.44 Percussion Conical Bullets

[Niederlander]

Hello!
     Does anyone know what the velocity of a conical 200 grain bullet out of a .44 percussion revolver with full charge loads is?  How about 230 grain and 255 grain bullets?  I know they originally came in all the above weights in original paper cartridges, but I'd like to know what velocities they churned up.  Thanks!

[sail32]

From one of Sam Fadala's blackpowder books using a Richland "3rg Hartford Dragoon".

Using a Lee bullet from mould #456-220.

40 grains of FFFG, produced a muzzle velocity of 905 ft./sec, and a 50 yard velocity of 846 ft./sec.

Using a Hornady 141 grain round ball.

40 grains of FFFg, produced a muzzle velocity of 1025 ft./sec., and a 50 yard velocity of 849 ft./sec.

[griswold]

Here's a you tube video answering that very question.

https://www.google.com/#biw=1152&bih=533&sclient=psy-ab&q=muzzle+velocity+of+44+cap+and+ball+revolver&oq=muzzle+velocity+of+44+cap+and+ball+&gs_l=hp.3.0.33i29i30.1662.20730.0.23353.35.25.0.10.10.0.156.2925.3j22.25.0....0...1c.1.19.psy-ab.iNj4z0srS0M&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.48705608,d.dmQ&fp=fec3aa09cf8c46bf

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Here is one of three youtube videos by Bottom Dealing Mike aka duellist 1954 that may help answer your question;

[Coffinmaker]

While I understand the curiosity, I don't know that I'd care.  Not an answer to your question and I realize that.  The problem, is long term use of heavy bullets really beats up on the gun.  Occasional use for close range hunting, OK.  For what most of us do, round ball is acceptably accurate and doesn't beat up on the gun.

Coffinmaker

[rifle]

Cofffinmaker is right about the conicals beatin upthe guns. Mostly the wedge which can be replaced with a new factory made and whn those are too loose a machinist ,or home hobby crafty man/women can make a new wedge of tool steel over size to fill the void.
If the gun/Colt has a snug fit arbor in the barrel hole or a shim installed to make it that way and the arbor is bottomed in the hole when the wedge is installed the gun holds up a lot longer. Longer still if the alignment of the chambers to the bore is proper.
I guess I'm saying the standard out of the box cap&baller may not be quite up to par to fire a lot of conicals with their increased friction of the long bullet going thru the barrel.
Of course a lighter weight bullet ,200 grainer, isn't all that much more weight/friction and........some of the guns like the 36cal.Navy Colt have barrels where as the bore is over sized for the standard modern 38 cal. bullet.
If I remember right the conicals from available retail molds are somewhat under sized for the barrels anywhoooo. If they ain't then they couyld be sized smaller in diameter and would carry thru the barrels easier. The accuracy could suffer some but.......a proper undersized hollow based bullet would be more accurate.
Maybe converting the moulds to cast hollow based bullets sized a little under sized would work alright and not beat the guns if the gun is set up right as they should be. You know....tight arbor in the hole and bottomed correctly and a well fit wedge.
I've got a conversion 1851 Colt by San Marcos that has fired hundreds or rather thousands of 38's thru a sleeed .357 barrel and after more than two decades is still using factory wedges and isn't beat up. That's cartridge of course and with that the "ring" behind the cylinder ,that keeps the caps offa the recoil shield so they don't all wack back and chain fire, is protected by the conversion plate.
If a Colt has a minimum cylinder gap the beatin to the "ring" is minimized a goodly amount.
A thin steel protector plate can be soldered to the recoil shield around the "ring" and spread the recoil force out and the ring will not be harmed. A good way to make a protector for the "ring" is to get a narrow rimmed bushing size 7/8ths by 1 and 3/8ths in 14 gauge from the hardware store and fit it(cut some off and fit around the "ring" and solder it in place,  to the gun/Colt cap&baller.
Naturally after the lil steel plate is installed it is needed to shorten the cones of the percussion nipples or seat them a lil deeper the amount of the height of the "ring". That way no chain fires when the cylinder recoils.
If you want the gun to shoot well then study the muzzle and determine if the rifling grooves are the same depth as the Italian guns can have rifling grooves differing in depth. If your gun has the differing depth rifling grooves then.....face the muzzle off enough to get rid of the "crown" so therefore the gases erupt from each groove simaltaneously at the muzzle and don't throw the bullet/ball off couse from gases erupting from one side before the other side at the muzzle. Differing depth grooves can shoot well as long as the barrel is faced off perpendicular with no crown at the ends of the lands and....the bullet/ball is sized to correctly find the bottom of each groove in the barrel. Same thing goes for cap&ballers and conversions firing conicals/balls.
Some  ,or all rather,of the cap&ballers and the copies of conversions and Open Tops benefit from a flat faced muzzle when the rifling grooves are differing in depth. Differing depth grooves mess the accuracy up pretty good and.....it can be a mystery to some that don't study the rifling depths of the grooves when wanting to figure why the gun doesn't shoot up to par.
I thunk I'm gettin off track again. Anywhoooo........if you want to shoot a goodly number of conicals from yer cap&ballers then have a good "Gunsmith" or home well trained "Kitchen Table Gunsmith" take a look at it and improve it where need be......it'll be alright shootin conicals.
By the way....ifin the conicals have a "flat nose" they are pretty durn deadly. Semi wad cutter Kieth style work real well too ifin you want to shoot to kill....like ground hogs/woodchucks or coyote or skunks or whatever. Balls work good too but...the flat nose conicals seem to do better work huntin stuff or punchin nice holes in targets.