Crisco As A Smoke And Flash Enhancer?

[tpelle]

Yesterday I shot my new Remington New Model Army for the first time (See my other post http://www.thehighroad.us/showthread.php?t=414225 here.). My previous cap and ball experience was with my 1860 Colt clone, and I observed that, with a Pyrodex-P load equivalent to 25 grains of BP, the balls were seated WAY DEEPER in the chambers. I normally don't bother with an over-bullet grease, as I often shoot alone in my back yard. But yesterday it was kind of crowded at my club, and if I had a chain-fire I was concerned with hitting the guy at the next bench maybe. So after charging the chambers I filled the remaining space to the top with Crisco.

I noticed when shooting that there were large and visible sparks visible sparks and a substantial cloud of smoke!

Can we call that the "Crisco Effect"?

[madcratebuilder]

The burning Crisco does add to the smoke cloud., but I get sparks, fire and smoke with or without grease cookies or wads. The subs produce less smoke and flame than real BP.

[SHIPCHIEF]

Yeah?
Well how about the "SNUBS"?
I suppose a 3" barrel snub nose with real BP fffg and Crisco frosting on top would really bake my cake!

[tpelle]

Yeah, SHIPCHIEF.

After I fired off one cylinder full I looked over at the new shooter just setting up at the next bench downwind. He was grinning, and when he saw me looking, he made a show of coughing. I told him I was using so much Crisco that it should have smelled like I was baking cookies!

[Hellgate]

tpelle,
When you shoot Pyro-P it is very spongy and can be compressed much more than real gunpowder. That allows you to almost fill the chamber to the brim and still compress a ball deep enough to fire. It creates a pretty stout load. If you use a wad under the ball you can get hang fires (split second delays in ignition i.e. paBOOM instead of just BOOM). Pyro P ignites better if packed down tight.

[Pulp]

Back many years ago in my re-enactor days I had a '58 Remington. I'd load it with a chamber full of BP, a toilet paper wad, smash that down with the rammer, then fill the rest of the space with Crisco. Fairly often I would get a BOOM, followed shortly by a WHOOSH about 3 feet in front of the barrel. Great fun, and the crowd loved it.