High quality chainfire video

[LonesomePigeon]

I'm not sure if this has been posted here before. This is a very high quality, close up view of a chainfire. Chainfire starts at about 40 seconds.

[Coffinmaker]

WOW ..... KOOL 

Wonder if he had a roll of Charmin wid im?? 

Coffinmaker

[Thumb Buster]

Was it my imagination or was he seating those round-balls with finger pressure instead of shaving a lead ring?  That'd explain the fire jumping especially if the others edged forward under recoil.  Whatever the cause I sure do hope he had something to clean himself up with...and that that was all he got out of it.  Too bad they didn't show the firearm afterwards.  I'd be wantin' to see the condition of the gun and the ball in the bottom position.  Whew!! 

[PJ Hardtack]

He set himself up with undersized balls and no over ball lube. Makes him eligible for the CAS Darwin award.

[Blackpowder Burn]

What we can't see is if he used a wad under the ball (but I'll bet he didn't).  If you slow down the video and look at him seating the ball, he doesn't seat it fully into the chamber with finger pressure, he has to use the rammer for that. 

That being said, the chain fire clearly started from the front of the chamber, as you can see one of the caps blown off (the chamber just before the firing position) during the chain fire.

However, as Coffinmaker said - I hope he had a change of undies with him!

[Noz]

Chain fires are far more spectacular looking than they are damaging. I would bet that there was minimal if any damage to the gun. It also happens so fast that the first thought of the shooter is "what happened"

[Coffinmaker]

I'm actually of two minds ...... (don't bring me into this..).  Somehow, through it all (the video) I had this gnawing suspicion in the
back of my head.  (thump . thump . thump)  I was actually of the impression the gun was deliberately loaded to generate a
"chainfire" hense the handy independent observer with the HD Video Disc Recorder to preserve the image for
posterity.  There isn't much other reason to preserve the firing of a Brass Frame 44 Pietta.

Coffinmaker

[Blair]

I have always been under the impression chain fires are caused, most often, by improperly fitting caps, and/or nipples/cones or hammer faces that have been damaged from dry firing.
Within the video, one can see a cap to the left of the hammer explode and a chain fire starts shortly after this out the front of the cylinder. But what would set that cap off to the left of the hammer???
just my opinion.
My best,
Blair

[Noz]

I have had several chain fires. Mine were 2 rounds only and caused by my insistance on using a poor alloy that didn't seal the chamber properly. In all cases the round to the left of the hammer was the second to go. In all cases the cap remained, unfired on the nipple of the fired chamber so obviously the flame entered from the mouth of the chamber. Yes, I finally admitted that everyone else was right and I was wrong and I went to pure lead for my RBs.

[Coffinmaker]

There were/are several different "angles" for the filming of the "chainfire."  The cap Blair mentions, is set off by the chamber it's sitting
on going off in the chainfire.  The ignition of the powder charge shows first at the front of the cylinder, then the cap ignites and blows
off the back of the cylinder.
With the different camera angles (multiple cameras) to give different looks, I also wonder how many "takes" it actually took to make the
final cut.
Really, it doesn't matter at all.  How they did it is immaterial.  That they did it and it looks so darn KOOL is the important part.  Bunch of
shooters will go thru their entire shooting history without ever seeing, let alone experiencing a chainfire.  There actually isn't much
more to do, other than dry clean your drawers when it's over.  I thought it was real KOOL!!

Coffinmaker (Who doesn't want to experience a chainfire in person)  

[Professor Marvel]

As our good Noz has related, chainfires are usually far more exciting and dramatic to the nonparticipants versus the actual firererr shooter.

I myself have had one or two in the ancient days my callow youth, in all cases mine were clearly from the front, due to my cheapness insistence of using ill-fitting non-standard projectiles. I rapidly learned that shooting paper cartridges made with .38 HBWC was a sh*t stoopid  not a wise choice. The first time it happened I was remarkably surprised to find myself hanging onto the pistol grip of a bundle of roman candles. Since I was shooting one-handed no ill effect occurred, one round when down the barrel, two rounds popped out the left side, two rounds popped out the right side, and one crammed into the frame spewing a conical fire event.

It was over too quickly for me to really be alarmed about .

As our Good Coffin-m pointed out .... it really was COOL at the time ( in a sick sort of way.... ) but I wouldn't do it again...

yhs
prof (much safer these days) marvel

[Coffinmaker]

Almost as KOOL was the picture we had a while back.  Guy watching his ENTIRE barrel assembly going down range.  Way KOOL.

Coffinmaker

PS:  I normally don't make light of the misfortune of "others" but that barrel sailing downrange was just to friggin KOOL.

[will52100]

Cool video.  I've had exactly one chain fire in over 20 years of shooting cap guns.  It was my fault, it was one I'd converted and had a hole drilled and taped in the bottom of the recoil shield in line with the bottom cap.  When I decided to return it to cap and ball I left the hole empty.  Flame from the first round going off followed the hammer around and set the bottom charge off.  Dug the ball out, cleaned the gun and filled the hole, no more chain fires. 

