Quote Originally Posted by loiner1965 View Post
those who leave air spaces in bp cartridges do not do it to be different or start a trend etc..
they have read articles and books by gun makers like mr greener and others.....so its not taken lightly.
one chap i know shoots competitions all over europe and fires 1000s of rounds without incident or chamber ringing of any sort.
myself i stick to using kapok as i only shoot bp occasionally.
remember many people still use cream of wheat in bottle neck cases and dont realise they can cause case / neck separations and have been shooting that way for years without incident......pays ya money and take ya chances
Somehow this thread seems to have degenerated into a WTF are you talking about, tac' kind of thing. I'm not disputing the wisdom in the Greener book, I have it myself. Nor the collective wisdom of the bp metallic cartridge shooters, I'm one them as well. I bleeve that the initial discussion was aimed at the likelihood of leaving a LARGE air space, say a couple of inches, or more, in a muzzleloading rifle that may, and indeed, is well-proven, to cause ringing or bursting of the barrel in which it takes place. This can happen by inadvertently short-loading and failing to push the bullet or ball down past the usual circle of crud that develops after a few shots, particularly in a patched ball load. Or shooting a squib load in the case of a percussion gun, then removing the nipple and pouring some powder into the breech without reseating the ball or bullet afterwards.

I've seen a .50cal Hawken rifle visibly bulged beginning about four inches down the barrel for a distance of around three inches in a case like that. It was the view of the gunsmith there at the time that it was only the massive construction of the barrel prevented it from busting open - right where the left hand was holding the forend. Checking the position of the bullet by using the range rod, and ensuring that it was firmly down on the charge would have spared a £750 rifle from the scrap heap.