JCKelly
45 Cal.
When something goes wrong black powder can develop pressures in excess of those normally associated with smokeless.
That "something" is when the gun is loaded with a considerable space between ball and powder. This was first published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society in 1760. It dealt with Brown Bess muskets of that time, which had burst.
During the 1980's I ran a number of failure analyses on blown up muzzle loading rifles, and one modern blunderbuss from India. It is possible, knowing the strength of the steel used in a burst barrel, and the dimensions of the barrel, to calculate the minimum pressure that was needed to burst it.
I recall a fine swamped barrel of pre-heat treated 4140 (chrome-moly) that was loaded using the short starter only. Blew at the smallest section, a few inches back from the muzzle. It would have taken in excess of 65,000 psi to do this.
Nobel and Abel of England are said to have measured black powder pressures as high as 96,000 psi. This in a closed container, in the 19th century when black powder mattered seriously to the military. I put all this down in a three-part article that the NMRA was kind enough to publish. See Muzzle Blasts October, November, and December, 1985.
Our modern made muzzle loading guns are not toys. They should be built by makers with serious firearms technical knowledge. Being a great engraver just won't suffice.
That "something" is when the gun is loaded with a considerable space between ball and powder. This was first published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society in 1760. It dealt with Brown Bess muskets of that time, which had burst.
During the 1980's I ran a number of failure analyses on blown up muzzle loading rifles, and one modern blunderbuss from India. It is possible, knowing the strength of the steel used in a burst barrel, and the dimensions of the barrel, to calculate the minimum pressure that was needed to burst it.
I recall a fine swamped barrel of pre-heat treated 4140 (chrome-moly) that was loaded using the short starter only. Blew at the smallest section, a few inches back from the muzzle. It would have taken in excess of 65,000 psi to do this.
Nobel and Abel of England are said to have measured black powder pressures as high as 96,000 psi. This in a closed container, in the 19th century when black powder mattered seriously to the military. I put all this down in a three-part article that the NMRA was kind enough to publish. See Muzzle Blasts October, November, and December, 1985.
Our modern made muzzle loading guns are not toys. They should be built by makers with serious firearms technical knowledge. Being a great engraver just won't suffice.
