Muzzleloading Myths

[chorizo]

The screw on the bolster of a CVA is not a clean out screw. It is the to cover the hole for drilling out the flash channel. Both statements are patently false.

The CVA owners manual recommends that you remove the BOLSTER CLEANOUT SCREW (CVA's name for it) for thorough cleaning. The flash channel in the CVA bolster is larger than the cleanout screw hole...which means it isn't drilled though.

page 15, item 7 of the manual https://www.deercreekproducts.net/uploads/3/7/5/3/37535295/sidelock_manual.pdf

 

[Freedom]

Myth... Extra powder is just wasted out the barrel on fire...aka, The Davenport Formula..
Nonsense! more powder equals more velocity until you run out of room for the ball..( might want to fact check that LOL).. but not to worry if you can't figure it out. You'll know that you have too much powder loaded when your nose starts bleeding. And if you are really slow, you'll be reminded again when your stock breaks
The only time powder is ever wasted is when you spill some,.. or you miss.

 

[ronaldrothb49]

Myth... Extra powder is just wasted out the barrel on fire...aka, The Davenport Formula..
Nonsense! more powder equals more velocity until you run out of room for the ball.... but not to worry if you can't figure it out. You'll know that you have too much powder loaded when your nose starts bleeding. And if you are really slow, you'll be reminded again when your stock breaks
The only time powder is ever wasted is when you spill some,.. or you miss.

So what you are saying is that if I have a 32 inch 50 caliber barrel I can put 31 1/2 inches of powder then insert the ball and all that powder will burn before the ball leaves the barrel.

 

[Eterry]

I meant to say '31. It had the slant windscreen.

The 31 was the only one to have a slant windshield. Mine does not.

Let's go back to talking about muzzleloading myths.

 

[Eterry]

So what you are saying is that if I have a 32 inch 50 caliber barrel I can put 31 1/2 inches of powder then insert the ball and all that powder will burn before the ball leaves the barrel.

I believe common sense applies here, as in most important things in life.

 

[Tanglefoot]

Looks to me like the butt cap of the knife on that pouch strap would make a handy field-expedient short starter, Art.
On the subject of myths: When I was away in school, my Dad found two antique powder cans in my cabinet, both with powder in them. One was full and the other about half. These were the old style oval cross section cans. He knew … because he’d been told since he was small … that powder becomes unstable when it’s old and can explode, so he dumped all of it down the toilet and threw the empty cans away. Dad was dumbfounded when I found out and told him (loudly) that it’s dynamite that gets unstable,

 

[TDM]

Man, that’s a shame. I’d be upset too!

 

[TDM]

I did have one very unusual event happen with BP. This was about 8 years ago when I was getting all my BP stuff out of boxes to start using again. I had 3 metal cans of Goex in a plastic tub along with some boxes of RBs. One of the Goex cans had almost disappeared by half, the metal had just dissolved or eaten away. Don’t remember seeing any rust to speak of, just flakey bits of metal and powder. The other cans were just fine and they were all touching to some extent. Never figured that one out.

 

[ORBushman]

You can only need one muzzleloader.

I might be mistaken but, I think that's a myth?!

 

[Trapper Scott]

I just got admonished for a comment I posted yesterday on this post and was told my account could be affected. Be careful what you guys post or even mention.

 

[springfield art]

My father believed a sharp enough impact could cause black powder to ignite and as a result of this fear (unfounded) he never had black powder, he would only shoot pyrodex and had me afraid to use the stuff. I didn't shoot actual holey black until about 13 years ago. Was just sure it was a dangerous substance and likely to blow up...
Now I only shoot Black Powder and the last can of pyrodex I bought has been sitting in my stuff untouched for about 12 years now. Just prefer BP. I find it is less stinky than pyrodex.

Good! BTW, the Bevel Brothers did a science article proving that STATIC electricity won't set off black powder. It doesn't for the reasons detailed in their article. I'm with you!

 

[springfield art]

I just got admonished for a comment I posted yesterday on this post and was told my account could be affected. Be careful what you guys post or even mention.

I don't know what that was, but this in general is a site that should reflect good taste and common courtesy; I guess any of us could be guilty of a too-hasty typing comment. Most people here love history and tradition and politeness toward all.

 

[springfield art]

There are those that question the date of that.
Museum of The Fur Trade also has an old one.
They are in loading manuals for Spanish Rifle forces in 1810 and other rifle forces at the same time used a ‘loading mallet’. Most ever matched set of pistols sold, ‘dueling pistols’ came with a short starter,again called loading mallet.
Did Dan Boone have one? Maybe not, or Jim Bridger either. But the were being sold by the time of the Oregon trail.
Ned Roberts mentions them, and while this is the 1930s it obvious he is speaking from his sixty years of ml experience
When DuPont opened his shop he was self F grade powders, and they were marked that way for rendezvous twenty years later

Those mallets were mostly for the extremely tight-fitting rifled arms, I believe. Common sense tells that you can't shoot at all quickly if you have to have a hammer to push things down the bore.

 

[waksupi]

You can only need one muzzleloader.

I might be mistaken but, I think that's a myth?!

Of each caliber and type!

 

[springfield art]

The US National Park Service has on display a short starter on display. I can’t remember where now, but a RW battlefield. View attachment 182840
https://www.revwartalk.com/musket-ball-starter-and-powder-measure-tool/

This may have been for a Rifle, not a Musket. Muskets were mostly military arms whereas this has a powder measure attached. Also, the Park Service people are humans like the rest of us and can make mistakes, too!

 

[springfield art]

Back in the 70's where little reliable info was around, I was cautioned against using a plastic shampoo dispenser for powder as a static spark could set it off.

Bevel Brothers did a good article on why static electricity cannot set off black powder. All the supporting evidence is in their article in Muzzle Blasts magazine.

 

[Mr. Flintlock]

Actually smokeless powder is all over the burn rate from slow to ultra fast. you can get 60,000 PSI with 20 grains of some modern powders.

Modern guns are designed to take high pressures.

 

[springfield art]

Modern guns are designed to take high pressures.

I always thought that modern steels would be much "purer" and stronger than the locally made blacksmith stuff from back in history; I agree with you.

 

[Uncle Miltie]

Percussion rifles really are pipe bombs, and were known to be so even in the old days. When the hammer comes down on the cap for an instant everything is sealed, with no place for excess pressure to go if something bad should happen. In Europe quality percussion arms often had blow out plugs of gold or platinum which would hopefully keep the barrel from bursting in case of a "problem": such things are never seen on flint guns. In the US tiny holes were sometimes made in percussion drums to vent them if needed. And if you want to know why some contemporary makers will not build percussion guns at all, now you know.

 

[springfield art]

Percussion rifles really are pipe bombs, and were known to be so even in the old days. When the hammer comes down on the cap for an instant everything is sealed, with no place for excess pressure to go if something bad should happen. In Europe quality percussion arms often had blow out plugs of gold or platinum which would hopefully keep the barrel from bursting in case of a "problem": such things are never seen on flint guns. In the US tiny holes were sometimes made in percussion drums to vent them if needed. And if you want to know why some contemporary makers will not build percussion guns at all, now you know.

The Dixie catalog has a little mention about drilling a small hole in percussion drums to vent pressure a bit; it allows the ignition spark to get to the powder without fighting pressure build-up. It's in the back of the catalog where they have the 'tips' on shooting, etc.