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Old May 13, 2018, 02:47 PM   #5
HiBC
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 13, 2006
Posts: 8,273
I know nothing about your conversion,and I don't even own a cap and ball.
Please take my comment with a grain of salt.
A standard ,traditional cap offers a very modest ignition.The cylinder is not significantly pressurized before the powder ignites.
I speculate that the initial event of firing the shotgun primer produces enough pressure to unseat the ball and drive it into the barrel with no powder present.

In a cartridge revolver,a strong roll crimp offers resistance to assist ignition.

You don't have that.You have a small amount of "press" fit from forcing the ball. I don't know,but maybe a well fitted conical bullet would help. Perhaps even a hollow base to obturate.
The primer fires before the powder lights,and I suspect the primer is driving the ball out of the cylinder before you get good ignition.
If you can,I'd try the least powerful primer available.

Another difficulty is that your combustion chamber volume will be quite large relative to your smokeless charge. A small qty of powder scattered over wide area will not ignite as well as a charge with some load density.
Black powder and smokeless operate with completely different rules.Black powder requires a full cylinder,100% plus load density. Nearly all fast pistol or shotgun powder will (if ignited) provide quite frisky pressures at very low load density....but not necessarily consistant ignition. When the transition from black powder to smokeless was made,cartridge cases became much smaller.The 45 ACP was scaled to provide 45 Colt performance with smokeless.
Many shotgun powders require a wad pressure preload for good ignition.The don't work well loose.

Pistol and shotgun powders tend to not be forgiving.I would hesitate to experiment .
I cannot,and do not,make a load recommendation...but I suspect Hogdon Trailboss might be a good place to look.

Another powder I have seen recommended for load density in cartridges such as 45 Colt is Nitro 100. Its a bulky,fluffy powder with a high nitroglycerine content. ....but I cannot make a load recommendation.

I suggest contacting the gentleman who did your conversion and asking him what loads he intended,or a tech rep at a powder company.

Last edited by HiBC; May 13, 2018 at 02:59 PM.
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