Is there a powder chamber?

[JiminTexas]

I'm a real newbie at this and am curious as to the shape of the chamber or "pocket" that the powder is in when the weapon is ready to be fired. Is it just that the breech end of the barrel is plugged and the powder chamber is a bore sized cylinder or is there a reduction in bore way back there? I can see that there may be advantages to having the reduction in diameter. It would eliminate compressed podwder charges which should improve the consistancy of the rifle to throw a bullet at the same velocity every shot. If there is not a reduction how does the shooter get the exact same pressure on the powder charge with each shot? I've never worked with black powder before, but I've done a heap of work with smokeless powder and compression loads in smokless can raise chamber pressures to extremely high levels with just a little bit of compression.

 

[roundball]

If the rifle has a "patent breech", there is a powder chamber...the one on the left in the sketch below is like the patent breech on mass produced rifle barrels like TC, GM, etc.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Some of the modern mass produced muzzleloaders are breeched with an anti-chamber, but not all. Most American original muzzleloaders and their custom facsimiles which are built today have a flat faced breech plug.

Any comparison of black powder to smokeless, is apples and oranges, black powder is one of the most forgiving propellants there is as to varying charges etc.

 

[JiminTexas]

Thank you very much for your prompt and lucid reply. From the illustrations that you included, I assume that there is some sort of cleaning tool required to scrape out the powder chamber. If the rifle is no longer in production, I assume that I would have to remove the breech plug and examine the end of it to dertermine what sort of chamber it had and if the rifle was still in production the manufacturer could provide me with this tool or a pattern to make one. Is any/all of the above correct?

 

[davy]

Thank you very much for your prompt and lucid reply. From the illustrations that you included, I assume that there is some sort of cleaning tool required to scrape out the powder chamber. If the rifle is no longer in production, I assume that I would have to remove the breech plug and examine the end of it to dertermine what sort of chamber it had and if the rifle was still in production the manufacturer could provide me with this tool or a pattern to make one. Is any/all of the above correct?

Jim welcome aboard! :thumbsup: Its not really necessary amigo, just use a small caliber brass bruch to get the chamber clean (as long as it fits down into the smaller chamber, and use methods such as flushing the chamber as well by running your cleaning solution into the barrel, let it soak for a bit, and use your cleaning rod as a pump handle with a patch on a jag .. run it up and down like churning butter.

Anyway thats how a number of us here clean em ... :shocked2: :grin:

Davy

 

[Birddog6]

Jim, If you tell us what the rifle is, we may can tell ya what type of breech it has & dave ya allot of trouble. :winking:

If it is a patent breech, normally a 36 cal breech scraper rounded off on the blade end will clean it out & also a 36 cal bronze brush.

 

[bramble]

JiminTex,
There is an ongoing thread under the MUZZLELOADING ACCURACY index dealing with pressure on the BP when loading.
bramble

 

[silverfox]

Davey How many people on this site even know how to churn butter. Not many I wood guess. Used to hate the slopping around the top of the churn but it sure made good butter.
Same action to clean your rifle up and down with a patch and jag with barrel in soultion sure cleans a barrel quick.
Fox :thumbsup:

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Davey How many people on this site even know how to churn butter. Fox :thumbsup:

The only reward we ever got for churning butter, was we could lick the wooden dasher after Mother sprinkled it with cinnamon & sugar. OTOH, if we lollygagged while churning, we might also have gotten some willow tea.