Do you shoot your antiques?

[762mm]

Here's a question in relation to the article and the other event of the man who blew his hand off: Is an old muzzle loader, properly loaded up with the correct amount of blackpowder, capable of taking your hand off or doing that amount of damage if it failed?

I guess it depends on the failure. There was a recent thread somewhere around here where a guy loaded a stainless Savage muzzleloading hunting rifle (modern design) and the damn thing exploded and nearly took out his hand (parts of the fingers were missing, there were very graphic pics). So, I guess it all depends on the type of failure it will experience (partial vs total obstruction of the bore, etc).

On another note, in one episode of "Mythbusters" (yeah, I know.. ) they were testing if a muzzleloading shotgun could explode if the barrel was obstructed by a human finger, kind of like Buggs Bunny used to do to Elmer Fudd (lol!). So, they took this antique Damascus-barrelled SXS and started jamming rubber fingers in the bore, then shooting it from behind a plexi glass. Nothing... just a piece of the sight flew off or something like that. So, they fabricated a steel finger and WELDED it to the inside of the barrel, from the muzzle end. They shot the gun and the only damage was the bore that peeled open towards the muzzle. No catastrophic failure on the SXS' action/chamber and abosolutely no harm to the shooter (I was very surprised).

All in all, it depends on how lucky you are, I suppose. Technically speaking, any gun could explode on you and take your hand or worse... even a brand new Glock 17 using standard 9mm loads.

 

[starpuss]

I don’t trust most of my old guns to shoot in double action. I had a .32 that the timing was a little off. I had it blow up. The side of the cylinder blew a part/cracked the frame. So unless they lock up like a safe I always shoot them in single action.

 

[762mm]

I don’t trust most of my old guns to shoot in double action. I had a .32 that the timing was a little off. I had it blow up. The side of the cylinder blew a part/cracked the frame. So unless they lock up like a safe I always shoot them in single action.

Interesting... but technically speaking, shouldn't a revolver index in the exact same way whether or not you shoot it SA or DA?

If you're not correcting the cylinder manually in SA (like by pushing it slightly into position with your finger), then it should index in DA exactly as if it were cocked in SA... at least that's what I conclude from my personal observations of both my antique and modern sixguns (I play with them a lot, lol).

 

[starpuss]

Also what I do on old guns that I want to test out. I buy some magnum primers and buy some glue sticks and make “glue stick bullets”

Works real nice. All you do is take your bullet mould spry it with oil then pump in your hot glue. Then you cover the bullet with muzzleloader bore butter. Then you load it into your case with NO POWERDER> then you fire them at targets. Works real nice in all antique guns and lots of FUN and this way you have no chance of your gun blowing up!

 

[H Wally]

Haha - those sound like great learner rounds! What issues, if any, do you get with little burnt or melted bits of glue in the gun?

 

[BUSHMAN79]

Interesting... but technically speaking, shouldn't a revolver index in the exact same way whether or not you shoot it SA or DA?

If you're not correcting the cylinder manually in SA (like by pushing it slightly into position with your finger), then it should index in DA exactly as if it were cocked in SA... at least that's what I conclude from my personal observations of both my antique and modern sixguns (I play with them a lot, lol).

I had a de-activated Webley once, and it functioned 100% on SA. It would often spin too far on DA, so I could see this being an issue if it was a shooter!

 

[dingus]

I don’t trust most of my old guns to shoot in double action. I had a .32 that the timing was a little off. I had it blow up. The side of the cylinder blew a part/cracked the frame. So unless they lock up like a safe I always shoot them in single action.

This is a good point to bring up.
for me its not a mater of trust but Wear and tear!

Fireing Antique guns that are DA and SA the DA is harder on the guns internal parts than cocking with the hammer SA.

All my DA handguns i very rarely if ever shoot them DA.
My bush packer S&W DA frist model long strap i can fire it DA but i use SA almost all the time.
In DA theres a little lever that the trigger has to push back and lift the hammer fighting the presure of the main spring in most DA designs.
Thats hard on the Trigger screw the trigger and the lifter part.

So if posible save the DA for when a bear has you pinned down and chewed off both your Thumbs

Even Antiques in minty like new condition SA is much easyer on them.

 

[starpuss]

Haha - those sound like great learner rounds! What issues, if any, do you get with little burnt or melted bits of glue in the gun?

Well right now I shot maybe 40-50 rd like this. And there is no burnt or melted glue in the bore after (I use Canadian tire mastercraft clue. The extra strength stuff)

And I use TC bore butter.

also take a look on youtube there are some videos on it from ammosmith.

 

[Grizzlypeg]

Even wax bullets, which would melt at a much lower temperature, survive primer detonation and a trip down the barrel. The glue gun bullets sound better, if they can be re-used.

 

[starpuss]

Even wax bullets, which would melt at a much lower temperature, survive primer detonation and a trip down the barrel. The glue gun bullets sound better, if they can be re-used.

yes if you shoot them into a box they can be reused.

 

[hornhead]

where's sherlock when you need him?

here in manitoba at the moment ... ice bullets?

well maybe not ... i'll put my tin foil toque back on.

 

[muckle]

I shot mine .on fun day when our family and friends go out shooting .

 

[762mm]

This is a good point to bring up.
for me its not a mater of trust but Wear and tear!

In DA theres a little lever that the trigger has to push back and lift the hammer fighting the presure of the main spring in most DA designs.
Thats hard on the Trigger screw the trigger and the lifter part.

Even Antiques in minty like new condition SA is much easyer on them.

Duly noted and thanks, Dingus! As usual you're the guy to ask when it comes to antique iron. I wasn't aware that DA was this bad on a sixgun and will try not to use it from now on on mine. It's kind of too bad, because that excellent S&W I have bought from you (first model DA) is almost meant to be used in DA... When you squeeze the trigger, it reaches a point where the trigger pull becomes light (right before the hammer drops), almost as if the gun was cocked in SA, thus allowing for much better accuracy in DA. I was amazed to see this and was further amazed by the fact that even my modern revolvers don't have this ingenious feature.

I remember reading somewhere that this feature was later dropped due to being too expensive to manufacture? Still, a big thumbs up for the early S&W double-action design! Definitely a class of it's own and probably as innovative as the Webley-Fosbery design when it comes to a more accurate fire rate in a revolver.