An Experimental Page

[pmulcahy11b]

http://www.pmulcahy.com/blackpowder/...er_rifles.html

[Legbreaker]

Besides a bit of formatting, what's changed?
You'll have to excuse me if it's blindingly obvious - strong painkillers screwing up my brain at the moment.

[pmulcahy11b]

The blackpowder weapons.

[pmulcahy11b]

I'm especially interested in reaction to the rules set at the top of the page...

[Legbreaker]

If a magnum load is loaded into a non-magnum firearm (standard loads are designed to take a man down), increase damage by one point and go the next level of penetration, but the weapon is 2% likely (cumulative) to be damaged per shot.

I'd be inclined to up the percentage to about 5% cumulative - those old weapons weren't exactly made out of the best possible steel and certainly weren't designed for the higher pressure of a double load of powder. Chances are they're going to fail and fail quickly, not to mention spectacularly.

The rest, besides the weights as you've mentioned, looks good.

[weswood]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

I'd be inclined to up the percentage to about 5% cumulative - those old weapons weren't exactly made out of the best possible steel and certainly weren't designed for the higher pressure of a double load of powder.

Those Paul has listed are reproduction weapons, made out of modern steel. I don't know how much pressure they'll take but my father built a couple bought as kits. When they were finished, we test fired them with a double load of powder and they worked fine. One was a Kentucky .45 (my 1st rifle, got it when I was 12), the other was a .50 Hawkens my sister & I bought for Pop for Christmas after our Mother died.

Having said that, I'm not sure of using a double load on a regular basis. Maybe 1 1/2 load? It's been years since I've shot my Kentucky rifle, but it seems to me we used 80 grams of powder with a round ball and 120 with a minie ball.