Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
These powder measures typically use gravity feed from a hopper of powder above an adjustable cavity in a rotating cylinder. [3] A lever rotates the cylinder so the cavity moves between an upward position where powder can drain from the hopper into the cavity, and a lower position where the powder can drain from the cavity into an empty ...
The term black powder was coined in the late 19th century, primarily in the United States, to distinguish prior gunpowder formulations from the new smokeless powders and semi-smokeless powders. Semi-smokeless powders featured bulk volume properties that approximated black powder, but had significantly reduced amounts of smoke and combustion ...
Gunpowder (Black powder) is a finely ground, pressed and granulated mechanical pyrotechnic mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate. It can be produced in a range of grain sizes. The size and shape of the grains can increase or decrease the relative surface area, and change the burning rate significantly.
Black powder substitutes are measured by volumetric measurement techniques, not in grains on a scale, due to the difference in density compared to black powder. For example, to measure a "60 grain equivalent" of black powder substitute suitable for use in a muzzleloader rifle, one uses a volumetric measure that produces a volume of black powder ...
Black powder produces gas at a predictable rate unaffected by pressure, while the gas production rate of smokeless powder increases with increasing pressure. [6] The possibility of runaway pressures caused smokeless powder to destroy many firearms designed for black powder and required much more precise measurement of propellant charges.
A powder scale is therefore needed to determine the correct mass thrown by the powder measure, and by the shot measure, as powder loads are specified with a precision of 0.10 grain (6.5 mg), but are usually thrown with a tolerance of 0.2 to 0.3 grains in most shotshell presses. Similarly, shot payloads in shells are generally held to within a ...
Get AOL Mail for FREE! Manage your email like never before with travel, photo & document views. Personalize your inbox with themes & tabs. You've Got Mail!
For example, the .50-90 Sharps has a .50-inch bore and used a nominal charge of 90.0 grains (5.83 g) of black powder. Many such cartridges were designated by a three-number system (e.g., 45–120–3 1 ⁄ 4 Sharps: 45-caliber bore, 120 grains of (black) powder, 3 1 ⁄ 4-inch long case). Other times, a similar three-number system indicated ...