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22 LR blackpowder?

GeriGeri Member Posts: 2,089 ✭✭✭
edited December 2012 in Ask the Experts
Was this caliber loaded with black powder or semi-smokeless? Thanks.
Have a Happy New Year.

Comments

  • countryfarmercountryfarmer Member Posts: 4,552
    edited November -1
    .22 Long is a variety of .22 caliber (5.6 mm) rimfire ammunition. The .22 Long is the second oldest of the surviving rimfire cartridges, dating back to 1871, when it was loaded with a 29 grain (1.9 g) bullet and 5 grains (0.32 g) of black powder, 25% more than the .22 Short it was based on. It was designed for use in revolvers, but was soon chambered in rifles as well.


    I can't pin down if the 22LR was BP but based on the time frame I would guess yes.


    The .22 Long Rifle rimfire (5.6x15R - metric designation) cartridge is a long established variety of ammunition, and in terms of units sold is still by far the most common in the world today. The cartridge is often referred to simply as .22 LR and various rifles, pistols, revolvers, and even some smoothbore shotguns have been manufactured in this caliber. The cartridge originated from the Flobert BB Cap of 1845 through the .22 Smith & Wesson cartridge of 1857, and was developed by the American firearms manufacturer J. Stevens Arms & Tool Company in 1887[3] by combining the casing of the .22 Long with the 40-grain (2.6 g) bullet of the .22 Extra Long. For many decades, it has been a very popular cartridge around the world. It is one of the few cartridges that are accepted by a large variety of rifles, as well as pistols. The .22 Long Rifle and related cartridges (.22 Short, .22 Long and .22 Extra Long) use a heeled bullet, which means that the bullet is the same diameter as the case, and has a narrower "heel" portion that fits in the case.
  • Hawk CarseHawk Carse Member Posts: 4,365 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Geri:

    Yes to both.

    There are a few intrepid experimenters working with .22 BP even now.

    Nobody, even the ammo companies, wants to fool with semismokeless. It was said to be more dangerous to manufacture and load than either black or smokeless. They only used it because they could not at first get as good performance with smokeless.
  • charliemeyer007charliemeyer007 Member Posts: 6,579 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I think I have some pure copper cases with lead bullets that look like long rifles and smoke and stink like black powder.
  • GeriGeri Member Posts: 2,089 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The reason I asked. A friend showed me a old single shot that was 90% or better on the outside but the bore was rusted.
  • 11b6r11b6r Member Posts: 16,588 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Yes, .22LR was loaded with black and with semi-smokeless (Lesmok was one name). That was why the Winchester and Remington .22 Auto cartridges were created- a separate caliber from the .22 LR, was only in smokeless, so that black powder fouling would not gum up an autoloader. early primers were alos not kind to bores- and older 22 barrels were quite different from steels used today.
  • Hawk CarseHawk Carse Member Posts: 4,365 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    A rusty bore in an old .22 is more likely from shooting smokeless powder with corrosive priming.

    Shoot black powder and it is obvious you need to clean the gun.

    Shoot smokeless and it LOOKS all right... for a while.
  • cbyerlycbyerly Member Posts: 689 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    The real culpert of bad bores in 22s is Kings Semi Smokeless powder shells. They advertised them as less corrosive than black powder, but in truth they are the same. Fulminate priming in early shells is not corrosive to steel, only brass.
  • Hawk CarseHawk Carse Member Posts: 4,365 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Ah, but the chlorate priming in second generation priming is ferociously corrosive to steel. The Army changed over ca 1898, but mercuric primed commercial ammo hung on for a while. And there were primers with both chlorate and fulminate, death on brass and barrel alike.
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