Shooting over snow ?

[DuncNZ]

Some time ago I read that the old timers used to shoot their muzzle loaders over snow to see if there was any unburnt powder in the load , as it would settle on the snow . Is this true ?, has any one tried this technique ?

 

[biliff]

FWIW, shooting over snow or a sheet to look for unburnt powder is something that makes the rounds on Internet forums. Haven't seen any documentation that shows it being done back in the 17-1800's. Unless of course "old timers" refer to people who bought TC Hawkens back in the 70's and were willing to try anything.

 

[deerstalkert]

i shoot over snow daily. never see the tell tale tall tale. i collect my fired patches. a trail of unburned powder would help me find them. will mix some color into my powder just to see.
the very idea is kind of ridiculous. the powder is ignited in the barrel. the miniscule amount that may not burn in the barrel burns at the muzzle. if it didn't you would have a trail of fire down range.
i heard there is an honest politician too.

 

[TreeMan]

i shoot over snow daily. never see the tell tale tall tale. i collect my fired patches. a trail of unburned powder would help me find them. will mix some color into my powder just to see.
the very idea is kind of ridiculous. the powder is ignited in the barrel. the miniscule amount that may not burn in the barrel burns at the muzzle. if it didn't you would have a trail of fire down range.
i heard there is an honest politician too.

I went with my dad many years ago to sight in his inline. He was using pyrodex pellets and believed those 150 grain (3-50 grain pellet) hyped up advertisements. Against my advisement he shot those and with every shot that last pellet shot down range like a smoldering smoke bomb. It would land about forty yards from the muzzle and continue to smoke. By last pellet I assume it was the one last loaded and directly behind the bullet. It didn’t have time to ignite fully before the other two blew it down range. Different situation than what the post is about but I to share that pyrodex pellet witchery.

 

[deerstalkert]

my experience with pyrodex exactly. used them once when they first came out, just to see what the fuss was about. by the second clump of grass i had to put the fire out on, i chucked the box of pellets in the range garbage can. before the twisted panty bunch jump on me for the dangerous action of trashing the junk, I was range master and collected the trash. took the pellets out and burned them in my fireplace at home. great fire starter.

 

[The Crisco Kid]

Shooting into a snow bank is a great way to recover lead projectiles undamaged. They don't travel nearly as far as you might think. The trouble is, you have to wait until spring to recover them.

 

[hawkeye2]

"i heard there is an honest politician too." The system won't let him slip by for long.
"great fire starter." So there is a use for Pyrodex pellets. Maybe I'll add some to my Altoids survival tin.

 

[deerstalkert]

i do my mining as soon as the snow is gone. lead just lying on the top of the ground!

 

[EC121]

Any particles on the snow/blanket are not powder but burned charcoal bits. If there is any unburned powder(doubtful), it is consumed in the fireball at the muzzle.

 

[ohio ramrod]

Several years ago the son of the woman I am caretaker for was looking for flint points in the corn field and found a mini ball and asked me if there was any way I could tell it's age. I looked at it and told him:" 45 caliber two band hollow based mini. About five months old.". I had sighted in my deer rifle shooting at a paper target in a large snow bank. The mini was completely like new .

 

[oldwood]

After thinking about the question of unburnt powder on the snow, like , don't worry about it. I've burnt a bunch of powder in 50+ years , and never felt the need to see if there's unburnt powder .

 

[morehops52]

FWIW, shooting over snow or a sheet to look for unburnt powder is something that makes the rounds on Internet forums. Haven't seen any documentation that shows it being done back in the 17-1800's. Unless of course "old timers" refer to people who bought TC Hawkens back in the 70's and were willing to try anything.

I was one of the old timers who got taken by the sport in the 70's. Those stories about powder in the snow were already around before then. I doubt the real old timers worried much about a little extra powder as long as the bear was on the ground.

 

[DuncNZ]

In the classic book "The Bullet's Flight , The Ballistics of Small Arms" Franklin Mann talks about shooting into snow banks and finding the
un-deformed bullet when the snow melted ,

 

[LME]

i shoot over snow daily. never see the tell tale tall tale. i collect my fired patches. a trail of unburned powder would help me find them. will mix some color into my powder just to see.
the very idea is kind of ridiculous. the powder is ignited in the barrel. the miniscule amount that may not burn in the barrel burns at the muzzle. if it didn't you would have a trail of fire down range.
i heard there is an honest politician too.

A honest politician is an oxymoron. A politician will tell a story four or five different ways before he would tell a lie about it?

 

[Packrat]

I had a copy of the 1964 {i Believe} Gun Digest, in the back there was a information page, it was stated to shoot over snow to see if there was any unburnt powder

As an aside, that issue also said to take a 20 ga shot gun hull, fill it with BP, stick a cannon fuse in the primer hole, load the 20 ga shell in a 12ga shell, you would have a air burst cartridge
Now how many are going to try that ?

 

[Billy Boy]

i shoot over snow daily. never see the tell tale tall tale. i collect my fired patches. a trail of unburned powder would help me find them. will mix some color into my powder just to see.
the very idea is kind of ridiculous. the powder is ignited in the barrel. the miniscule amount that may not burn in the barrel burns at the muzzle. if it didn't you would have a trail of fire down range.
i heard there is an honest politician too.

Same here, and we can do it thru June

 

[The Damned Yankee]

I have been pondering the validity this again lately and good to see this discussion. I remember reading that years and years ago, (not a period source though) and have been looking for it. In Chuck Dixon's book, The Art of Building the Pennsylvania Longrifle, he refers to this in a drawing. But again not a period source.
The info about the "pellets is good to know too. My SAR group uses only flint locks, so any time someone asks me about Pyrodex or pellets I tell them NO! DY

 

[deerstalkert]

I was one of the old timers who got taken by the sport in the 70's. Those stories about powder in the snow were already around before then. I doubt the real old timers worried much about a little extra powder as long as the bear was on the ground.

bit by the BP bug a little earlier, i have never observed this phenomenon. there is only one condition i can even imagine it occurring.
very damp powder. i have seen damp powder ignite and burn in a retarded manner. it may be possible for the gun to puke out some unburned i guess, but in 60 years have never observed it.
all that said, it seems beholden on me to take one for science with an extended session of shooting over the new snow we got last night. stand by for the report!

 

[Whughett]

The amount of unburned powder will be in direct proportion to the amount you put in. There is a point where a large powder charge will not be completely consumed.
Saw this on a YouTube video where some folks where trying to “blow up” a rifle barrel.

I’m thinking that as the potassium nitrate is the oxidizer and the charcoal the fuel the unburned charcoal would be unburned powder. Or not I’m no chemist.

I have read that up to 40% of a black powder charge becomes soot and smoke.

I’ve also observed under certain weather conditions the fire ball at the muzzle of my revolvers will contain particles that are still burning like a mini fire works display.

 

[deerstalkert]

with the pressure curve in the barrel peaking in the first 14 inches of the barrel it seems to me that if there is continued combustion the entire length of a say, 32 inch barrel the peak would be sustained the full distance rather than dropping like a rock at 15 inches.
but then i am often confused. just ask the wife.