A Walker question or two

[Leatherbark]

50 to the pound which I think is about a 46 which the prototype was. The contract run was slightly smaller with a 454 ball

I was speaking to the 32 per pound bullets, not round ball.

A picket bullet I believe was for use in the Walker. Sort of pointed and Christmas tree shaped. Someone stated that persons loading the picket bullet upside down was the reason for the Walker cylinder failures but that may be just speculation.

Bob

 

[nkbj]

My speculation (and it's just that) was that the top of that Christmas tree got in the way of rotating the cylinder and therefore got schmooshed (technical term) with mighty loading lever leverage and really formed a swaged plug in the chamber. On top of the powder charge that prevented properly seating the bullet.
BOOM.

Was looking at some notes from 2008. The RCBS 45-220-CAV with the rear half of the bullet sized to .450" diameter was tested out. And lo and behold there's a box of them on the shelf. Maybe I should do some chrono checks. The load being used in 2008 was 40 grains FFg.