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Speaking of blackpowder small arms, does anyone have a good idea about the maximum velocities obtainiable?

 

I've heard that practical concerns limit the calibre to around 7mm, so I was thinking of what a SCHV blackpowder rifle/cartridge would look like. 

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Hmmm... given that velocity and around 2kj of muzzle energy, you end up with a projo weighing 11.93g (184 grains).

 

Which results in a 7mm lead bullet something like 4-5cm long in order to pack in the mass. :mellow:

So, yeah. Not doable.

 

Edit: doing some more rough maths, a long-ass 7mm bullet will weigh something like 8-9g (I used an approximation: 3cm total length, 2cm tube + 1cm cone. lead mass = ~8.8g). Best case scenario, your SCHV 7mm round produces around 1450J at the muzzle.

 

Edit again: just realised that the cartridge I'm describing is essentially a warmed-over .303 (original recipe). For reference: ~14g (215 grains) bullet, ~4.5g (50 grains) powder, ~564m/s(1850 fps) velocity and a muzzle energy of around 2200J.

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Hmmm... given that velocity and around 2kj of muzzle energy, you end up with a projo weighing 11.93g (184 grains).

 

Which results in a 7mm lead bullet something like 4-5cm long in order to pack in the mass. :mellow:

So, yeah. Not doable.

 

Edit: doing some more rough maths, a long-ass 7mm bullet will weigh something like 8-9g (I used an approximation: 3cm total length, 2cm tube + 1cm cone. lead mass = ~8.8g). Best case scenario, your SCHV 7mm round produces around 1450J at the muzzle.

 

Edit again: just realised that the cartridge I'm describing is essentially a warmed-over .303 (original recipe). For reference: ~14g (215 grains) bullet, ~4.5g (50 grains) powder, ~564m/s(1850 fps) velocity and a muzzle energy of around 2200J.

 

Yes, early .303 British (which was blackpowder) is essentially the apex of blackpowder cartridge technology. You can reduce the caliber more, but your performance goes correspondingly down, and BP .303 is anemic enough as it is.

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