What type of corn meal can i use? Also a question about chainfire. /Paper cartridges

[maillemaker]

What's actually the minimal load you can put in the chambers without getting a airgap with these conicals?

The way I determined this was to do the following:

1. Remove nipple from chamber.
2. Ram ball to maximum depth into chamber.
3. Fill chamber from nipple hole until you can see that the chamber is full (don't fill the threaded hole for the nipple).
4. Dump out the powder into a measuring pan and weigh. This gives you your minimum no-airgap charge for that bullet.
5. Use a brass rod to knock the ball out of the chamber from the nipple hole.

 

[maillemaker]

Every single one of you who claims that lube over the Ball doesn't stop chain fires is wrong. I absolutely had chain fires with maximum loads and no grease. Same loads with grease and no chain fires. That being said 25g in a .44 with tight fitting ball and you won't have chain fires regardless of grease or no grease. I like bore butter. Cleaning is easier.

Did your balls shave lead on loading? What gun?

 

[Crypt0manic]

The way I determined this was to do the following:

1. Remove nipple from chamber.
2. Ram ball to maximum depth into chamber.
3. Fill chamber from nipple hole until you can see that the chamber is full (don't fill the threaded hole for the nipple).
4. Dump out the powder into a measuring pan and weigh. This gives you your minimum no-airgap charge for that bullet.
5. Use a brass rod to knock the ball out of the chamber from the nipple hole.

Thanks my friend i will try that out! Didn't think about that.

 

[jefair1]

The only drawback from using corn meal is that after a while, it smels like someone burned the cornbread.

 

[Crypt0manic]

I send molds to Sweden quite frequently. Contact me directly via email and We can discuss if you would like. Thanks! Erasgonebullets@ gmail.com

Thank you i will contact you in future and buy the J&D conical mold. For now i will wait a bit because i got no money for now after buying lee's mold. I tried J&D conicals in my revolvers and i love them.

 

[Crypt0manic]

The only drawback from using corn meal is that after a while, it smels like someone burned the cornbread.

Always worked fine for me actually. I use it in all my cartridges.

 

[cynthialee]

I use whatever cornmeal is in the pantry.
But I only use it with roundballs in my revolver.

 

[Crypt0manic]

I use whatever cornmeal is in the pantry.
But I only use it with roundballs in my revolver.

Why only round balls?

 

[cynthialee]

Why only round balls?

because the conicals are pretty long and there isn't enough room in the chamber for the full powder charge and a buffer

 

[bubba.50]

Woah. What kind'a corn meal? Why, Martha White of course. Let me dust off my ol' Lester Flatt personality for a bit.

"Now you bake right(Uh-huh!), with Martha White(Yes ma'am!)"!

"Goodness gracious sakes alive it's Martha White".

"For the finest cornbread you can bake, get Martha White Self-rising Cornmeal, the one all-purpose cornmeal for goodness sake"!

 

[Bunk]

Put on a cap or two but do not load your revolver. Go outside in the dark and pop the caps and you will see the main cause of a chain fire. Caps must fit tight on the cone. This test will show why.
Can you get a chain fire from the front with a loose fitting ball? Absolutely but care in loading is the preventative.
I have no idea how may pounds of lead I have shot over the last seventy years and my one chain fire I am certain was caused by a poorly shaped hand cast ball and my carelessness for not checking each and every ball when loading.
There was no damage to anything and the cap was still in place it was just embarrassing.
Respectfully
Bunk Stagner

 

[Crypt0manic]

Put on a cap or two but do not load your revolver. Go outside in the dark and pop the caps and you will see the main cause of a chain fire. Caps must fit tight on the cone. This test will show why.
Can you get a chain fire from the front with a loose fitting ball? Absolutely but care in loading is the preventative.
I have no idea how may pounds of lead I have shot over the last seventy years and my one chain fire I am certain was caused by a poorly shaped hand cast ball and my carelessness for not checking each and every ball when loading.
There was no damage to anything and the cap was still in place it was just embarrassing.
Respectfully
Bunk Stagner

Thank you! I will do that test one day with the caps. I usually squeeze my caps a bit for them not to fall off while shooting. I hope that won't cause a chainfire one day. I'm new to all this i got my guns i guess around 1,5 year ago or so when i had the chance to get them.

 

[Crypt0manic]

Woah. What kind'a corn meal? Why, Martha White of course. Let me dust off my ol' Lester Flatt personality for a bit.

"Now you bake right(Uh-huh!), with Martha White(Yes ma'am!)"!

"Goodness gracious sakes alive it's Martha White".

"For the finest cornbread you can bake, get Martha White Self-rising Cornmeal, the one all-purpose cornmeal for goodness sake"!

