odd question... compatibility of Silver & gun powder ??? ( no, not zombi hunting )

Magnum Wheel Man · December 22, 2011, 07:26 AM

found an interesting leather belt pouch with small ( straight ) glass bottles/ tubes, that all have sterling silver screw on caps...

been thinking about using them for speed loaders, for pre measured powder for my muzzleloaders... for more fancy occasions

any issues with the nitrates from the powder reacting with the silver ??? more so than any other metal

rr2241tx · December 22, 2011, 02:39 PM

Holy Black will tarnish your silver lids. For reference Cu and Ag are very similar in their reactions. If your goal is to have shiny lids, then passivate the silver and dip them in clear varnish. There's probably a reason you don't see a lot of shiny silver quick loaders. Nickel is much less susceptible to oxidation by KNO3 and will take a pretty nice shine.

orangello · December 22, 2011, 03:13 PM

I always wondered if my poor spelling was what held me back in chemistry class. I don't think that was all of it though.

It does sound like it would look fancy.

Makes me wonder about the Lone Ranger's ammo; i suppose it must've been loaded with smokeless or had a wad.

rr2241tx · December 23, 2011, 03:23 PM

Many things are possible in Hollywood, including his 20 round revolver. Silver bullets would be a real bear to make since the melting point of sterling silver is about 1650F and pure silver about 1760F. I remember reading somewhere that the bullets were actually swaged in New Orleans. It has been decades since I watched an episode, but I don't remember ever seeing any black smoke on his revolver. It does seem like once in a while there was smoke for effect but usually not. Maybe he shot duplex loads. Given that silver bullets would be too hard to obturate at pressures a SAA could handle, even when silver plated, I'm guessing he must also have been using undersized bullets so it is a wonder he ever hit anything at all. At the time it didn't bother me at all that the bad guys could shoot 1,000 rounds and never hit anybody but Roy could pick one out of the saddle of a running horse on the other side of town with one shot.

Southron · December 28, 2011, 03:35 PM

The Lone Ranger fired Silver Bullets, but they were "Smart Bullets" as they had an internal guidance system in the nose, hence, they did not require a rifled bore!

Generally, the only thing the Lone Ranger had to do was to point his gun in the general direction of the crooks and touch off a round or rounds. The computer in the nose of the bullet was pre-programmed to shoot guns out of the Bad Guys hands, etc.

Before Tonto answered the "Help Wanted" ad for the position of "Injun Sidekick,"the Lone Ranger placed in Variety, Tonto worked as a software engineer in the Silicon Valley, so it was Tonto that designed and built the guidance systems that he then installed in the Lone Ranger's bullets.

Oh Yes, The Lone Ranger also carried two of the rare, Colt model "P-76" Six-Shooters.

Each gun could fire 76 times before it had to be reloaded.

Hopefully, this will answer everyone's questions

Former Lone Ranger Fan

Gatofeo · January 2, 2012, 03:23 PM

Back in the early 1970s I made a silver bullet for my Ruger Blackhawk .45 Long Colt. Used the Lyman 454424 mould.
A friend and I tackled the project. Took us all day to make one bullet. Had to heat the mould to dull cherry red.
I melted old silver dimes and quarters, with the dates worn off, purchased from a coin shop. Lubricated the silver bullet with a mix of paraffin and automatic transmission fluid. No bullet sizing. Didn't have calipers to measure the bullet diameter, so I'm uncertain.
Loaded the silver bullet into a modern .45 Long Colt case over DuPont FFFG black powder. I used black powder because it was the lowest-pressure propellant I could use. I had concerns about the hard silver raising pressure in the bore.
Fired it at a target. Missed the target but we saw the bullet strike the sand bank beside it. Dug out the bullet and it was almost intact. Showed very little evidence of rifling marks.
Case extracted normally.
Conclusion: More trouble than it's worth, to cast silver bullets. Silver bullets are woefully inaccurate, and so hard that rifling doesn't bite well into them.
I'd never do it again. I was lucky I didn't warp that mould, getting it so hot. I still have the mould and it works fine.
Still have the Ruger Blackhawk .45 too. Fine gun.
The silver bullet? Haven't seen it in years. Had it in a desk drawer but somehow it disappeared.
Silver is mysterious stuff, according to lore, perhaps Van Helsing stole it for a reload.

December 22, 2011, 07:26 AM	#1
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 9,333	odd question... compatibility of Silver & gun powder ??? ( no, not zombi hunting ) found an interesting leather belt pouch with small ( straight ) glass bottles/ tubes, that all have sterling silver screw on caps... been thinking about using them for speed loaders, for pre measured powder for my muzzleloaders... for more fancy occasions any issues with the nitrates from the powder reacting with the silver ??? more so than any other metal __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...

