reloading data for Gibbs cartridges say that they use "front ignition reloading technique"
Can someone explain this please?

I believe you will find this a bit difficult to achieve without many dollars and much shop time. The case head is drilled and threaded and a tube like affair is inserted and the primer flash goes to the base of the bullet and the powder in theory burns towards the bolt rather than towards the base of the bullet. This of course will adversely affect the case capacity as well. Evener thrust is the desired result, and it is a meathod used in artillery pieces I believe. That said I might be at least partially mistaken about all this.

308Sako, thanks for that. I suspected as much but couldn't believe anyone actually would do that for a hundred feet per second.....or a bit more.

I think Gibbs was a bit off the deep end for hunting rounds.

Maybe this is good for artillery rounds however as I've seen empty cases with such front ignition tubes in them.....but wasn't sure what they was.

Hey Vapodog, That was an excellent description by 308Sako.

I believe there is also some discussion about it in the old P.O. Ackley two Volume Set "Handbook For Shooters & Reloaders", but I might be wrong about where I saw it.

years ago Elmer Keith worked with the front ignition while working at the salt lake armory for the government during the second world war, during the 1940's

I actually tried it about two years in a custom 7mm Mag. 308Sako describes it to a tee. Case capacity is reduced somewhat, but there is space to spare in the 7mm Mag anyway. The goal was not better velocity, but rather lower standard deviations and extreme spreads-and that is what I got. In the end however, the holes in the paper were no closer together. I think I still have the drill fixture and some material if anyone wants to try it.

The tests I read indicated that all the powder burned in the case, rather than as it traveled down the barrel. The intent was to lower the deviation/spread by keeping all the combustion in the chamber, thus producing better accuracy, lower barrel temps, and longer barrel life. It always seemed like a lot of work to me, even if it did perform as advertised.

I believe that Dick Casull experimented with those in .45 Colt cases with triplex loads. The .454 Casull came later.

quote:

Originally posted by Leo L.:
I believe that Dick Casull experimented with those in .45 Colt cases with triplex loads. The .454 Casull came later.

You are exactly right. The original 454 triplex loads utilized the flash tube system. He also experimented with flash tubes in rifle cartridges but with not very good success. It was said that the flash tube would sometimes chase and damn near beat the bullet to the target. I fired their original design on a Colt Bisley with the triplex load and it is all you can do to hang onto the pistol while trying to maintain your composure... After about 3 rounds, you end up with a noticable flinch.