Questions about blackpowder bullets

[william the wie]

My next book is going to feature someone from another universe who introduces a bullet at the time of the war of independence. Given that premise I need to know the following (I served in the navy and don't hunt):

What is the difference in performance of single cone versus double cone bullets?

What is the relative cost of producing the different molds for the two simple types of bullet?

What degree of superiority in range and accuracy over the British Brown Bess and patch and ball rifles can be expected?

Problems with retro-fitting the Brown Bess to be Rifles?

 

[pismoe]

I have no idea on question number 1 , on number 2 , it shouldn't be too expensive to make a bullet mold !!! --- The only thing that I can TRY to answer is to say that the Brown Bess musket would need to have its barrels RIFLED for it to be a RIFLE . Brown Bess was a smooth bore musket I think . Superiority in range and accuracy goes to the RIFLED rifle over the smooth bore musket . ------ think that make sense 'William' !!

 

[Silent Warrior]

To use a conical bullet to advantage the barrel must be rifled. At that point the difference in range with accuracy is nearly moot. A patched ball from a rifled barrel would be more accurate at range than the ball from a musket. I believe, if my memory is accurate, that there is a record of a colonial marksman named Tom Miller that was credited with a single shot kill of a British officer at 300 yards.

I don't believe that retrofitting the barrels of a Brown Bess would have been possible with the level of technology they had. The barrel would probably have had to be replaced.

 

[pismoe]

and a sniper named Tiomthy Murphey !! --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Murphy_(sniper) ---

 

[Silent Warrior]

and a sniper named Tiomthy Murphey !! --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Murphy_(sniper) ---

Thank you. My bad.

 

[pismoe]

hey , you are welcome , mighta also been a guy named THOM MILLER . My link is pretty messed up anyway , I thought it contained more info 'S.Warrior' . Also , I think they coulda rifled those Brown Bess muskets or as you say ,maybe relace barrels . I don't know for sure !! ---------------------- because they were making rifles in that time frame so maybe they could rifle the musket barrels .

 

[pismoe]

a little info on barrel making and mention of Rifling at bottom of page --- Barrel Making ---

 

[william the wie]

Thank you.

 

[pismoe]

just check out the internet looking for black powder info William .

 

[whitehall]

I hunt and I shoot blackpowder and I am a Veteran but I have no idea what a "double cone bullet" is. A google search comes up with floor lamps. The "Mine'ball'" was the greatest advancement in ballistics at the time. It's a hollow base lead slug that expands to engage the rifiling when fired.

 

[william the wie]

I hunt and I shoot blackpowder and I am a Veteran but I have no idea what a "double cone bullet" is. A google search comes up with floor lamps. The "Mine'ball'" was the greatest advancement in ballistics at the time. It's a hollow base lead slug that expands to engage the rifiling when fired.

the technical name conoidal means cone shaped and the original mineball was a double truncated base cone with a hollow base on both ends so the shooter couldn't put it in upside down. I'm trying to find the design Minie improved on. Still thank you I hadn't thought to look up the bullet designers.

 

[whitehall]

I hunt and I shoot blackpowder and I am a Veteran but I have no idea what a "double cone bullet" is. A google search comes up with floor lamps. The "Mine'ball'" was the greatest advancement in ballistics at the time. It's a hollow base lead slug that expands to engage the rifiling when fired.

the technical name conoidal means cone shaped and the original mineball was a double truncated base cone with a hollow base on both ends so the shooter couldn't put it in upside down. I'm trying to find the design Minie improved on. Still thank you I hadn't thought to look up the bullet designers.

Hollow on both ends? Surely you jest. What's left if both ends are hollow? Can you imagine the ballistics when the hollow end met the atmosphere? How could you hit anything?

 

[william the wie]

very small hollow that was eventually eliminated with breech loading.

 

[9thIDdoc]

My next book is going to feature someone from another universe who introduces a bullet at the time of the war of independence. Given that premise I need to know the following (I served in the navy and don't hunt):

What is the difference in performance of single cone versus double cone bullets?


What is the relative cost of producing the different molds for the two simple types of bullet?

What degree of superiority in range and accuracy over the British Brown Bess and patch and ball rifles can be expected?

Problems with retro-fitting the Brown Bess to be Rifles?

My next book is going to feature someone from another universe who introduces a bullet at the time of the war of independence. Given that premise I need to know the following (I served in the navy and don't hunt):

What is the difference in performance of single cone versus double cone bullets?

What is the relative cost of producing the different molds for the two simple types of bullet?

What degree of superiority in range and accuracy over the British Brown Bess and patch and ball rifles can be expected?

Problems with retro-fitting the Brown Bess to be Rifles?

