Chain fire on Walker

[Ugly Sauce]

Is that the only Walker in the world that does not drop the rammer with every shot???

 

[Mark_Mark]

I want a Walker! wonder if they were shooting an original Walker that was handled down the family for near 200 years!

 

[.38 Special]

Is that the only Walker in the world that does not drop the rammer with every shot???

I note the very light recoil, even when it chained. Lord knows how the thing was loaded.

 

[hawg]

Anyway, the young lady is lucky not to have had an eye injury. Always wear your shooting glasses, firearms and ammunition are not perfectly predictable. Shoot enough, and you will have surprises!

I had a lot of chain fires as a kid. I never wore eye or ear protection. The most I ever got from a chain was my wrist and lower arm peppered with cap fragments. I'm not saying it couldn't happen because it could. I'm just saying it wouldn't be the norm for cap fragments to travel that far. Chain fires aren't anything to get excited about. The only ball with any real force behind it is the one that goes down the bore.

 

[Mark_Mark]

Fo

I had a lot of chain fires as a kid. I never wore eye or ear protection. The most I ever got from a chain was my wrist and lower arm peppered with cap fragments. I'm not saying it couldn't happen because it could. I'm just saying it wouldn't be the norm for cap fragments to travel that far. Chain fires aren't anything to get excited about. The only ball with any real force behind it is the one that goes down the bore.

from Florida? that’s how we did it in North Carolina growing up!

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

...The only ball with any real force behind it is the one that goes down the bore.

Yep, the real excitement is likely mostly the extra fire and knowing somethnig just happened that wasn't quite right.

 

[hawg]

Fo

from Florida? that’s how we did it in North Carolina growing up!

Mississippi.

 

[JohnKSa]

I note the very light recoil, even when it chained. Lord knows how the thing was loaded.

I was wondering about that too. At first, I thought maybe they were just shooting wads--effectively blanks--but you can see some minimal recoil at times.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I was wondering about that too. At first, I thought maybe they were just shooting wads--effectively blanks--but you can see some minimal recoil at times.

Wax bullets ? like the fast draw shooters?

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Smoking around black powder. Idiot.

 

[Mizar]

It's not the cigarette that ignited the second chamber, Dave... And every time one pulls that trigger there is a blast with much greater magnitude and temperature than a burning cigarette. Just don't smoke while loading that pistol, keep BP containers closed and away while shooting/smoking and you will be fine.

 

[.38 Special]

It's not the cigarette that ignited the second chamber, Dave... And every time one pulls that trigger there is a blast with much greater magnitude and temperature than a burning cigarette. Just don't smoke while loading that pistol, keep BP containers closed and away while shooting/smoking and you will be fine.

Well, except for the lung cancer, anyway.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

It's not the cigarette that ignited the second chamber, Dave...

No, really? Every range I've belonged to or shot at prohibits smoking within 20 feet of any black powder, for good reason.

Anyone smoking in close proximity to an explosive is an idiot.

 

[Mizar]

Anyone smoking in close proximity to an explosive is an idiot.

Yet you fire that weapon in a close proximity of explosive, which is exactly the same (even worse) if you think about it... I don't say that smoking around BP or smokeless is OK any time, but when the gun is loaded and the powder container is closed and away, then smoke all you want. On a shooting range, when the BP is right in front of you at the table, it's not OK to light a cigarette, but this is clearly not the case.

 

[hawg]

Smoking around black powder. Idiot.

I guess I'm an idiot then. I don't smoke around open containers but smoking isn't going to set off a loaded gun.

 

[Jim Watson]

I saw a friend's Navy Arms Navy double the bottom chamber.
No damage, but digging the ball out of the rammer hole and tip was a chore.

 

[hawg]

I saw a friend's Navy Arms Navy double the bottom chamber.
No damage, but digging the ball out of the rammer hole and tip was a chore.

I never had to dig anything out of anywhere.

 

[Mark_Mark]

It's not the cigarette that ignited the second chamber, Dave... And every time one pulls that trigger there is a blast with much greater magnitude and temperature than a burning cigarette. Just don't smoke while loading that pistol, keep BP containers closed and away while shooting/smoking and you will be fine.