December 22, 2011, 02:39 PM	#2
rr2241tx Senior Member Join Date: August 2, 2007 Location: The Great State of Taxes Posts: 267	Holy Black will tarnish your silver lids. For reference Cu and Ag are very similar in their reactions. If your goal is to have shiny lids, then passivate the silver and dip them in clear varnish. There's probably a reason you don't see a lot of shiny silver quick loaders. Nickel is much less susceptible to oxidation by KNO3 and will take a pretty nice shine. __________________ rr2241tx

December 23, 2011, 03:23 PM	#4
rr2241tx Senior Member Join Date: August 2, 2007 Location: The Great State of Taxes Posts: 267	Many things are possible in Hollywood, including his 20 round revolver. Silver bullets would be a real bear to make since the melting point of sterling silver is about 1650F and pure silver about 1760F. I remember reading somewhere that the bullets were actually swaged in New Orleans. It has been decades since I watched an episode, but I don't remember ever seeing any black smoke on his revolver. It does seem like once in a while there was smoke for effect but usually not. Maybe he shot duplex loads. Given that silver bullets would be too hard to obturate at pressures a SAA could handle, even when silver plated, I'm guessing he must also have been using undersized bullets so it is a wonder he ever hit anything at all. At the time it didn't bother me at all that the bad guys could shoot 1,000 rounds and never hit anybody but Roy could pick one out of the saddle of a running horse on the other side of town with one shot. __________________ rr2241tx

December 28, 2011, 03:35 PM	#5
Southron Member Join Date: November 28, 2009 Posts: 40	Lone Ranger's Guns The Lone Ranger fired Silver Bullets, but they were "Smart Bullets" as they had an internal guidance system in the nose, hence, they did not require a rifled bore! Generally, the only thing the Lone Ranger had to do was to point his gun in the general direction of the crooks and touch off a round or rounds. The computer in the nose of the bullet was pre-programmed to shoot guns out of the Bad Guys hands, etc. Before Tonto answered the "Help Wanted" ad for the position of "Injun Sidekick,"the Lone Ranger placed in Variety, Tonto worked as a software engineer in the Silicon Valley, so it was Tonto that designed and built the guidance systems that he then installed in the Lone Ranger's bullets. Oh Yes, The Lone Ranger also carried two of the rare, Colt model "P-76" Six-Shooters. Each gun could fire 76 times before it had to be reloaded. Hopefully, this will answer everyone's questions Former Lone Ranger Fan

January 2, 2012, 03:23 PM	#6
Gatofeo Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2004 Location: Remote Utah desert Posts: 224	Back in the early 1970s I made a silver bullet for my Ruger Blackhawk .45 Long Colt. Used the Lyman 454424 mould. A friend and I tackled the project. Took us all day to make one bullet. Had to heat the mould to dull cherry red. I melted old silver dimes and quarters, with the dates worn off, purchased from a coin shop. Lubricated the silver bullet with a mix of paraffin and automatic transmission fluid. No bullet sizing. Didn't have calipers to measure the bullet diameter, so I'm uncertain. Loaded the silver bullet into a modern .45 Long Colt case over DuPont FFFG black powder. I used black powder because it was the lowest-pressure propellant I could use. I had concerns about the hard silver raising pressure in the bore. Fired it at a target. Missed the target but we saw the bullet strike the sand bank beside it. Dug out the bullet and it was almost intact. Showed very little evidence of rifling marks. Case extracted normally. Conclusion: More trouble than it's worth, to cast silver bullets. Silver bullets are woefully inaccurate, and so hard that rifling doesn't bite well into them. I'd never do it again. I was lucky I didn't warp that mould, getting it so hot. I still have the mould and it works fine. Still have the Ruger Blackhawk .45 too. Fine gun. The silver bullet? Haven't seen it in years. Had it in a desk drawer but somehow it disappeared. Silver is mysterious stuff, according to lore, perhaps Van Helsing stole it for a reload. __________________ "And lo, did I see an ugly cat. Smoke. Brimstone. Holes in parchment. And this ugly cat was much amused." --- The Prophesies of Gatodamus (1503 - 1566)

December 22, 2011, 03:13 PM	#3
orangello Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2009 Posts: 566	I always wondered if my poor spelling was what held me back in chemistry class. I don't think that was all of it though. It does sound like it would look fancy. Makes me wonder about the Lone Ranger's ammo; i suppose it must've been loaded with smokeless or had a wad.