Keep calm, and load your rifle....

tac foley

whilst what sounds like the opening sequence from 'Saving Private Ryan' goes on around you......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkWxYnHPsE0

I don't suppose anybody there asked for them to keep the noise down.

gunny123

WOW, he was in no tearing hurry was he ? I would love an old front-stuffer to make clouds of acrid white smoke at the range, but its currently verboten here.

judestynes

Don't think it is forbiden here Gunny just awkward and expensive like most things shooting related.

Chiparus

Probably restricted though.

judestynes

Chiparus wrote: »

Probably restricted though.

It's the powder thats restricted.

gunny123

You need an explosives licence, which means endless form filling, security hoops to jump through, special storage requirements etc.

Where as in normal countries, you have your gun licence, you pop into your local gunshop, point out the tub of powder you want, pay for it, put it in the boot of the motor, job done, no fuss.

Chiparus

judestynes wrote: »

It's the powder thats restricted.

Calibre as well?

tac foley

Outside the Republic, that is to say, in the rest of Europe, black powder, a Class 1 explosive, needs some kind of permission to acquire and transport and possess. Here in UK it called a license, but in some places it's a simple permit. Here it's free, and last five years, and allows the shooter to possess up to 25Kg at the same time, providing, of course, that you have the proper storage facilities. I have a simple compartmented storage box, made of high-grade marine plywood, that can hold up to six individual 1 lb/500g containers of the stuff. I only have one container at a time, though.

You DO have to have the NEED for it, ie, you must already have a firearm that uses it. I have five such firearms that are BP only, and one, a Winchester High Wall rifle in .45-70 Govt, that is either/or nitro/BP, depending on how I feel at the time.

Of course, you don't HAVE to shoot a BP gun with BP, you can use one or other of the BP substitutes - Pyrodex [in various grades], Triple 7, Trail Boss and a couple of others whose names temporarily elude me. None of these are classed as explosives, simply because they are propellants, just like any other rifle or pistol propelant, and providing you can show your FAC, you can just go buy them. I bleeve that in the North the stuff is actually entered onto your FAC, like ammunition, but I might be wrong - perhaps somebody from up there can put me right. Please be advised, thought, that none of the subs work well, if at all, in a flintlock gun. The reason is that BP has a pretty low ignition point, about 250F that makes it easy to set off in the pan with a few sparks off the frizzen. None of the subs will even get out of bed for such meagre sparking, indeed, the sub called Triple 7 is named after its ignition temperature - I'l let you figure that out. Some folks with a lot more time on their hands, and the inclination to do it, use a duplex load of BP in the pan, 10- 20gr of BP in the chamber, and the rest with a sub, but life is just too short, and anyhow, I don't have a flintlock gun of any kind.

Also note that many flintlock and percussion long guns can happily exceed the limitations of velocity and muzzle energy - a .45calibre REAL bullet at 1700 fps produces over 2500 ft lbs, but you really wouldn't want to be the one that touches off that 150gr load under 350gr bullet.

As for calibre, well, most ranges are cleared for projectiles up to and including .75cal, which includes stuff like the old Brown Bess and Charleville muskets, all matchlocks, and miniatrue cannons. Other ranges, like the one down near Chepstow, are cleared for live-firing of cannon up to 3" bore, or bean can diameter...trouble is, you can go through a pound of powder in four shots, which makes it a rich man's day out.

Apologies for the long-winded resplone, but my dad told me I was born to be a seanchí...