Is excess powder really blown out?

[Artificer]

Great info Gus.

Who wrote the article?

The author's name is not on the site and unfortunately I don't remember who wrote it, when I tracked it down a number of years ago. I haven't tried messaging the Webmaster.

Gus

 

[Sinner]

It's easy to prove or disprove. I've seen it done. I tried it myself. Different results can be seen using different guns, powders, etc., but it's VERY EASY. If you want to try your own experiments it only takes time, a rifle, powder, and a sheet. Give it a try, Black Hand, you will find that you didn't know what you didn't know until you discovered that you didn't know it.

 

[Sinner]

The funniest thing of this"thread" is that it really doesn't matter, Lol. Use whatever type powder in whatever volume you choose to get the results that you are happy with. Are you going to use 110gr fffg blackpowder vs 80gr in your .54 caliber? Someone doesn't like that you are? Who cares what they think! That's part of the beauty of muzzleloading, there are many variations and you get to choose.

 

[Carbon 6]

The author's name is not on the site and unfortunately I don't remember who wrote it, when I tracked it down a number of years ago. I haven't tried messaging the Webmaster.

Gus

He is or was a member here. His name escapes me though at the moment.

 

[Carbon 6]

Just remembered.

 

[smo]

OK, so Who’s the Guilty party? LOL

 

[Black Hand]

It's easy to prove or disprove. I've seen it done. I tried it myself. Different results can be seen using different guns, powders, etc., but it's VERY EASY. If you want to try your own experiments it only takes time, a rifle, powder, and a sheet. Give it a try, Black Hand, you will find that you didn't know what you didn't know until you discovered that you didn't know it.

The point I made was the same as yours, just earlier in the thread (shoot, collect and try to light the residue). I find a load that gives me the best accuracy/precision and don't go any further.
My only real concerns are:
1) Is the BALL is "blown" out the end of the barrel?
2) Does the ball goes where I point it?
3) Does it put meat in my freezer?

In my opinion, all the rest is a waste of time/unimportant...

 

[George]

In my opinion, all the rest is a waste of time/unimportant...

It's getting so anyone with a plain old-fashioned sense of curiosity about how things work is in a persecuted minority around here.

How boring.

Spence

 

[Black Hand]

It's getting so anyone with a plain old-fashioned sense of curiosity about how things work is in a persecuted minority around here.

How boring.

Spence

I've no problem with curiosity. I prefer my curiosity to have purpose and that some sort of useful information results from the search.

Otherwise we're at what might be called a Tide Pods moment - I wonder what happens if I eat one of these multi-colored detergent doses? I'll eat one and find out....
What's the purpose and does one learn anything useful???? No purpose and others have learned the person eating the pod is an idiot. So, I guess something was learned and the purpose was to eliminate faulty genes from the gene pool.

 

[Carbon 6]

I've no problem with curiosity. I prefer my curiosity to have purpose .

Entertainment is a purpose. Of course sometimes it's like football, sometimes it's like chess and sometimes it's like watching paint dry.

 

[nhmoose]

IMO: Excessive powder burns outside the barrel. Have someone fire the gun at night. If the muzzle flare is longer than 18-24 inches the charge is excessive.

That also explains the amount of grass fires that get stomped out in front of the firing lines at a line shoot.

 

[Black Hand]

Entertainment is a purpose. Of course sometimes it's like football, sometimes it's like chess and sometimes it's like watching paint dry.

The original question of "is all the powder burned....etc." was a valid question. What does the answer teach us? Is the answer useful in some way?
The answer was - depends, though there was far more speculation and decidedly short on testing.
Is the answer useful? - unknown, but I'm leaning towards not useful if MY metric is putting meat in the freezer. A little powder or carbon ejecta on the snow doesn't affect the outcome.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

The original question of "is all the powder burned....etc." was a valid question. What does the answer teach us? Is the answer useful in some way?
The answer was - depends, though there was far more speculation and decidedly short on testing.
Is the answer useful? - unknown, but I'm leaning towards not useful if MY metric is putting meat in the freezer. A little powder or carbon ejecta on the snow doesn't affect the outcome.

Ok you go ahead and play huge big he man and continue stuffing powder in your gun, even though it doesn't have any real effect on velocity or power. If minute of deer is all you care about, then you don't weigh each ball, align the patches the same each time, or even carefully measure your powder.

 

[Black Hand]

Ok you go ahead and play huge big he man and continue stuffing powder in your gun, even though it doesn't have any real effect on velocity or power. If minute of deer is all you care about, then you don't weigh each ball, align the patches the same each time, or even carefully measure your powder.

As I already stated - Accuracy & precision are my standards (I don't keep stuffing powder in my gun because after a certain point, accuracy & precision go down the crapper and I've NEVER stated velocity or power were my goals) and meat in the freezer is the desired outcome. I don't weigh each ball, the patch goes on the end of the barrel with no special effort to make certain it is absolutely centered and I fill my measure to approximately the same spot (because a few grains either way wouldn't make much of a difference anyway). I have meat in my freezer and I think I'll have some tonight...

 

[Carbon 6]

"Socrates held that if a man knows something, he can explain what he knows to others"

 

[Black Hand]

"Socrates held that if a man knows something, he can explain what he knows to others"

You don't realize how little you know until you try to teach something to others. I learn more preparing to teach than I learned as a student.

 

[Carbon 6]

I think that encompasses Socrates quote beautifully. After all he was a teacher.

 

[RHensley]

With all due respect, you have made an assertion but have provided no evidence. By saying "well-proven", you imply there is evidence and therefore up to you to provide it (or at least a link or links to the evidence).

Also, what comes out of the barrel may be carbon ejecta that is no longer able to ignite. Yes, it still looks like powder but it isn't...

Now this has always troubled me. Black Powder burns and creates pressure. The pressure pushes the ball out. Now if the flame from the powder extends out the barrel too far is it creating pressure and after it leaves the barrel does the fire from the powder still push the ball. Never have understood this.

 

[Black Hand]

Now this has always troubled me. Black Powder burns and creates pressure. The pressure pushes the ball out. Now if the flame from the powder extends out the barrel too far is it creating pressure and after it leaves the barrel does the fire from the powder still push the ball. Never have understood this.

No. Once the ball exits, anything happening in the barrel should/would have no effect.

 

[Carbon 6]

Now this has always troubled me. Black Powder burns and creates pressure. The pressure pushes the ball out. Now if the flame from the powder extends out the barrel too far is it creating pressure and after it leaves the barrel does the fire from the powder still push the ball. Never have understood this.

I'm going to say yes, sort of. The jet of gas would still push on the ball for a few inches, but as the gas expands it loses pressure without the barrel to contain it. I don't think it would increase the velocity any because of the increase in drag, and the overall pressure drop. However it could deflect the ball and this we can test