Loading 44/40 with blackpowder.

[tacfoley]

If you intend to shoot this BP load in a lever action of some kind, please be aware that it is HORRENDOUSLY mucky, and the only way to correctly clean the gun is to learn to strip and assemble it pretty much down to the last component ASAP after shooting it.

Revolvers back when we could have them on the Mainland UK, were similarly gunged-up- but were much easier to clean.

Great fun, though. If you really want to see how dirty a BP load can be, watch Hickock45 using a BP load in a Glock pistol on Youtube!!!

[DesG]

Apparently the martini action rifles wouldn’t chamber the rounds after a few shots due to powder fouling in front of the chamber and that led to the zulu massacre.

[Turnup]

Blackpowder is very forgiving because the pressure/burn rate curve is much flatter than nitro. It is really difficult to overload a muzzle loader and I would imagine it is impossible to overload a cartridge. Although BPs do vary in performance the differences are not great enough to lead to safety concerns. Some will perform better than others but will do so safely. Excessively fine powders will actually burn slower because there are less spaces between granules to allow sparks to propagate. Go ahead and enjoy!

[tacfoley]

Apparently the martini action rifles wouldn’t chamber the rounds after a few shots due to powder fouling in front of the chamber and that led to the zulu massacre.

There are a number of reasons why the British were overwhelmed at Isandhlwana, but fouling was not one of them. The MAIN cause was the way that the troops in the outer defence lines were deployed at ten-yard spaces - giving the 5000+ Zulu ample time to rush and overwhelm them.

There is an excellent movie on Youtube that examines this facet of the action, and uses reenactment to show how it took place. Remember that the soldiers were standing still, and the Zulu were running at them at around 15mph...

[DesG]

There are a number of reasons why the British were overwhelmed at Isandhlwana, but fouling was not one of them. The MAIN cause was the way that the troops in the outer defence lines were deployed at ten-yard spaces - giving the 5000+ Zulu ample time to rush and overwhelm them.

There is an excellent movie on Youtube that examines this facet of the action, and uses reenactment to show how it took place. Remember that the soldiers were standing still, and the Zulu were running at them at around 15mph...

Exactly that. There was a very good documentary about it some time ago and there are any number of documents relating to the problems of using bp in Martini Henrys. They were indeed spread out too thinly so when their rifles needed attention to get them functional again they didn't have sufficient covering fire from their colleagues to sustain a rapid rate of fire, so fouling was indeed a contributary factor. It is seldom one cause that leads to catastrophy.

[loiner1965]

Apparently the martini action rifles wouldn’t chamber the rounds after a few shots due to powder fouling in front of the chamber and that led to the zulu massacre.

i cannot see that to be honest as i regular shoot 20 plus full bp loads in mine without issue.....remember the early martini henry cases were foil rather than drawn brass.
i can see it being an issue with 50 plus shots in the heat of battle