I have gun question.

No. If it's a smooth bore, the ball (bullet) is snuggled into a cloth patch that helps to provide a gas seal once the powder ignites. If it's a rifled barrel, there is usually a slight interference fit (projectile to lands/grooves). Some sort of sealant/lubricant is typically present as well (coating the lower portion and/or base of the projectile).

That's also what the ramrod is for...



if the ball/bullet won't roll INTO the barrel easily, it won't roll OUT.

Wikipedia explains the procedure pretty well in the entry for muzzleloader.

Damn, I got here late. I love answering firearm questions...

Yeah, what they said.

It depends upon the variety of weapon and how well the projectile was seated. Blunderbusses were often not packed that well being loaded with whatever might fit down the barrel but as far as I know were really only shortly in vogue and then only really by pirates. Someone will undoubtedly come by and point to some army equipped with them, but there was a reason that the sword was still the mainstay during the blunderbuss era.

For hunting and military weapons you are realistically talking flintlocks and percussion cap muskets, the former being older and the transition in the early to mid 1800's very roughly speaking. There was a fair length of overlap particularly in rugged remote areas. For a percussion cap muzzle-loader aiming down was not a problem. For flintlocks you can have the flash pan powder pour out of the pan and then there's no way to ignite the charge without putting more powder in the pan. I've used flintlocks, but not nearly as much as percussion cap muskets and probably not in 30 years. I'm sure that someone with more flintlock experience will wander by, but my guess is that the powder issue in the pan (not to be confused with the powder in the barrel) would start being a problem around 45 degrees down from the horizontal, but it would depend upon the specific model. Some were better designed for such a feat than others. If a musketeer were quick enough and didn't take time to aim, I'm sure that they could get well beyond 45 degrees.

Jean said:

And for breech-loading, can we put a bullet without a cartridge in with out it falling down?

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Excellent answers to your first question in posts above, which I would assume is the way your story gun should go.

But as to the second question, there were breech-loading rifles and muskets before the advent of self-contained cartridges.

The Norge-made kemmerlader was one. Originally, its breech was literally cranked open, a bullet smeared in tallow inserted, then a paper satchel of black powder torn open to pour in the chamber behind the bullet before the chamber was cranked shut and a percussion cap fitted to the nipple.

As has been said, the grease and/or rifling in the throat just ahead of the chamber snugged the bullet in place.

In later models, the power bag was affixed to the bullet for even faster breech-loading, forming a forerunner of today’s cartridge of primer, casing, powder, and bullet.

So no, no bullet rolling out like a BB through a soda straw if you use one of those rare breech-loaders. Fun question.

Jean said:

So, if the bullet won't fall down, my soldiers could fire their luftgewehre down form airships.

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Absolutely. Above is a photo of the .46 caliber round-ball Girandoni air rifle (luftgewehre) carried on the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803-1806. Quite advanced for the time, it was a 20-shot repeater, capable of shooting straight up or straight down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pqFyKh-rUI

Hope this historic info helps.