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Old 20th September 2008, 12:50 AM   #6
fernando
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Portugal
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Allright guys, those words brought me some confort
Manolo, these guns were loaded with paper cartridges (with enclosed bullet), that were placed at the breech chamber. The nipple holes had a capillary section, so that the percussion cap flames passed through like a jet, strong enough to perforate the cartridge covering, and ignite the charge. These cartridges were first made of skin (intestine) and later with combustible paper; in both cases covered with a disposable (tear off) outer layer. When placing the ammunition into the breech and closing the block, a bronze plunger placed under the lever pushes the cartridge into the barrel, at same time acting as a seal to prevent gas from escaping through the breech. But the revolutionary concept in this system is that the cartridge itself carries a wad, gummed in its bottom so that, when shooting the thing, the wad completely seals off the gases, optimizing the shooting power. And when you shoot the second round, the prior wad is expelled through the barrel, acting as a bore cleaner.
Any further questions, just tell
Fernando
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