During that time period the primary military weapon was the smooth bored, flintlock musket firing a round lead ball of large (69-72) caliber over a charge of black powder. A "buck and ball" load was sometimes recommended which used one bore sized ball and 2 or 3 smaller balls. The American rifle used a ball but also a leather or paper patch so it would engage the rifling. Bullets (conical and otherwise) didn't come into general use for some decades.
Retrofitting the Brown Bess would probably be as much trouble as just making a rifle to begin with.
A British officer by the name of Ferguson had in fact developed a breech loading rifle that might have made a big difference in that and several following wars if his superiors has been more accepting of new ideas. Google "Ferguson rifle".

 

[Roadrunner]

My next book is going to feature someone from another universe who introduces a bullet at the time of the war of independence. Given that premise I need to know the following (I served in the navy and don't hunt):

What is the difference in performance of single cone versus double cone bullets?


What is the relative cost of producing the different molds for the two simple types of bullet?

What degree of superiority in range and accuracy over the British Brown Bess and patch and ball rifles can be expected?

Problems with retro-fitting the Brown Bess to be Rifles?

My next book is going to feature someone from another universe who introduces a bullet at the time of the war of independence. Given that premise I need to know the following (I served in the navy and don't hunt):

What is the difference in performance of single cone versus double cone bullets?

What is the relative cost of producing the different molds for the two simple types of bullet?

What degree of superiority in range and accuracy over the British Brown Bess and patch and ball rifles can be expected?

Problems with retro-fitting the Brown Bess to be Rifles?

During that time period the primary military weapon was the smooth bored, flintlock musket firing a round lead ball of large (69-72) caliber over a charge of black powder. A "buck and ball" load was sometimes recommended which used one bore sized ball and 2 or 3 smaller balls. The American rifle used a ball but also a leather or paper patch so it would engage the rifling. Bullets (conical and otherwise) didn't come into general use for some decades.
Retrofitting the Brown Bess would probably be as much trouble as just making a rifle to begin with.
A British officer by the name of Ferguson had in fact developed a breech loading rifle that might have made a big difference in that and several following wars if his superiors has been more accepting of new ideas. Google "Ferguson rifle".

Didn't save his sorry ass at King's Mountain!!!!

 

[william the wie]

Thank you.

 

[whitehall]

My next book is going to feature someone from another universe who introduces a bullet at the time of the war of independence. Given that premise I need to know the following (I served in the navy and don't hunt):

What is the difference in performance of single cone versus double cone bullets?


What is the relative cost of producing the different molds for the two simple types of bullet?

What degree of superiority in range and accuracy over the British Brown Bess and patch and ball rifles can be expected?

Problems with retro-fitting the Brown Bess to be Rifles?

My next book is going to feature someone from another universe who introduces a bullet at the time of the war of independence. Given that premise I need to know the following (I served in the navy and don't hunt):

What is the difference in performance of single cone versus double cone bullets?

What is the relative cost of producing the different molds for the two simple types of bullet?

What degree of superiority in range and accuracy over the British Brown Bess and patch and ball rifles can be expected?

Problems with retro-fitting the Brown Bess to be Rifles?

During that time period the primary military weapon was the smooth bored, flintlock musket firing a round lead ball of large (69-72) caliber over a charge of black powder. A "buck and ball" load was sometimes recommended which used one bore sized ball and 2 or 3 smaller balls. The American rifle used a ball but also a leather or paper patch so it would engage the rifling. Bullets (conical and otherwise) didn't come into general use for some decades.
Retrofitting the Brown Bess would probably be as much trouble as just making a rifle to begin with.
A British officer by the name of Ferguson had in fact developed a breech loading rifle that might have made a big difference in that and several following wars if his superiors has been more accepting of new ideas. Google "Ferguson rifle".

There was no "rifling" to engage in a smooth bore Brown Bess or an American musket.

 

[william the wie]

Rifled muskets were used in matchlocks in the 30 years war. The people using them were called Jagers.

 

[9thIDdoc]

The Jaeger (German word for "hunter") rifle was in use during the revolution in the hands of the German "Hessian" mercenaries and was rifled.
Rifles have the lands and groves of rifling whereas muskets are normally smooth bored.
The American rifle (AKA Kentucky, Pensylvania, or Tennessee rifle) was rifled however most of the military used muskets.

I have and have had several rifles and muskets and have been sucessful hunting deer and other animals with them. Both could be quite lethal but muskets are noted to be highly inaccurate due to the loose fit between barrel and projectile(s). Muzzle loading rifles can be about as accurate as modern rifles but were much slower to reload than muskets.

I don't know of double cone bullets. I do know of double molds for bullets and/or balls and suspect you may have these confused.