Black Powder Revolvers and Rifles for Self Defense and Survival, page 2

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ATS Members have flagged this thread 5 times

reply posted on 14-12-2012 @ 04:45 PM by grayeagle

There are a number of natural resources for sulfur and saltpeter: Volcanic sources, decaying dung from stables, etc.

corrosion-doctors.org...

www.livestrong.com...

They are also present in man made fertilizers as well. Plus you can buy saltpeter for $1.80 a pound.

reply posted on 14-12-2012 @ 05:09 PM by daskakik

reply to post by grayeagle

Also the guy from the site I linked before did some tests with sulfurless powder and while keeping 90% of the energy it did away with the smoke and smell. He explains that the reason for using it was to reduce misfires with older ignition techniques but he states that with percussion caps sulfur isn't as important.

Also here is a site where a guy is trying to build a black powder rifle with electronic ignition and a commercial version:

YouTube Link

I think these might also work well without sulfur in the mix.

reply posted on 4-1-2013 @ 09:46 PM by openyourmind1262

reply to post by grayeagle

Yea I have a couple pistols, all that has ever been fired thru them are pyrodex. No mess, no fuss, easy to keep dry. I use the pre-lubed patches as well. From about 30 ft with a 40 cal navy replica, It's deadly accurate. But the only way I would want to be in a fire fight with it. Is if I am up against some one with equal or lessor fire power. On a side note about the post's talking about a High Point. My expereince with High Point is high frustration. Jams, jams, jams.

What I like about the black powder is when your loading and shooting it, it's hard not to imagine what it was like in say 1851 holding a Navy Colt. which at the time was state of the art equipment. Knowing this weapon could save your life. Knowing it was one of the best at the time.

reply posted on 4-1-2013 @ 11:19 PM by tovenar

I have made my own black powder from non-ballistic supplies and gotten good results. Sulfur is common on the surface in parts of Texas. It is used commercially for treating wounds and scars in trees, and can be purchased in 40 lb. bags. Back then ( september 10) you could buy it with no paperwork.

Likewise, saltpeter can be purchased in bulk for making your own fertilizer, or picked up anywhere that fertilizers are manufactured.

The process of corning produces small pellets of a uniform size, which means they have similar surface area. Powder only burns on its surface; so by increasing the surface area in an oz of powder, you cause it to burn faster. Detonation is basically near-instantaneous burning.

I corned the powder by taking advantage of the fact that moisture makes the ingredients clump together. The trick was the uniform application of moisture throughout the powder. I took the principal of the "shot tower" and applied it to the process of making pellets with a uniform amount of moisture. After the moisture was evaporated, the pellets were intact. Mine were more 'crumbly' than commercial black powder, but produced the kind of expansion needed for precision projectiles.

Like another poster, I was using a scale model cannon; but it was one produced for a graduate metallurgy class, and weighed 200 lb without the carriage. I could send tractor bearings ( 2" steel balls) over a mile to penetrate 20" of oak upon impact--good enough for the age of sail and steam, surely.

reply posted on 7-1-2013 @ 05:00 PM by Ramadhiman

Originally posted by racer451
reply to post by daskakik

well hells bells
lets get the absent T OP to post his intentions or we can just comment on the original Post.....
ETA: Harvesting Potassium Nitrate and Sulfur in the wild? Hummmmm! good luck with that,,,or barter?

Rather a Defeatist Stance!!

As a matter of fact the traditional source for Saltpetre (Potassium Nitrate) was a Midden, now don't get me wrong but i think that a SHTF scenario will most definitely ensure a lasting supply of Excrement, and as for the Sulphur, i think you will find that a Charcoal/saltpetre mix will explode just as well without it, with just a marginal drop in power yield, and also as an aside sulphur deficient Black powder is less Smoky as well.
So yes i fully agree that Black powder weapons should not be dismissed so readily when it comes to a survival situation, and as far as the topic of Black Powder for self defence is concerned, i dont think the OP was envisioning Multi shot Sniping with a Kentucky Hawken rifle, But a .44 cal 6 shot Colt Navy Arms, thats 5 shots to make a real mess of an attacker who's deranged enough to get up in your face and try it on ( OH and yes before i get pulled on it yes the colt is a 6 shot, but you only ever load 5 chambers, the empty one is to drop the hammer onto- Safety first)
And besides all that, there are Conversion cylinders and loading gates available, that let you chamber conventional Cartridges, if you run out of them, just switch back to black powder

Ramadhiman

edit on 7-1-2013 by Ramadhiman because: Corrected Spelling

reply posted on 7-1-2013 @ 05:21 PM by severdsoul

reply to post by g146541

I picked up a hi point years ago,
it's one ugly gun, heavy and ackward to get use to,
but i tell ya, it's one of my favorite's to take out
plunking, i use 160grain shell's, not much kick at all
because of the weight, and if you play enough with it
you can get decent at long shot's. (for a pistol that is).
Would not give it up for anything. Actually with all this gun
grabbing talk going on, i was thinking of picking up a few more
when i get the extra cash.
For the money they are hard to beat, I paid $114 for mine
shell's are around $10 for 50. (well were, have not bought any
since all the talk about the shooting and gun grab's.)

Black powder i fun to play with, but i'm not sure i would count
on it in a situation. to many chances for things to go wrong,
Now the powder it's self, yup, that could be very useful in a
take over situation.

reply posted on 7-1-2013 @ 05:35 PM by twitchy

I've always wanted a Colt Navy replica, was just thinking though, in a long term survival situation you can use
Pee for your nitrates, charcoal for your carbon, but where in the world the average joe get the sulphur from, praticularly if SHTF and you don't live next do a natural deposit or something?

reply posted on 11-1-2013 @ 04:46 PM by Ramadhiman

Originally posted by twitchy but where in the world the average joe get the sulphur from, praticularly if SHTF and you don't live next do a natural deposit or something?

Not really Needed! Like it has Already been highlighted, in this thread, Black powder without Sulphur burns just as well, and is also less smokey,

The main purpose of the Sulphur in the mix is to limit the hygroscopic ability of the Carbon molecules, it also reduces the ignition temperature somewhat, making it easier to touch off, so yes you could still make it, but its shelf-life would be considerably shorter, and would probably be OK for use in Cap locks (particularly inline cap locks) but flintlock performance could be significantly impaired, the flint not generating enough or low temp sparks, of course (It's just dawned on me) this could be remedied by using a **modified Frizzen with a fine file like strike face, and A suitably shaped Ferocerium rod in the Cock**

WARNING
Do not undertake the Manufacture of Black Powder Using Recipe in the link below, until you have researched it thoroughly, and are fully confident with the Techniques described therein, neither I Ramadhiman nor ATS will assume responsibility for accidents or failure to observe good safety practice at all times, as the possible loss of limbs can seriously hamper future shooting enjoyment, also i would not wish harm on any of you guys.

Sulpherless Black Powder

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