The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

and of course there is the issue of the setts not all enjoying modcoms with electricity and all of that making the chambers quite dark really...

We have elektrikkery, but at the current time it's best to leave the lights off and pretend we're not at home.

if you insist on trying this madness then do it with a ruger old army stainless , not an original or replica of an original.

also you may want to contact Westlake engineering who I think did smokeless conversions on BP revolvers?

meles meles wrote: We haven't yet heard a convincing, science based reason for not using a modern smokeless powder in an appropriate quantity. We don't deny there may well be one, and hints have been made in its direction, but the argument hasn't been clearly and irrefutably presented.

How about about killing or maiming yourself? Mmmm, self culling badgers, there's a thought...

However, some firearms (and cartridges) have successfully made the transition from black powder to smokeless but I don't recall cap and ball revolvers or black powder single shot pistols being among them. I'm no expert but if you look at the properties of the powders they are different. A black powder load is compressed whereas smokeless normally isn't - this has been mentioned before. For example, my Westlake Phoenix is designed (and proofed) for smokless powder and it's barrel plug prevents (within normal loads) the powder from being compressed. So how are you going to prevent a smokeless powder from being compressed in a BP revolver/pistol?

Alan Westlake did make smokeless conversions of BP revolvers http://westlakeengineering.com/4640/4694.html so ask him and report back...

During the 1980s, there was an attempt (successful eventually) to get 9mm pistls to reach "Major" power classification for Practical Pistol. The Proof House was involved in the development. It was determined that seating depth (ie, air space), was critical. One sixteenth of an inch extra seating depth doubled the pressure.
Fred

I run my glock 17 with major loads for a while (back in the day!)

aren't the NITRO converted 1873's that a & a gunsmiths sell just standard BP 1873 with the nipples changed to allow S/G primers to be used? its the same cylinder. he sells them with a reloading press that is height adjustable so you only press the ball to just below level with the top, so that you dont compress the power?

Compression of the load seems to be the crux of the matter, oomans. Presumably then, blacke powdah substitues such as Pyrodex are so designed and formulated for this not to be an issue with them, whereas it would be with a pinch of Viht.

bradaz11 wrote:aren't the NITRO converted 1873's that a & a gunsmiths sell just standard BP 1873 with the nipples changed to allow S/G primers to be used? its the same cylinder. he sells them with a reloading press that is height adjustable so you only press the ball to just below level with the top, so that you dont compress the power?

The page for A&A is pretty vague http://aandagunsmiths.co.uk/pistols/ - to me it implies that the replacement nipples are for BP revolvers. The line about nitro conversions is a bit of a throw away one. Also, the cylinders of the Westlake conversions look like they've been beefed up to me.

Anvil does nitro conversions. They manufacture new cylinders and have them proved for nitro. No doubt if conversion of the original cylinder to nitro were feasible they would do it as a cost saving measure. I suspect the walls are quite thin.