Smokeless powder in a muzzle loader?
- Thread starter robww
- Start date
High pressure don't do it. There are warnings and numerous photos on gun sites where the firearm has been destroyed.
Only current production firearm is made by Savage and they only list a few smokeless powders. I know I own black powder rifles and and a new Savage 10ml-IISS.
Only current production firearm is made by Savage and they only list a few smokeless powders. I know I own black powder rifles and and a new Savage 10ml-IISS.
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BP Explodes Which in turn creates less pressure. Smokeless Powder burns and thus creates more pressure, mostly because more of it is being consumed. With black powder a lot of the powder isn't even burned and just goes out the barrel.
The pressures generated by black powder can be every bit as high as those generated by some smokeless loads; some smokeless loads generate less pressure than some black powder loads. There are smokeless loads that routinely generate MUCH higher pressures than any black powder load.
Some 19th century muzzleloading target rifles using black powder generated enough pressure that conventional percussion caps could not be used. Sealed primer ignition systems were necessary.
There have been modern muzzleloading guns designed for use with certain smokeless powders. I know that a modern muzzleloading 24 ga. gun that we made was fired with components from broken down 20 ga. smokeless shells, without mishap. Is there any reason that a muzzleloading shotgun with a modern steel barrel and modern steel breechplug would be less strong than a single shot Cooey with a mild steel barrel and a cast semisteel receiver?
Black powder used in a muzzleloading gun is rather predictable, and perhaps this is why it is THE best choice.
There are many smokeless powders, many of which could seriously damage a muzzleloader - or a breechloader, if used incorrectly, as far as that goes. Load a .30-06 with Bullseye?
Some 19th century muzzleloading target rifles using black powder generated enough pressure that conventional percussion caps could not be used. Sealed primer ignition systems were necessary.
There have been modern muzzleloading guns designed for use with certain smokeless powders. I know that a modern muzzleloading 24 ga. gun that we made was fired with components from broken down 20 ga. smokeless shells, without mishap. Is there any reason that a muzzleloading shotgun with a modern steel barrel and modern steel breechplug would be less strong than a single shot Cooey with a mild steel barrel and a cast semisteel receiver?
Black powder used in a muzzleloading gun is rather predictable, and perhaps this is why it is THE best choice.
There are many smokeless powders, many of which could seriously damage a muzzleloader - or a breechloader, if used incorrectly, as far as that goes. Load a .30-06 with Bullseye?
They both burn. Smokeless burns more aggressively and leave little to no residue whereas black powder is way less efficient - burns slower and leaves a ton of crud in the barrel (thats why is takes so much blackpowder to meet the velocities of a smokeless load).
Do not subsititute smokeless for blackpowder in a rifle that is not engineered to handle the pressure of smokeless powder loads.
