Double dose.

[Britsmoothy]

Has any one here ever accidentally dropped two charges ahead of a load?

If so how much was the total?
Powder grade?
Was there any damage?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Brokennock]

Has any one here ever accidentally dropped two charges ahead of a load?

If so how much was the total?
Powder grade?
Was there any damage?

Thanks in advance.

I have heard of people doing it, buy have managed to avoid it myself.
I don't recall permanent damage being done with just a double charge of real black powder (memory could be wrong here) bit definitely have seen damage done with double charges of other powders in other types of guns.
Now, double the powder and the projectile load? That would change things,,, possibly dramatically.

I'll be interested to see what comes up here. And, what comes up for evidence of claimed events....
Also, if a claim is made and verified of damage done from a double charge of black powder, I'm curious to know what the initial charge that got doubled was? As you did ask about what the doubled load total was. Did damage occur from doubling a normal load for the caliber? Or was this someone with "magnumitis," that accidentally doubled an already heavy for caliber load?

 

[user 49399]

Once. In a little CVA Hawken, percussion .50 caliber. I loaded 50 grains of Pyrodex RS, a patched .490 round ball, then another patched .490 round ball. There was a definite increase in recoil and the only damage was to my pride. I don’t know if this is what you were asking about though.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I've accidentally loaded two balls. It was in my 20 gauge fowling gun. I could tell by the recoil that I had done something that I didn't anticipate. The extra hole in the target informed me of what the source of the hard recoil was. No damage.

 

[tenngun]

Sam Falada loaded some God awful charges in a test .58, something like five hundred grains and five fat minnie ball. He couldn’t get a gun to ‘blow’ unless the charge wasn’t all the way down.
During the civil war, this southern boy calls it War between the states, after battles muskets were picked up with several loads. In the heat of battle guys had a missfire and kept loading.
Don’t have much use for them cap poppers myself but I’ve had some, and they misfired with one or two caps and fired with the third.
I got to wonder that with that being true, if boys didn’t fire muskets during battle with two or three charges, even real guns( rock in the locks) probably went off more then once with multi charges.

 

[deerstalkert]

in another life, in another time far, far away i owned a gun shop. i had a plate rail that went on all four walls above head high.
people (other LE) would bring me damaged firearms they had collected for disposal. might say i was a garbage man!
anyway, that rail was lined with every conceivable weapon in every conceivable state of disassembly. all that is but black powder guns. i did have a few but tweren't BP that destroyed them.
now i must confess. in my current state of senility, i double charged my Mortimer .54 not long ago. 140g fffg, with one PRB.
my collar bone still screams if i look at the Mortimer. no damage other to my pride! please don't tell my bride!!!

 

[Walkingeagle]

Shooting partner on our BP trail last time out double loaded his powder (60gr 3fg=120 gr) and upon seating his ball the RR told us what to expect. He reported that it was a “noticeable” recoil. Lol
In my youth I tried double balling my TC as a few pocket books claimed their characters did. Wasn’t a big recoil but no consistent accuracy over my test of 5 loads. Nothing that you’d bet your life on for sure.
Walk

 

[longcruise]

I did it a few months ago shooting a TC Hawken 15/16" barrel with a 54 rebore.

Accidentally loaded tw 90 grain 3f charges under a patched 535 ball. The recoil immediately advised of the mistake!! No damage to the rifle or my carcass but very, very unnerving.

 

[Britsmoothy]

I must thank you gentlemen for your honesty.
Now I will tell why I asked.

How come no one has blown a gun up by overloading it with black powder 3f or larger grade but loading with 4f will end the world?
Get my drift...oh and please, don't try telling me, "yeah but should you double up on 4f...."

I just wish the closet 4f users would come out and own up to being an abuser, I mean user. Because someone is, someone is buying it! No way is it all going in pans!

I'm gonna get some bumper stickers made up.
I use 4f.
So 4f to you!

 

[tenngun]

I’ve heard you like your 4f
And a gun won’t have any trouble with it
This is old hat, if your gun can handle a pyrodex p charge it will take that volume of 4, about same pressure
What advantages do you find with 4f charges
I find my gun seems to get the best shot patterns with 2f over 3 even if I reduce the charges a bit
And I understand your government looks askance at you shooting ball.

