OK, So What's The Deal With Blackpowder Terminal Effectiveness?

[Sturgeon]

I've deleted the text here for SEO reasons, as it's been reposted to TFB.

[Donward]

Another variable would be environmental factors on how the black powder has been stored whether immediately upon loading and longer term storage (say at military arsenals). Another issue is the "kernel" of the powder which pertains to the grain size and how packed the powder is (a little good, a lot not). Other factors include the makeup or recipe of the powder.

[Toxn]

One thing I have noticed with blackpowder stuff is that the velocity is relatively insensitive to powder composition and grain size, so long as its within a certain range. Here is a good resource examining the issue.

[Belesarius]

Ok, one of y'all needs to track down a "class 3" Mac-10.  And a case worth of blackpowder loaded .45

[Toxn]

Naw, it has to be a select-fire AKM with the gas flow turned all the way up. Really test out that legendary ability to eat dirt and shit bullets communism...

[Donward]

I was under the impression, Toxn, that there was a fairly wide divergence in the quality of powder based on its composition (recipe) and the performance. Sure everything goes flash and bang. But if you're dealing with artillery or a precision rifle, you want to have some consistency if you are to hit anything. Obviously modern black powder has taken away all the guess work and pretty much everyone has been making "good" black powder since the Industrial Revolution.

But I'm just going off stuff from the old Lyman black powder manual and other BP books that I vaguely recall after reading them in the 1990s when I was more interested in the subject of black powder hunting.

[Toxn]

The choice of what charcoal to use does make a huge difference, but the gun itself doesn't seem to care too much so long as your constituents are within about ten percent of optimum (which is a huge).

I think this has to do with the fact that black powder weapons tend to be large bore, low velocity and short ranged. In those circumstances, a ten percent velocity difference just doesn't mean all that much.