You don't have to worry about me going off and blowing my hands off trying this. This is theory only.
Is there any powder that is multi-use enough that you could make it work in a centerfire rifle and a handgun?
I suppose if you back up all the way to blackpowder era, you could have a 45 LC revolver, and all sorts of black powder rifles. My understanding is the 303 Brit was originally a blackpowder cartridge. So I suppose in a pinch if you had enough black powder or black powder substitute you could use it for either the 45 LC or the 303. While 38 special wasn't designed as a blackpowder cartridge, a lot of it's direct predecessors were and I expect it would work fine too.
I know the 44-40 was first a rifle cartridge, blackpowder era, and then a revolver cartridge second (not really many period lever guns actually available in 45 LC, if you wanted matching handgun and carbine, you went 44-40 or 38-40) but that later 44-40 was loaded with some of the more potent smokeless powder for rifle use only and no surprise it greatly improved the performance of the round. Would the reverse be true? While the 30-30 was designed to be a smokeless powder cartridge, could you load it with black powder instead and expect performance in the 32 Long neighborhood?
Aside from black powder, could you make that 30-30 case work with any powder that might be more common in a 38 special, 9mm or something (most likely at reduced effectiveness)? And are there any rifle powders that in a pinch, you could concoct an amount that would work in a handgun? For now let's say revolver so you don't have to worry about the timing of the action. Could you take a small amount of any powder used for 30-30 or 30-06 and put it in a 38 special case, maybe add some sawdust as you'd probably not come anywhere close to filling the case, seat the bullet, then be able to fire it in a strong revolver without blowing your fingers off?
Is there any powder that is multi-use enough that you could make it work in a centerfire rifle and a handgun?
I suppose if you back up all the way to blackpowder era, you could have a 45 LC revolver, and all sorts of black powder rifles. My understanding is the 303 Brit was originally a blackpowder cartridge. So I suppose in a pinch if you had enough black powder or black powder substitute you could use it for either the 45 LC or the 303. While 38 special wasn't designed as a blackpowder cartridge, a lot of it's direct predecessors were and I expect it would work fine too.
I know the 44-40 was first a rifle cartridge, blackpowder era, and then a revolver cartridge second (not really many period lever guns actually available in 45 LC, if you wanted matching handgun and carbine, you went 44-40 or 38-40) but that later 44-40 was loaded with some of the more potent smokeless powder for rifle use only and no surprise it greatly improved the performance of the round. Would the reverse be true? While the 30-30 was designed to be a smokeless powder cartridge, could you load it with black powder instead and expect performance in the 32 Long neighborhood?
Aside from black powder, could you make that 30-30 case work with any powder that might be more common in a 38 special, 9mm or something (most likely at reduced effectiveness)? And are there any rifle powders that in a pinch, you could concoct an amount that would work in a handgun? For now let's say revolver so you don't have to worry about the timing of the action. Could you take a small amount of any powder used for 30-30 or 30-06 and put it in a 38 special case, maybe add some sawdust as you'd probably not come anywhere close to filling the case, seat the bullet, then be able to fire it in a strong revolver without blowing your fingers off?