 

[mmb617]

I just wish the closet 4f users would come out and own up to being an abuser, I mean user. Because someone is, someone is buying it! No way is it all going in pans!

I'm gonna get some bumper stickers made up.
I use 4f.
So 4f to you!

Are you talking to me? I have one rifle that for whatever reason I have found fires more reliably loaded with 4f, so that's what I use all the time in it. The rifle is a Traditions Kentucky .50 caliber that I built from a kit.

As for the double loads I hope to not have that problem as I have my range rod marked and should in theory know right away if the mark doesn't line up. But if it did happen I'm not worried about damage as I use a load far below max since I'm just shooting paper. If I accidentally doubled the load I'd only be right at the max load.

 

[Whitworth]

I've accidentally loaded two balls. It was in my 20 gauge fowling gun. I could tell by the recoil that I had done something that I didn't anticipate. The extra hole in the target informed me of what the source of the hard recoil was. No damage.

I doubled the Minies in my .577 Parker Hale Artillery Carbine and yes it kicked like a mule

 

[Walkingeagle]

When I had my Pedersoli .45 Kentucky percussion I tried 4f in my load development. Found 3f being the best.
Walk

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Check the back of the Dixie Gun Works catalog, they filled a barrel and stuffed in 2 round balls.
When they set it off, no damage to the barrel. A double charge is a lot less.

 

[Britsmoothy]

I’ve heard you like your 4f
And a gun won’t have any trouble with it
This is old hat, if your gun can handle a pyrodex p charge it will take that volume of 4, about same pressure
What advantages do you find with 4f charges
I find my gun seems to get the best shot patterns with 2f over 3 even if I reduce the charges a bit
And I understand your government looks askance at you shooting ball.

I like the fact I can use less volume. I find it gives slightly higher velocities and the fouling doesn't seem so bad.
When I used course powders in my shotguns it just don't have the power. Not unless I put much more in.
I just hate hearing of impending doom and phrases like " excessive pressure".

 

[Britsmoothy]

When I had my Pedersoli .45 Kentucky percussion I tried 4f in my load development. Found 3f being the best.
Walk

And lived to tell the tale my friend.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Are you talking to me? I have one rifle that for whatever reason I have found fires more reliably loaded with 4f, so that's what I use all the time in it. The rifle is a Traditions Kentucky .50 caliber that I built from a kit.

As for the double loads I hope to not have that problem as I have my range rod marked and should in theory know right away if the mark doesn't line up. But if it did happen I'm not worried about damage as I use a load far below max since I'm just shooting paper. If I accidentally doubled the load I'd only be right at the max load.

Hoorah. There is another. I knew there was, I heard there was

 

[deerstalkert]

what some folks fail to grasp Brittsoothy, is that even as pressure builds in a barrel the safety valve is opening. the powder forward of the burning column and the shot/patch/ball are moving forward, thereby increasing the space for the pressure spike. many tests have been done with bp, on film if one chooses to search for and watch them. catastrophic damage is only encountered when the infamous air gap or propellent of a foreign nature is introduced . i have a couple unused barrels lying about. maybe i will use a friends strain gauge and do some testing. right after i get done killing a buck, a boar, and a bull. then there are all the ducks and geese waking me from my slumbering. there is also some room in the freezer for a few more grouse.
yeah, i will get right on testing ffffg for destruction.
the only reason i don't use ffffg is i only have one can of it. most of my fines are null b or just plain old fluffy powder. it all goes down the muzzle.

 

[hanshi]

Many years ago I think I loaded a double charge or double load. I say that because when I fired that .50 flintlock the recoil was beyond anything I'd experienced previously.

 

[rafterob]

I rarely dry ball but double loading is my nemesis. I shoot 65 grains 2f in my .50 cal. CVA Mountain rifle so double that is 130 grains. Everyone on the line knows it when I pull the trigger. Sometimes I double load with powder-ball-powder-ball, that isn't as bad.