be a real bear shoot. Accurate but stout enough to make me happy that I'd bought the 58 caliber model. The same rifle loaded with the equivalent of smokeless? OUCH! ~Muir

PS: I was just telling my girl friend that all this talk has made me want to dig out the 54 cal Sharps Paper Cartridge gun. I have a cavalry carbine and a 1859 Business Rifle. The 1859 never got through the sight regulation process. With an 80 grain charge, it almost shoots 2" high at 100. As soon as I shave a little more off of the front sight I'll be good to go. It is mind boggling accurate. I met with Davide Pedersoli Jr in Las Vegas one year and requested a mold that would allow me to 'lock; the front driving bands into the lead assuring precise alignment. The mold that I was sent was perfect and delivers ragged hole groups from the Business rifle and the Carbine. I would hunt with these rifles -and may again- but in my State there is no black powder season and in States where there are, these are considered a breechloading (aka: "modern" ) weapon. Pity. They are such an elegant cannon.~Muir
 
Hey Muir , we have the same regs in Alberta . I've always liked the Shiloh Business Rifle , beautiful rifle . When I was apprenticing , the gunshop I worked at was the sole distributor for Shiloh in Canada . I lusted after your rifle in the worst way , but being a young , broke ass apprentice , I couldn't afford one . It was $800 CDN at the time , how times have changed lol . Funny enough , my boss at the time regretted bringing them in as he couldn't move them . He gave up the distributorship but then regretted it the next year when Shiloh's sales went through the roof . Out of morbid curiosity , what are the Shiloh's running for down your way these days ?

AB
 
Hey Muir , we have the same regs in Alberta . I've always liked the Shiloh Business Rifle , beautiful rifle . When I was apprenticing , the gunshop I worked at was the sole distributor for Shiloh in Canada . I lusted after your rifle in the worst way , but being a young , broke ass apprentice , I couldn't afford one . It was $800 CDN at the time , how times have changed lol . Funny enough , my boss at the time regretted bringing them in as he couldn't move them . He gave up the distributorship but then regretted it the next year when Shiloh's sales went through the roof . Out of morbid curiosity , what are the Shiloh's running for down your way these days ?

AB
I was just up in Big Timber a while back. Shiloh and C.Sharps Arms are both located there. About $1500 for the plain jane from what I hear, no sights. Sights these days are and 'option'. Go figure. I have a local Doc with C Sharps business rifle in 45-70 he'd sell me if i asked. One day i might.~Muir
 
I was looking at sights a while back , you could buy a decent rifle for the same price . That being said , some of them are amazingly precise pieces of equipment and are worth the asking price .

AB
 
How big are you thinking?

Well I can go .620" in a rifled breech loader (largest barrel available to me) so significantly bigger in a smoothbore muzzleloader, 8 bore at a minimum really. Its down to wall thickness you see, the max OD barrel I could run is 1.25" so:
- a B (1") bore would give .1250" walls
- a 6 (.919") bore would give .1655" walls
- an 8 (.835") bore would give .2075" walls

The beauty of the smoothbore means that, in the UK, I could build it and have it on my shotgun license without having to 'justify' it and just use it as a shotgun. I couldn't run round balls in it though without the appropriate permission.
 
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