Black Powder Myths Vs Facts 1

[@noapologizes2018]

There was one incident where a Civil War reenactor had the end of his barrel blow out like a banana and it was all over the internet of how the cheap India made muskets explode and here was the proof. But on examination of the video, there was about 6 ins. of mud plugging the end of the barrel. It looked like the guy had actually used the gun as a crutch and pushed the barrel into the mud. So much for the myth.

[@timesgonetech3057]

When Mythbusters welded a steel bolt onto the end of a shotgun barrel all it did was blow the bolt out and split the end of the barrel open. NOT a 'pipe bomb'.

[@raysheppard8040]

😅😅😅😅😅😅😅reenactment firearm like cap gun😂😂😂😂😂 we were discussing "REAL" firearms not props

[@richardlahan7068]

I think a lot of this comes from the people buying expensive muzzleloaders and assuming that less expensive ones have to be crap.

[@timesgonetech3057]

Could be. It's been proven a myth and busted but who knows how it got started.

[@mathewritchie]

technicaly all guns are pipe bombs,reusable directional pipe bombs.

[@timesgonetech3057]

True. Pressure expands equally in all directions until the weakest point fails, then all that pressure follows the direction of least resistance which is the failure point. In a muzzle loader gun barrel that weakest point will always be the ball, wherever it is - NOT the barrel. So a muzzle loader always 'explodes', just directionally out the end of the barrel. It's also a rocket engine.

[@blazerbarrel2]

Illustration please to prove a point .

[@Everythingblackpowder]

Good video! I always say if this was really a thing then everyone would own a blown up muzzle loader.

[@timesgonetech3057]

Not only that, since everyone has a video recorder on their phone these days someone somewhere would have recorded it. Where's the video?

[@Everythingblackpowder]

@@timesgonetech3057 yep

[@raysheppard8040]

Yup yup I have shunned for similar preaching

[@timesgonetech3057]

Hang in there. The truth shall prevail! I'll be exposing more BS black powder myths.

[@brealistic3542]

The logic of the first argument would make a tamped down fully ball more likely to explode. Thank for this explanation. I was wondering the same thing. The myth made no sense to me. Now you confirmed it doesn't with logical factual resoning.

[@kirkstinson7316]

The early sharps rufle (paper cartridge) is not packed powder. A needle gun has an air space behind the black powder paper cartridge. These rufles were in military service. Kind of shoots the "pipe bomb" myth all to hell doesnt it?

[@lonewolf0712]

These guns have existed a couple hundred years, were used by every major military at one point, and are still used by people today. Wouldn't we have heard about how dangerous they were when everyone was using them? Wouldn't all these militaries and people using them at their peak have been when we heard about all the malfunctions? People really don't think about that, or think in general for that matter. Muzzloaders are only dangerous in the hand of someone who is too dumb to be handling them. The same goes for the most "safe" modern guns. It doesn't matter how old or new a gun is, guns and dumb people don't mix.

[@jeffreyrobinson3555]

Sam Falada of Navy Arms did testing in his barrels. He loaded outrageous powder charges in a .58 and multi minie, the only way he could get the gun to fail was have an obstruction in the barrel. In his case a minie that was half loaded on top of a regular load. For one ball or bullet short loaded this is true, though I always make sure my ball is down, but an obstruction even Bugs Bunny’s finger is pretty hard on a gun I’m thinking.

[@timesgonetech3057]

Mythbusters once welded a steel bolt into the end of a shotgun barrel and it just blew the bolt out and split the end of the barrel open. They were testing the finger in the barrel myth and totally busted it. A gun barrel can be forced to rupture but as you say only under extreme conditions. Just pushing a lead ball half way down ain't gonna do it! :-)

[@jertres2887]

WHY is there a belief that an “air space” makes it more likely for black powder to create a catastrophic “detonation”? The premade pellets have a small airspace running down the middle built in! But, they are not loose “powder”… Packed, it’s like one would expect the burn to progress from one end to the other, but if it’s loose with an air space, is there the thought that it could all start burning at once and create too rapid a spike in pressure? Is that the theory? Thanks

[@timesgonetech3057]

Black powder actually burns slower in an open air space than when packed. The notion of an air space creating a pipe bomb was and remains promoted by people with little or no understanding of basic physics and have no idea how a pipe bomb even works. I've gotten multiple explanations over the years and none of them hold water. Mainly, they believe the hot gas will expand so fast in that airspace the barrel will explode before the ball can move. Total BS of course, but that's the 'theory'.

[@slcgrgcrgcaneafgugiesclawhfg]

At one point right after I got to a range II broke a wooden ramrod. For the rest of the day I had a really long pistol as I couldn't get the bullet all the way to the powder. Maybe 100 shots like that.

[@timesgonetech3057]

How was it for accuracy and range? Did it 'feel' any different?

[@Eggwelder]

Really good way to ring/ bulge the barrel. Have done it myself to one of my own rifles when i first got into muzzleloading. not some guys story from his cousin who knew a guy who knew a guy..

[@slcgrgcrgcaneafgugiesclawhfg]

@@Eggwelder I'm firing 20 grain charges like this. Not enough to do that.

[@slcgrgcrgcaneafgugiesclawhfg]

@@timesgonetech3057 Not much on either power or accuracy. Just plinky fun.

[@AS40143]

Moreover, if you have a gap between the ball and powder pressure is going to be even less than when the bullet is fully sited. I have never seen proof of the myth

[@timesgonetech3057]

There are several good reasons for fully seating the ball but the dreaded pipe bomb isn't one of them. Increased pressure as you mention, greater muzzle velocity creating more spin increasing range, power, and accuracy, and better consistency shot after shot. I always fully seat the ball but for those reasons. The rifle is simply more effective.

[@AS40143]

Popadichev (Napoleonic wars veteran) wrote that He used the tap loading method during battle and even didn't prime the pan (probably the touchhole was burned) As for the pipe bomb, I guess it's not more than a myth/ I have never seen any evidence@@timesgonetech3057

[@rayc.1396]

YT channel Everything Black Powder did it with his Southern Mountain Rifle then shot out to 180 or yards. No harm done, I have had to shoot wads and balls out of a barrel because they got stuck before they bottomed out, harm done. That is a myth.

[@swedeson6188]

My cusin have a friend and his brother heard of a guy that saw a barrel blow up, i also saw a animated video on KZbin that showed that. So yes, it can and will happen🤣🤣🤣

[@timesgonetech3057]

It seems somebody's cousin's friend's brother who once had a neighbor who heard someone say once they knew a guy who saw it happen seems to be the only witnesses there are to this myth. But the animated video certainly nails it down!

[@swedeson6188]

@@timesgonetech3057 Sure did!😁

[@rwl8150]

That's alot of black cats. ;)

[@timesgonetech3057]

Halloween is approaching!

[@nakoawarrior3186]

Wow I thought Muzzleloaders were just mild steel,.......and you say their hardened and tempered? Like a hand grenade?

[@timesgonetech3057]

They're a special grade of high strength steel, specially hardened and tempered to not explode. So no, they are definitely not mild steel or like a hand grenade.

[@nakoawarrior3186]

If the bullet is not sitting on the powder it will either explode or ruin the gun by putting a bulge in the barrel.

[@timesgonetech3057]

Sorry but basic physics says no.

[@noapologizes2018]

Again, physics says no. dude. Classic "I heard it or saw it on the internet" fake information.

[@kirkstinson7316]

So explain how a needle gun or Sharps rifle (paper cartridge type) DO NOT have any problems?