I will check it up for sure! Thanks

 

[nick_1]

Guys keep saying its just the caps and I am sorry but I have actual experience with multiple chain fires and it was NEVER the caps it was always no grease and max loads of real BP. the reason I know its the only times it would chain fire is when I forgot the grease. same loads and no chain fire with grease. load it up again and skip the grease on purpose and chain fire. I have never had a chain fire with normal loads regardless of grease or not but if you fill the cylinders all the way with real BP and ram a ball in there just enough to get it to turn if you don't use grease it will probably chain fire.

 

[Bunk]

The way I determined this was to do the following:

1. Remove nipple from chamber.
2. Ram ball to maximum depth into chamber.
3. Fill chamber from nipple hole until you can see that the chamber is full (don't fill the threaded hole for the nipple).
4. Dump out the powder into a measuring pan and weigh. This gives you your minimum no-airgap charge for that bullet.
5. Use a brass rod to knock the ball out of the chamber from the nipple hole.

the operative word there is BRASS because you mess up those fine threads and unless you have a proper metric tap to clear them the cylinder becomes a 5 shot.

 

[Stantheman86]

Every single one of you who claims that lube over the Ball doesn't stop chain fires is wrong. I absolutely had chain fires with maximum loads and no grease. Same loads with grease and no chain fires. That being said 25g in a .44 with tight fitting ball and you won't have chain fires regardless of grease or no grease. I like bore butter. Cleaning is easier.

Chain fires can be caused by loose powder on the cylinder face and in the chambers above the bullets or balls. Crisco, etc may have an unintended side effect of neutralizing these loose grains

I use it because it sprays all over the cylinder arbor , and also keeps the fouling soft on the cylinder face and forcing cone. Plus it keeps the bore from caking up and is easier to clean

If it adds more chain fire protection by blocking flame a little then the more the better but I don't use it to stop chain fires

I spent all summer shooting "dry ball" with no wads or lube, and using the dreaded pinched caps and knock on wood I had no chain fires

People in the period didn't grease the chambers over nitrate cartridges and there's no written accounts of Wild Bill having chain fires , and he fired 10s and 10s of thousands of rounds nor any accounts from Civil War cavalrymen . Maybe the loose powder on the cylinder face theory has something behind it

 

[Stantheman86]

So it's safe shooting with a lubed tight fitting ball or conical without any grease or anything in front of the bullet?

Why did you have the chain fires? No lube at all?

I use Crisco because it keeps the Colts running all day without cleaning. Plus the bores wipe clean in 2 or 3 passes afterwards and not pushing sludge out then having to use several more patches

Match shooters feel lube increases accuracy

 

[maillemaker]

the operative word there is BRASS because you mess up those fine threads and unless you have a proper metric tap to clear them the cylinder becomes a 5 shot.

I was more worried about gouging the cylinder wall than harming the threads.

 

[John May]

For Target shooting/practice I use 17 grains of Swiss 1 in my Hege Remington, topped with 11 grains of genuine American Cream of Wheat (It's a cut off nozzle that used to be 15 grains). This allows the .457'' ball to just fit flush in the cylinder. Whether this improves accuracy at all is a matter of opinion.
I use Castrol white grease to lube the ball, with a plastic syringe, putting just enough to seal around the joint between the ball and the cylinder. I usually find after the first shot the majority of the lube has vanished in the flash! So far, touch wood, I have never had a chain fire. My best 10 from 13 at 25 metres is 92. Like I said, despite everything being 100% consistent my scores are usually in the low to mid 80's with low 70's being the sign of a bad day!
Interestingly, I watched a Cap n Ball video where he shot a Pedersoli Remington with 9 grains(?) of Swiss! You could very near see the ball in flight!

 

[Bad Karma]

Guys keep saying its just the caps and I am sorry but I have actual experience with multiple chain fires and it was NEVER the caps it was always no grease and max loads of real BP. the reason I know its the only times it would chain fire is when I forgot the grease. same loads and no chain fire with grease. load it up again and skip the grease on purpose and chain fire. I have never had a chain fire with normal loads regardless of grease or not but if you fill the cylinders all the way with real BP and ram a ball in there just enough to get it to turn if you don't use grease it will probably chain fire.

And yet some of us shoot nothing but maximum charges with about 50/50 lubed bullet/bare ball… two chain fires (from one revolver on the same day) in over 60 years of shooting and those were caused by slightly undersized round ball. I agree about the caps, I’ve fired Colts with no caps on adjacent cones and not been able to produce a chain fire. But neither is “full charge no lube“ the culprit alone. IMO…