.36 Pedersoli le Page on chrono

[DesG]

The bore of the le Page is 9mm diameter give or take. The chamber where the powder goes is actually 7mm diameter for a depth of about 8mm. With a small bp charge it's possible to have a small gap between the powder and patched ball. Not enough to be a hazard but possibly enough to be inconsistent perhaps. This is number 8721 in my book of excuses for missing the target. I've fitted a 7mm drill bit on a rod to clean out the gunk in the chamber every ten shots or so. It's quite suprising how much builds up in there quite quickly, changing the size of the chamber, (number 8722). Maybe the filler helps. The bloke Tac mentioned who shoots rather well for Pedersoli uses an equal measure of filler to BP.

Added to the above, I've never had a patch burn through while using filler.

[tacfoley]

The bore of the le Page is 9mm diameter give or take. The chamber where the powder goes is actually 7mm diameter for a depth of about 8mm. With a small bp charge it's possible to have a small gap between the powder and patched ball. Not enough to be a hazard but possibly enough to be inconsistent perhaps. This is number 8721 in my book of excuses for missing the target. I've fitted a 7mm drill bit on a rod to clean out the gunk in the chamber every ten shots or so. It's quite suprising how much builds up in there quite quickly, changing the size of the chamber, (number 8722). Maybe the filler helps. The bloke Tac mentioned who shoots rather well for Pedersoli uses an equal measure of filler to BP.

Added to the above, I've never had a patch burn through while using filler.

Actually, he shoots very well for the Hungarian national muzzle-loading team, using Pedersoli products.

The reduced-sized chamber of the Pedersoli pistol is called either a Patent or High Pressure breech, and is commonly found in ML target rifles of the day.

tac

[Turnup]

Actually, he shoots very well for the Hungarian national muzzle-loading team, using Pedersoli products.

The reduced-sized chamber of the Pedersoli pistol is called either a Patent or High Pressure breech, and is commonly found in ML target rifles of the day.

tac

Might be some difference between US and UK patents here. Henry Nock took out a UK patent on a breech design which (in various different ways) incorporated a small "pre-ignition" chamber either in the nipple pocket or at the base of the breech, for UK guns this is known as the "patent breech". The essential feature is that a part of the charge is constrained in the pre-ignition chamber and when ignited will project high pressure gasses into the main charge. Claims to increase Mv.

This does not seem to be the same configuration as described by DesG (or have I not understood it properly).

[tacfoley]

Might be some difference between US and UK patents here. Henry Nock took out a UK patent on a breech design which (in various different ways) incorporated a small "pre-ignition" chamber either in the nipple pocket or at the base of the breech, for UK guns this is known as the "patent breech". The essential feature is that a part of the charge is constrained in the pre-ignition chamber and when ignited will project high pressure gasses into the main charge. Claims to increase Mv.

This does not seem to be the same configuration as described by DesG (or have I not understood it properly).

o.

tac

[Turnup]

Tac, A little research suggests to me that there is a US patent breech whereby the nipple and flash hole is drilled through the breech plug. While this might have a similar effect, I don't think that the respective innovations are equivalent. Interesting stuff tho'

[tacfoley]

My Parker-Hale Whitworth rifle has what Parker-Hale described at the time as a 'Patent or High pressure' breech. The .451cal hexagonally-rifles bore terminated at the breech end into a reduced volume chamber about two inches long, this effectively raising the internal pressure on ignition over that of the larger, full-calibre 'hole'.

tac

[Turnup]

My Parker-Hale Whitworth rifle has what Parker-Hale described at the time as a 'Patent or High pressure' breech. The .451cal hexagonally-rifles bore terminated at the breech end into a reduced volume chamber about two inches long, this effectively raising the internal pressure on ignition over that of the larger, full-calibre 'hole'.

tac

That does sound a lot like I imagined the LePage breech as earlier described. Clearly there are more than one breech designs and patents to go with them. Ever the search for improvement.

[Turnup]

The bore of the le Page is 9mm diameter give or take. The chamber where the powder goes is actually 7mm diameter for a depth of about 8mm. With a small bp charge it's possible to have a small gap between the powder and patched ball. Not enough to be a hazard but possibly enough to be inconsistent perhaps. This is number 8721 in my book of excuses for missing the target. I've fitted a 7mm drill bit on a rod to clean out the gunk in the chamber every ten shots or so. It's quite suprising how much builds up in there quite quickly, changing the size of the chamber, (number 8722). Maybe the filler helps. The bloke Tac mentioned who shoots rather well for Pedersoli uses an equal measure of filler to BP.

Added to the above, I've never had a patch burn through while using filler.

Thanks for the explanation DesG. I was puzzling how a filler could help, but the breech design means that it is not possible to fully seat the ball on a light charge, hence the filler.