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Best ignition solution for my project?

3K views 29 replies 14 participants last post by  BillM 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello, what is the best way to ignite a paper cartridge of BP, through a touch hole?

Like this:

The first pic is what i try to accomplish.

My aim for this project is to make a repeating muzzleloaded pistol, through a speedloading mechanism i developed.

This is what the barrel look like:

But i'm stuck at the ignition, so i would approciate some solutions for it.
 
#5 ·
Well, it's just a illustration of what i try to achieve, it's either percussion or flintlock.

Since i want to speedload it, i don't want to also load the pan, or put on a cap or fuse, i wan't a ignition source which not have to be replaced or refilled between the loads. So i simple just have to reload the cartridge down the muzzle, nothing more.

It could, for example, be a lighter with the flame traveling through a small pipe down the touch hole, or maybe electrical sparks, but it seems hard to ignite BP that way..

So that's my idea, but i don't know how to implement it.
 
#4 ·
First off your cartridge paper will need to be nitrated but from the drawing that's the least of your concerns. It's pretty vague. A touch hole is going to require some means of external ignition whether a flash pan or nipple and cap arrangement. Or, if it is to have one chamber and load and you're thinking a speed loader as a repeater, a striker system as with in-line rifles and guns might be made to work. I fear you're chasing the end of a rainbow.
 
#15 ·
You're going to have to have some kind of lock if you want it trigger fired. A percussion cap will blow through a paper cartridge with no need of nitrating but with the plan you have in mind you're not asking to get hurt, you're begging for it.
 
#18 ·
There was a revolving musket. That was a six shot repeating weapon, and the charges were loaded into a cylinder just like the Colt's and Remingtons. You could use a nitrated paper cartridge, but you still had to put caps on the nipples before firing. If you are trying to do away with caps or primers, the only alternative I can think of is an electric/static ignition source. I'm not sure if there is anything that would give a hot spark required for ignition (like a coil does in a car's ignition).
 
#23 ·
I can't remember who it was but 20-30 years ago someone was making an electronically fired rifle. Obviously it never took off and from this time and distance I don't remember if it was smokeless or black powder. BP seems more likely and whether right or wrong I want to remember CVA was working with it. It has been tried more than once in sporting firearms and it's apparent it can be made to work but, I don't see anything forthcoming in my life time other than to prove something possible.
 
#27 · (Edited)
However they do/did it Jeff, it has to generate over 400 degrees F. and somehow do it instantaneously. If the usual static charge we get off doorknobs and the like were that hot we'd have little pin prick burns on our fingertips all winter long. The old 40,000 volt discharge across a spark plug from coil and distributor ignition never burned skin that I remember....'course I didn't stand around hanging on to spark plugs to find out. Dad could kill and old 8N or 9N Ford tractor by grounding it with his fingers, saw him do it often when I was a kid at $2.00 a bet. I still don't know how he could stand that. A flippin' lawn mower spark plug sends me into orbit. 120 volt I can take but not that DC charge.

I want to remember CVA, if that's who was working on it, used a bank of capacitor's in the butt stock but man....that's been a long time ago and as it wasn't flint and steel I didn't have a lot of interest in it.
 
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#29 ·
However they do/did it Jeff, it has to generate over 400 degrees F. and somehow do it instantaneously. If the usual static charge we get off doorknobs and the like were that hot we'd have little pin prick burns on our fingertips all winter long. The old 40,000 volt discharge across a spark plug from coil and distributor ignition never burned skin that I remember....'course I didn't stand around hanging on to spark plugs to find out. Dad could kill and old 8N or 9N Ford tractor by grounding it with his fingers, saw him do it often when I was a kid at $2.00 a bet. I still don't know how he could stand that. A flippin' lawn mower spark plug sends me into orbit. 120 volt I can take but not that DC charge.

I want to remember CVA, if that's who was working on it, used a bank of capacitor's in the butt stock but man....that's been a long time ago and as it wasn't flint and steel I didn't have a lot of interest in it.
very true.. I'm struggling to recall.. its been a long long time.. what I do recall also is those cannons had the ability to shoot 4k to 6k rnds per minute. depending on the setting. at 6000k per min or 100rnds per second they had something that worked very fast at firing those rnds. and at those cyclical speeds I'm sure it wasn't to complex.. but like I mentioned I slept since then and don't recall. I recall what I mentioned. and I don't recall any other specifics..
 
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