At our buddies deer lease, we smoke and shoot. I’m more worried about safe gun handling then smoking. We also have a huge camp fire and a grill going. but you sweep me with that gun!!! you get 1 warning and I’m leaving everyone in the woods

 

[Slamfire]

I had a lot of chain fires as a kid. I never wore eye or ear protection. The most I ever got from a chain was my wrist and lower arm peppered with cap fragments. I'm not saying it couldn't happen because it could. I'm just saying it wouldn't be the norm for cap fragments to travel that far. Chain fires aren't anything to get excited about. The only ball with any real force behind it is the one that goes down the bore.

Never say never!

 

[AntiqueSledMan]

I have done lots of studying on this topic and think most come chain-fires from the front, many don't even ignite the cap on the chain-fired chamber.
Keep in mind that many brass framed Colt replicas have been beaten to death and the caps will come in contact with the recoil ring causing multi-fire conditions.
I also feel the safest way to shoot a multi chambered firearm is with a cartridge, made from either a Paper or Brass.

Just my 2 cents, AntiqueSledMan.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

I want a Walker! wonder if they were shooting an original Walker that was handled down the family for near 200 years!

You gotta get a Walker!! It's a must have pistol! Original Walkers are rare and shouldn't be messed with as far as firing them is concerned, way too valuable. Uberti is currently the only maker and they have a short arbor so that has to be fixed before shooting too many full house loads. The dropping loading ram can be addressed with a few strokes of a file in the right place. Once you have a Walker and get used to it you will be hooked. My bench is currently clear for tuning so when you get one send it on down and I will fix all the issues as part of the tuning process. And yes, I am enabling your pursuit of pistols as well as shamelessly promoting my tuning stuff!

 

[Mark_Mark]

You gotta get a Walker!! It's a must have pistol! Original Walkers are rare and shouldn't be messed with as far as firing them is concerned, way too valuable. Uberti is currently the only maker and they have a short arbor so that has to be fixed before shooting too many full house loads. The dropping loading ram can be addressed with a few strokes of a file in the right place. Once you have a Walker and get used to it you will be hooked. My bench is currently clear for tuning so when you get one send it on down and I will fix all the issues as part of the tuning process. And yes, I am enabling your pursuit of pistols as well as shamelessly promoting my tuning stuff!

Oooh I’m definitely going to mail you something! let me get over my Colt PP and Colts 50’s match gun phase. I’ll be on track soon.

 

[Onty]

I had seen article about experiment when all six chambers are loaded, no caps except on one, and no chainfire. I wouldn't bet that chainfire cannot happened from the back, but looks like that in majority cases chainfire started from the front. After lot of thinking and a number of various designs, I was convinced to go this way:



See discussion here Proposing new bullet for ROA (and Italian clones 44 cal.) | The High Road and here Big Lube bullet; how it compares with multigroove ones | The High Road

 

[Onty]

Couple interesting videos about chainfire, what is causing it and how to fix revolver:

Cap and Ball Revolver CHAINFIRE MYTH We've All Been Told - YouTube

Chain fire in cap & ball revolvers the fix - YouTube

 

[.38 Special]

Well, gentlemen, it appears that chainfires are poorly understood.

I suspect that all sorts of things can be responsible, and those of us who say "can't" (I'm as guilty as anyone) are probably wrong.

The "grain of powder trapped between ball and chamber wall" idea is intriguing, and the fellow who lays it out is convincing. I've never experienced it, though, and am guilty of some fairly sloppy practices in that regard. I note also that the gentleman claims that the issue is not solved by lube over the ball - but fellow member @hawg has a gun which apparently responds quite well to the practice.

I also note that quite a few folks cannot make a gun chain from the cone side, even when leaving the cones uncapped. My suspicion is that bare cones are far less likely to chain than are oversized and/or ovalled/pinched caps; the theory being that the skirt of such caps channels flame into the exposed priming material, which then detonates and sets off the main charge.

Hopefully, we all have guns, materials, and practices which prevent chain fires. I do, and I will continue to happily recommend them. I'm no longer going to tell people that my way is the "right" way, though - and likely will be making gentle fun of anyone who does.