Another I.D. Needed

kahnjar1 · 17th January 2010, 04:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Hi Stu! Thank you for the kind greetings and a happy new year to you too!
We have pretty much grounded the bookmobile for the time being in the southern sector of Texas....it gets to freezing at times but when it rains the temp gets into the 50's to high sixties....temp ranges of 30 degrees + are pretty normal.

I had an experience years ago in Arkansas....way, way out in the middle of nowhere in the Ozarks where there are guys who still shoot with muzzle loaders, and in Tennessee where I lived a while many still use bow and arrow to hunt (actually a wide range of hunters nationwide). With next to little experience with guns, I fired a muzzle loader, and believe it or not hit my target straight on. Pretty effective I would imagine with a really good shot! All the smoke and sparks, take that and multiply by many hundreds and you can imagine what a huge battle like Waterloo must have been like....and how visibility would quickly disappear in the acrid smoke.

All the best,
Jim

Don't worry about Waterloo. I used to shoot black powder guns at ground game (rabbits etc) and on a still day it was hard enough to see if the first shot actually hit. Great fun though, but in very dry conditions it was possible to set the dry stubble alight with still glowing wadding! Result was dead and cooked meat all at once if things got out of hand!!

Rick · 17th January 2010, 03:55 PM

Yep, I remember firing a Dixie Gun Works brass frame Navy Colt .

I took a shot at an old fridge across the sand pit; I swear I could see the ball in flight, and what a satisfying WHACK when the round hit .

Jim McDougall · 17th January 2010, 06:08 PM

LOL! Well said Stu on the frustrations with the powder.
In some of the adventures reading on the Wild West gunfighters and the situations where black powder in up close events i.e. in saloons would actually set clothing on fire. In reading on use of the old muskets, it was said these things were often more dangerous to the guy firing it than the target if the charge was excessive or other variables.

Rick, I remember Dixie Gun Works, and what you describe on those low velocity rounds. It seems so strange to actually be able to see a bullet travelling through the air..like the special effects of todays movies.

All the best,
Jim

clockwork · 18th January 2010, 08:59 AM

I was in Northern Thailand few months ago and in the villages there they still used black powder guns. I even watched as they made there own black powder which was very intresting.

bluelake · 19th January 2010, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clockwork

I was in Northern Thailand few months ago and in the villages there they still used black powder guns. I even watched as they made there own black powder which was very intresting.

I've made my own bp before and it is an interesting process. It would really be interesting to hear about how the Thais did it and whether or not they continue using pre-20th century methods or if they have an electric ball mill in some shack. Are the ingredients (niter, charcoal, sulfur) found locally or are they ordered from someplace? Is a binder (such as rice rinse water) added to the mix or does the powder have to be remixed before using?

clockwork · 19th January 2010, 09:34 AM

hey Bluelake they used a pinkinsh in color nitrate that they bought in the local store (way back in the mountians) LOL. They also picked up the Sulfer at the store. he used the charcol from are fire then threw all of it in a Mortar & Pestle and ground to a fine powder then he would test his mixture by taking a small amount and light it and wound add more nitrate intell it burned to his satisfaction. his lead for the shot gun was also primitive they used the water drop system were they pour the lead into water to form the pellets.

bluelake · 19th January 2010, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clockwork

hey Bluelake they used a pinkinsh in color nitrate that they bought in the local store (way back in the mountians) LOL. They also use picked up the Sulfer at the store. he used the charcol from are fire then threw all of it in a Mortar & Pestle and ground to a fine powder then he would test his mixture by taking a small amount and light it and wound add more nitrate intell it burned to his satisfaction. his lead for the shot gun was also primitive they used the water drop system were they pour the lead into water to form the pellets.

Very interesting. It kind of sounds like how I make coffee--I keep testing until I get it the way I like it. Hey, if it works, why not?

19th January 2010, 09:34 AM	#6
clockwork Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 96	hey Bluelake they used a pinkinsh in color nitrate that they bought in the local store (way back in the mountians) LOL. They also picked up the Sulfer at the store. he used the charcol from are fire then threw all of it in a Mortar & Pestle and ground to a fine powder then he would test his mixture by taking a small amount and light it and wound add more nitrate intell it burned to his satisfaction. his lead for the shot gun was also primitive they used the water drop system were they pour the lead into water to form the pellets. Last edited by clockwork; 20th January 2010 at 08:40 AM.

17th January 2010, 03:55 PM	#2
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,376	Yep, I remember firing a Dixie Gun Works brass frame Navy Colt . I took a shot at an old fridge across the sand pit; I swear I could see the ball in flight, and what a satisfying WHACK when the round hit .

17th January 2010, 06:08 PM	#3
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,670	LOL! Well said Stu on the frustrations with the powder. In some of the adventures reading on the Wild West gunfighters and the situations where black powder in up close events i.e. in saloons would actually set clothing on fire. In reading on use of the old muskets, it was said these things were often more dangerous to the guy firing it than the target if the charge was excessive or other variables. Rick, I remember Dixie Gun Works, and what you describe on those low velocity rounds. It seems so strange to actually be able to see a bullet travelling through the air..like the special effects of todays movies. All the best, Jim

18th January 2010, 08:59 AM	#4
clockwork Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 96	I was in Northern Thailand few months ago and in the villages there they still used black powder guns. I even watched as they made there own black powder which was very intresting.