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Ammunition Then and Now
Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun – Percussion to Centerfire

© All photos included here are property of the individuals noted, used here by permission. If you want to use their picture you must work it out with them. Most will be listed on the Links to Friends Page. Photographs in the Public Domain in the United States of America will be noted.

You are welcome to use my photographs
please credit R.W.” Doc” Boyle/The Old West Daily Reader.

Speed up the loading process…

Here is an interesting cut-away of a percussion revolver cylinder showing a loaded chamber. For those not familiar with these guns; each component of the load had to be introduced separately to each chamber in the the cylinder. First the powder (a measured quantity) is poured into the front of the chamber. This load shows no wads but there could be a felt wad inserted ahead of the powder behind the bullet. Then the bullet (or ball) would be placed over the powder and rammed down tight against it with the ramrod on the pistol. A prudent shooter might seal the end of the chamber around the bullet with some sort of grease. This, as the wad mentioned before, to help prevent flash-over and having more than one chamber fire at a time. {Very dangerous and can destroy guns and hands.} Then, the primer cap is placed on the nipple at the rear of the chamber and the load is complete. Six times to load the cylinder. So you can tell that loading was not completed too quickly and not at all horseback. It’s easy to see what an incredible improvement metallic cartridges offered to convenience and firepower.  {001}

see also:
Photo Gallery Index – Weapons Photos Index – Percussion Firearms Accessories
Photo Gallery Index – Weapons Photos Index – Mike’s Revolvers Page 1
– a fine collection of percussion revolvers and follow the transition to metallic cartridges…