Smokeless powder

[bill truitt]

Intresting messages on ths site. Search of this question lead me to this site. Look like a great place.
Building benchguns and other rifles leaves me with little time for play projects. Last year we took a day off in the shop and tried to blow up a Knight ML. Customer had a custom Smokeless ML built in the shop and decided to sell me his old rifle for almost nothing.
One of my shop employees is a Black powder nut. He has volumes on rifles and such, Some cal him the black powder man of Maryland. He told me that 19 grains of Red Dot would blow the top off. It did not, Was actually a light load. Started with DBL charge of black. no damage, Measuring the barrel for signs of pressure and nothing moved. After 450 grains of FFF and 2 Maxi Balls we decided to stop. No damage. Only sign of pressure was bolt being blown back to cock position.
NOTE we did not shoot from hands. A Truck tire was used along with cords tieing it down. Nylon cord pulled the trigger from other side of berm. We did video the shots.
Now back to test. Figuring one of the hot loads of a 460 Wea. Mag was 3031 powder. 70 Grains was used and a MaxiBall. No damage. blown the bolt to cock was it. We tried the 70 grains of 3031 and 2 balls. The nipple blown loose Cleaned it up and one more load. Last load was 19 grains of Red Dot, and 70 Gr 3031 with one sabot and bullet. This time the nipple blew out of the rifle and the video did not show where it went. Final result, I cleaned the plug up and could have used the rifle to hunt with. Measuring devices used to check for pressure did not change from start to finish, Building rifles for years I now first hand every barrel does not cut the same, and the rifle handling this may have been a fluke. IM NOT TELLING YOU TO DO THIS!!! you could loose hands or eyes with one shot. My fear was black powder hunting and the worry of over loading inline rifles and having them blow up. I took the test beyond the limits to blow the rifle to bits. It never happened. I donated the rifle to the local hunting class teacher for demo. After building several smokeless ML rifles and testing them I do like the new ability of hunting and not having to clean the rifle so quickly. I clean rifles 7 days per week and still the day off with my son and a hunt is work enough taking a day off from cleaning is a help. Thanks for allowing me to join your forum and have a nice Christmas season.

[Indianahunter]

The Savage is one of several great choices in smokeless powder muzzleloading. The Savage is a great place to start and you can go up from there. I have been around smokeless powder muzzleloading for some time now and am very confident in their safety record and performance.

[Aderaeseja]

Deleted due to inappropriate adult content.