"Common Musket Powder"?

[Steppenwolf]

I am browsing my way through the book "British Military Firearms, 1650-1850" by Howard L. Blackmore. In the chapter on the experimental arms of Henry Nock the author mentions "After some experiments by the Royal Laboratory, this charge was reduced to 1 1/2 drams and the common musket powder substituded for the more powerful rifle powder first issued."

This is the first time I have come across any reference that there were to types of powder used during this time period, 1780s. My question is what was the difference between the two powders, beyond the "more powerful"?

Thanks

 

[tonyg]

There used to be stuff called "brown powder" , perhaps that is what they meant.

Borrowed from wikipedia

"

• Ten things you may not know about images on Wikipedia •Jump to: navigation, search
Brown powder is an explosive agent similar to black powder, but with a slower (and therefore gentler) burning rate. This difference is achieved by incorporating fuel ingredients that are in a less-reactive state; the pulverized and fully processed charcoal (elemental carbon) in black powder provides its distinctive color while its replacement with a different substance produces a more reflective powder, hence its own namesake color. Further modifications of burn rate are made possible by shaping the individual powder grains, often into prismatic shapes such as single-perforated hexagonal or octagonal prisms. [1]

For pure explosive damage, high burn rates or detonation speeds (and accompanying brisance) are generally preferable, but in guns and especially cannons, slower-burning powder decreases firing stresses. This allows for lighter, longer (and more accurate) barrels with associated decreases in production and maintenance costs."

cheers....
"

 

[mooncoon]

Sounds like a pistol to be using only 40 grains of powder. The difference is in the granulation size and sounds to be a coarser powder --- probably 1F in today's standards. There were a number of different granulations and the term that I liked best was Col. Hawker's Punting Powder which was extremely coarse and used in punt guns.

cheers mooncoon

 

[Musketfire]

I am browsing my way through the book "British Military Firearms, 1650-1850" by Howard L. Blackmore. In the chapter on the experimental arms of Henry Nock the author mentions "After some experiments by the Royal Laboratory, this charge was reduced to 1 1/2 drams and the common musket powder substituded for the more powerful rifle powder first issued."

This is the first time I have come across any reference that there were to types of powder used during this time period, 1780s. My question is what was the difference between the two powders, beyond the "more powerful"?

Thanks

Maybe the difference between granulations...Musket used fg-ffg and a rifle would be using fffg?