-
This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.
Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades -
Friends, our 2nd Amendment rights are always under attack and the NRA has been a constant for decades in helping fight that fight.
We have partnered with the NRA to offer you a discount on membership and Muzzleloading Forum gets a small percentage too of each membership, so you are supporting both the NRA and us.
Use this link to sign up please; https://membership.nra.org/recruiters/join/XR045103
Filler in 1851 Navy quick questions
- Thread starter monkr
- Start date
Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:
hpbear101
32 Cal.
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
- Messages
- 55
- Reaction score
- 32
Filler is not required. Somewhere around 20 grains of powder (you basically want the cylinder full enough so that there is just room to seat the ball), seat the ball, and cover the cylinder mouth with lube and you should be good to go.If it is a brass frame revolver then reduce to about 15 grains.
curator
45 Cal.
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2004
- Messages
- 685
- Reaction score
- 126
Monkr:
Corn meal or Cream of Wheat filler will allow you to reduce the powder charge and still seat the ball almost flush with the cylinder face. Most C&B revolvers shoot more accurately loaded this way. Chambers full of powder are impressive but usually not the most accurate and create more fouling, interfering with cylinder rotation, etc. Another advantage besides cleaner shooting is that the filler acts as a "gas-check" to prevent powder gas leakage past the ball if your chambers are a bit under groove diameter of your gun's barrel as most Italian imports are. A "winning load" for my Uberti '51 Navy is 17 grains of FFFg and 10 grain scoop of cream of wheat (original--not microwave). This brings the ball to a hair under the cylinder's face, I use a 50/50 mix of Cisco and Bee's wax over the .380 diameter ball.
Corn meal or Cream of Wheat filler will allow you to reduce the powder charge and still seat the ball almost flush with the cylinder face. Most C&B revolvers shoot more accurately loaded this way. Chambers full of powder are impressive but usually not the most accurate and create more fouling, interfering with cylinder rotation, etc. Another advantage besides cleaner shooting is that the filler acts as a "gas-check" to prevent powder gas leakage past the ball if your chambers are a bit under groove diameter of your gun's barrel as most Italian imports are. A "winning load" for my Uberti '51 Navy is 17 grains of FFFg and 10 grain scoop of cream of wheat (original--not microwave). This brings the ball to a hair under the cylinder's face, I use a 50/50 mix of Cisco and Bee's wax over the .380 diameter ball.
Cpl. Ashencheeks
40 Cal.
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2014
- Messages
- 336
- Reaction score
- 15
+1 :thumbsup: on this.
Being closer to the forcing cone of the barrel will certainly be more accurate, but doesn't it also give better velocities for the given smaller powder charge compared to if the ball was set back in the cylinder without the filler bringing it closer to forcing cone?
I came across one person that claimed he was getting on average about 700 to 750 fps muzzle velocity from just 16 grains of 3f with a 10 grain filler used in his .44 Colt style brass frame.
Being closer to the forcing cone of the barrel will certainly be more accurate, but doesn't it also give better velocities for the given smaller powder charge compared to if the ball was set back in the cylinder without the filler bringing it closer to forcing cone?
I came across one person that claimed he was getting on average about 700 to 750 fps muzzle velocity from just 16 grains of 3f with a 10 grain filler used in his .44 Colt style brass frame.
Cpl. Ashencheeks
40 Cal.
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2014
- Messages
- 336
- Reaction score
- 15
Cpl. Ashencheeks said:
Correction on the amount of filler; I believe this person used close to 20 grains of filler and it was cornmeal which compresses more than Cream Of Wheat, so I think would it just fill up total capacity of powder along with the 16 grains of 3fg in these cylinders while leaving just enough room for the lead ball.
curator
45 Cal.
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2004
- Messages
- 685
- Reaction score
- 126
Depending on the individual revolver's make up (chamber and bore/groove diameters)the use of filler can give more velocity with the same or smaller charges. Obviously there would be a point where there would be diminishing returns. Part of the reason this happens is due to the filler creating higher pressure from both better gas-sealing and more projectile mass to move. Higher pressure and no serious gas leakage at forcing cone and in the bore results in more efficient powder burn. Reducing the "jump" of the ball into the forcing cone also insures the ball is centered in the rifling improving accuracy.
hpbear101
32 Cal.
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2007
- Messages
- 55
- Reaction score
- 32
Monkr, we need a range report! How was the first day with the 1851? I have a ROA, 1860 Colt, and 1862 Colt, my next revolver will be a 1851 or 1861 Colt.
As noted on many of the posts there are reasons to use filler etc. One of the changes I made to my loading is getting rid of the grease (it gets to be a mess especially on a hot day). I got some hat felt and make my own lube wads. It is much handier especially in the field. Powder-wad-ball and ready to go.
As noted on many of the posts there are reasons to use filler etc. One of the changes I made to my loading is getting rid of the grease (it gets to be a mess especially on a hot day). I got some hat felt and make my own lube wads. It is much handier especially in the field. Powder-wad-ball and ready to go.
