Cap and Ball

[Saxman]

Treize,

I think the Walker was designed to take up to 60gr. However as I said, some troopers tried to do more than that which is what caused the cylinder failures. Walker really got a bad rep from that, even though it was entirely a matter of morons not reading the operator's manual rather than a failure of the gun itself....

[mtnman]

I had some jim shockey's powder  fffg.  I was also using some pyrodex RS powder.  Did 60 grain loads on both.  Shot great on both, but i prefered the jim shockey's because it burned a lot cleaner.  My average load was around 24 grains.

I'm not all that familiar with Jim Shockey's powder.  I've tried it, as well as every other synthetic I've come across, but none of them work in my guns.  I liked them for target shooting with percussion guns simply because they burned clean, but not in flinter's, and those are all I've owned/shot since about 1990 (I'm limited to black powder in my guns).  I never shot anything but pyrodex in my revolver, and never had an issue with it (although it doesn't really burn all that clean).  The synthetic powders are harder to ignite than actual black powder is, but that's not an issue with revolvers.

If I remember correctly, the Pyrodex RS is a rifle/shotgun grade, and they have a "P" version for pistols.  The P would burn faster (and with a higher pressure) so would be better for pistols and revolvers with their shorter barrels.  It's likely that 60gr of the RS isn't going to burn fully, especially in the smaller calibers, so you'd be blowing excess unburned powder out of the barrel.  If you can only burn 40gr before the ball leaves, your blowing 20gr out onto the grass...  Even if you don't go with a heavy charge, burning the P grade would mean equal effect, but with a smaller powder charge.

The same can be said for the 3F powder.  The 3F powder designation is pistol/revolver appropriate, much more-so than 2F would be, especially in the 50 caliber and under bore sizes.  Since 3F is finer, it burns faster and generates more pressure, so a smaller charge is again possible, and it's more likely to fully burn in a shorter barrel.  A powder charge will also burn faster in a larger caliber barrel than in a smaller caliber barrel.

BTW, if your curious as to whether you're blowing excess powder out of the barrel you can find out easily enough by shooting over a white sheet spread on the ground, or over snow.  Blowing excess powder out will give more recoil, but no increase in velocity.  It can actually decrease the velocity.

[mtnman]

Treize,

I think the Walker was designed to take up to 60gr. However as I said, some troopers tried to do more than that which is what caused the cylinder failures. Walker really got a bad rep from that, even though it was entirely a matter of morons not reading the operator's manual rather than a failure of the gun itself....

I've seen guys use 4F powder as well in some of those, and that's just a bad idea.  I'm not sure that the troopers would have had access to it though, since there probably weren't any flintlock shooters amongst them.

[Treize69]

Treize,

I think the Walker was designed to take up to 60gr. However as I said, some troopers tried to do more than that which is what caused the cylinder failures. Walker really got a bad rep from that, even though it was entirely a matter of morons not reading the operator's manual rather than a failure of the gun itself....

Books I have say up to 50 grains. And keep in mind that most modern powder, even regular blackpowder (not counting stuff like pyrodex and Triple-7), packs a bigger punch into a smaller amount than historical, especially pre-Civil War. I've seen references that state a Brown Bess was loaded with the equivalent of 200 grains of powder behind a .75 ball, when modern powder can get the same (or better) performance out of about 120. 200 grains (I use Goex) behind a full size ball in a Bess would at least split the barrel, if not blow up outright.

Modern guns and powder should really be loaded with manufacturer or organizational safety recommendations in mind, not historical references. I don't know any reputable reenacting groups that allow their members to load anything more than 30 grains into a .44 revolver, even when firing blanks. Heck, we only use 30 grains firing .65 horse pistols, and thats plenty.

And even if you don't blow up or otherwise damage the weapon, you're just wasting powder- black powder burns very slow, and chances are a lot of it hasn't even ignited when the ball leaves the barrel. Even using the federally mandated 120 grains in a musket, we still have a two to three foot tongue of burning powder coming out the muzzle of a four-foot barrel. We figure about a third of the charge actually ignites after its left the barrel- but then, we're firing blanks, and anything less than about 100 grains just kinda goes "fwump" and doesn't give a realistic impression of loading and firing a live weapon at our demonstrations. Part of the draw is the sound and fury we unleash.