Does anyone know the velocity of the original blackpowder .22 Short load for the Number 1 Tip-up? Cartridges of the World states it had a 29 grain bullet with 4 grains of blackpowder but no velocity is given.

Thank you,

John Gross

I do not know the velocity. But if you hit me with it,I wll be for sure very angry.

You have to see the .22 it was not the short at that time in prespective.
You do not want to get hit by it. The outside lubricated bullet picked up dirth from your cloths and infected the wounds.
The doctor at that time would not help you. Becouse there where no anti biotics.
Stopping power of a .22 short. HaHaHaHa.

I was in 1993 in the Royal Enfield patern room They showed me an Lady Smith in .22 long. The revolver came frome a lady in South Africa.
The custodian told me that she keep it to defend her self against big dark south african men. We all burst out in laughing.

I don't know about the .22 Short, but black powder .22 LR will do about like standard velocity smokeless. One experimenter got 1070 fps with a regular 40 gr bullet and 4.5 gr Swiss 4Fg in a Marlin 39A.

I don't,know, but from the short revolver barrel, maybe around 800-900 ft/sec. It really makes little difference what the MV was, as shooting anyone with it is not likely to stop them, unless from a hit in the eyeball, etc. Victims were much more likely to die later from infection. Lots of CW soldiers and officers carried them, but more as a morale builder than anything else. Certainly not for its effectiveness in combat. There were no other cartridge revolvers widely available back then other than the S&W No. 1, and that's the only reason for its popularity.

If a Yankee pointed a .22 at me, I'd let him go.

In an effort to compare the CCI CB Shorts to old BP loads, I chronographed several original 22 Short BP cartridges. I had a box of turn of the century UMC 22 BP Shorts. There was no bullet weight on the box, but I shot 10 rounds and they averaged 600 fps. No misfires and low SD, so I think the number is representative.

As I said, my original goal was to compare original loads to CCI CB shorts. The velocity of these averaged 450 fps, so I have not worried much about occasionally shooting my Model Ones with those current loads.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Thank you, gentleman, I appreciate the replies. Exactly the information I needed.

John Gross

If the concern is about pressure, I can say that I have fired several antique .22 pistols made from the 1860's to 1880's with CCI CB shorts without any problem. I would never fire full-powered modern ammo in those guns. Another cartridge with really low pressure, if your gun can handle the length of a .22 long or long rifle case, is the Aguila Colibri.

I've used the Colibri for close-range sighting in of .22 rifles and pistols in my back yard. Very little sound, and about the power of a pellet gun. I don't think the Colibri will fit in the very early tip-ups. They will work in Ladysmiths.