Nitro Conversion Inconsistency.

[Abasmajor]

Might be worth trying blu dot powder, I have a .44 anvil conversion Uberti 1858 shoots .457 balls reasonably accurately. Couple of other ex members of the club have west lake alpha’s are also using blu dot, slightly more dirtier powder.

Hi Mark,

Thanks for the suggestion.

I have looked on the Anvil Conversions site Q&A section where Blue Dot and Unique were suggested alternatives to Herco, but it also notes that Blue Dot is a slower burning powder than Herco and Unique a bit faster, so maybe Unique might be better in this case.

Brian

[weebeestie]

Anvil conversions who sell replacement nitro nipples reccomend 8grs of Herco on a .454 ball seated no further than the origional loading rod allows.
No filler or wads.
Some fettling may be required.
Once I find some Herco that will be my starting point.
If you try this let us know how you get on.

[Abasmajor]

Anvil conversions who sell replacement nitro nipples reccomend 8grs of Herco on a .454 ball seated no further than the origional loading rod allows.
No filler or wads.
Some fettling may be required.
Once I find some Herco that will be my starting point.
If you try this let us know how you get on.

Hello,

As it's a Ruger Old Army I wouldn't want to use a ball of smaller diameter than the recommended .457

I have measured phials of 4, 4.5 and 5 grns of Herco and will try these next to time I go to the range. The original 4.5 grn load is fine when it works, but I'm not happy with the occasional light discharge and the evidence of unburnt powder which accumulates in front of the muzzzle.

If this doesn't work, I will try a slightly faster powder such a Unique.

Brian

[enfield2band]

if you are getting poor ignition check that the nipples are not partially blocked.

You could also try a different primer. Some are hotter than others. Some burn dirtier than others so trying different ones may solve your problem.
You can get magnum primers but I would seek advice before using them just in case it ups the pressure in the cylinder.

[tim56]

My anvil Remington uses shotgun primers which have enough umph to fire the ball with no powder. Maybe a set of shot gun nipples from a and a gunsmiths at skeggy might be worth a look. Keep us up to date with how it goes. I have a short barrel nickel roa that I wouldn't mind converting sometime. Tim

[Abasmajor]

A bit more research suggests that due to the burning characteristics of the slow burning powder the charge should be increased rather than decreased.

Next time I visit the range I will increase the load incrementally from 5 to 6 and 6.5 grns of Herco and see what happens. I have also sourced some ball of .460 diameter and some slightly faster powder (Unique), so still some options to pursue.

I will update this thread with any progress after trying the above alternatives.

Regards
Brian

[AlBur]

Birmingham Proof House markings on cylinder
"Maximum Service. 4.3 grains Alliant Unique. 200 grain RNL bullet."

Al