My experience with cap and ball guns is IF you have a properly fitting ball or conical cast from pure lead or close, with a round chamber with a slight chamfer it's impossible to chain fire from the front and lube only keeps fouling down and accuracy up.  Egg shaped chambers, undersized ball or conical, or a bur that undersizes the ball when loading, or a small chamber mouth with larger chamber deeper down will all cause a chain fire from the front.  Eliminate bad chambers and undersized projectiles and the only place you can get a chain fire is from the rear, add grease if you want to keep fouling soft.

[Professor Marvel]

.....  Eliminate bad chambers and undersized projectiles and the only place you can get a chain fire is from the rear, add grease if you want to keep fouling soft.

My Good Will -
Bingo! We Have a Winner
Dang it, everything req'd in but a single sentence, nay a single phrase!

but then I can't babble at length about nothing..... 

Almost as KOOL was the picture we had a while back.  Guy watching his ENTIRE barrel assembly going down range.  Way KOOL.

Ah My Dear Coughin' -

That photo just goes beyond way Kool. I need to print and frame it.
Since no sentient beings nor revolvers were harmed, it is hilarious, priceless, and ...

je ne sais quoi

( a particularly delightful foreign phrase which roughly translates to idkwtf )

yhs
prof marvel

[Blair]

I started shooting c & b revolvers in 1967. Both in competition live fire shooting as well as in reenacting shooting blanks.
I must honestly admit I "Never" had a chain fire!
My best,
Blair

[Thumb Buster]

I will admit to just one as a youth back in the '60's.  Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa!  Undersized balls-four chambers, down the barrel, down the left side and into the ram.  That was enough for me for one day.  Got a swift and profound brain-duster from the older man with me also.  "If'n it don't shave a ring grease it." 

[hellgate]

I suspect the chain firing was from the front AND maybe even the rear. If you look at the video as the gun is firing you will see a large cylinder gap that forms as the gun fires. The brass recoil ring gets battered in overloaded guns and that indentation of the recoil ring allows the cylinder to recoil far enough back to where the caps actually hit the recoil shield (frame) and get set off without "flame getting under ill fitting caps". I believe that rear induced chainfires are in brass frame guns only. I'd like to see if anyone has had a chainfire in any steel framed C&B that has adequate grease over the ball. My opinion (right or wrong) is that chainfires happen from the front in both steel & brass C&Bs but from the rear only in brassers.

[Coffinmaker]

Here is my "take."  Chainfire occurs.  We can postulate until the cows come home, the actual "why" of it.  Those who have had to dry clean their drawers, sometimes know their particular "why."  "We" know, the most common causes.  Ill fitting projectiles with no grease or cookies and ill fitting caps.
The most important thing, we should learn from the exercise and not duplicate it.  Personally, I ensure I use projectiles that ALWAYS shave lead.  I shoot APP and have no need of over ball grease nor cookies.  Balls gotta be tight.  I ensure I use caps that fit the nipples TIGHT.
If your caps are ill fitting to the point you can seat em with yer thumb, that's dumb.  Change your caps or your nipples or better yet,
both.
I still maintain the clip was staged.  It does make for interesting discussion, but since none of us were there, other than "Hey .. Way KOOL"
speculation is find of a wasted effort.  From a gunsmith standpoint, Brassers are no more prone to Chainfire than anything else.  When the
worst case scenario does take place, Brassers will sustain more damage than steel guns.  Looking a the barrel after the event, it would appear the Arbor has pulled lose and the barrel assembly has an odd dangle angle.  Since I wasn't standing there, I don't know that for
sure.
In any event, it was real fun to watch.  I still have no desire to duplicate the experience.

Coffinmaker 

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Back when I was starting cas competitions, there was a blackpowder forum based on a club that did some chainfire testing. Now I am looking for it. Along the wayI did find these;

http://www.svartkrutt.net/articles/vis.php?id=13

Another one, still not what I was searching for;

http://www.geojohn.org/BlackPowder/bps2.html

I agree with the remarks above, that this looks staged, or to be charitable; - very well edited.

I have never had a chain fire. Perhaps I'm just lucky. From what I've read, it is very hard to get a chain fire from a properly loaded and capped percussion revolver.in good repair.

[Lucky R. K.]

I have never had a chain fire. Perhaps I'm just lucky. From what I've read, it is very hard to get a chain fire from a properly loaded and capped percussion revolver.in good repair.

Several years ago I was given an 1860 Army "Cenature" with corresponding shoulder stock. It was in excellent condition and I loaded it with the correct size balls an correctly fitting caps.  The gun would chainfire any way.

After a lot of head scratching I found the problem.  The cone of the nipples (I think that is the right term) were about two or three thousands too long.  When the gun was fired the recoil pushed the caps against the recoil shield and fired them. I lowered the nipple seats with an end mill and have had no more problems with multiple discharges.  It didn't occur to me to try to find shorter nipples.

http://i329.photobucket.com/albums/l361/decapper/F144_zps798bdd33.jpg

Lucky