Bore Grease = Burst Barrel?:

Answer to a 'sticky' problem:

When shooting any Black Powder revolver - the best "tool" I've found for greasing the chambers after loading (and before capping them of course) are used wooden ice-block sticks. (They are probably made in China eh)

- Trouble is that eating all that moorish chocolate dipped ice-cream (to get the sticks) may make you fat ..

No - You can't buy a paper weight with cartridges displayed like that one - but you might make one similar yourself using "craft" acrylic resin - cast into a food container as I did years ago.. Come to think of it - you could probably sell them on-line for a profit.

Now to the Question: - I have read several times - Warnings not to shoot any gun with oil or grease left in the bore after cleaning - as it may well cause dangerous damage to the barrel. - Always run a clean dry patch through the bore to remove any oil or other obstruction (like a wasp nest etc.) from a gun that has been stored.

- How come then - when shooting a percussion revolver we plug the chambers in front of the bullet or ball with grease, tallow, bees-wax or dripping from the Sunday Roast - and that doesn't cause the same issues of bore damage ?

'Lubed' - Only Five Chambers Loaded.

- All answers written on small bottles of malt whiskey will be acknowledged .. Please

Marty K.    .. Hi Marty

 

The reason that the greased bullets are safe to use is that the grease and bullet travels together, accelerating and lubricating as they go.

  Oil in the bore is seldom of a uniform thickness, and can also settle in thicker areas if the barrel has stood for a while.  The bullet then hits this oil (remembering that you cannot compress a liquid) and forces it into a ring which the bullet passes through, causing a bulged or split barrel.
  In a high powered rifle where pressures are in the 60,000 PSI area, and the oil is in the bore in front of the chamber, then the burst can be catastrophic, often destroying the fore-end and sometimes causing the breech to burst.

 Oil in the chamber, particularly with tapered cartridges also increases rearward thrust on the breech as the case cannot grip the chamber walls.

 

Cheers

Rod