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Loading black powder cartridge


Sawbuck

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Not really BUT the few differences are important. Air space is a no-no with bp so be sure and understand that concept and how to work within it. It is very important to clean your loading equipment well immediately after each use as those powders and their residues do attract and hold moisture more so than smokeless. Some equipment seems better suited than others, at least in my book. With those bp rounds that I load full case loads in, I can load bp as fast as smokeless in my LNL AP.

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Do a search on The Wire for "Black Powder" and you'll find tons of data. Loading is easy with the same basic techniques for smokeless and Black Powder. (Always capitalize Black Powder! :FlagAm: )

 

The most important variance to pay attention to is the bullet you use. It has be be of a type that carries lots of lubricant that is compatible with Black Powder. I use the Big Lube bullets from Springfield Slim (aka Mark Whyte Leather Works). Great price and quality.

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A .45 Colt in a toggle link rifle like the Henry is going to require regular cleaning of the frame and links. If it were a .44-40 or other chambering that uses a thin-wall (bottle neck) cartridge, you would be in MUCH better shape. Howsomeever, I shot BP in a .45 Colt '73 rifle for a year or two until I got fed up with that combination and got what the rifle was designed for (.44 WCF).

 

Determine how you will procure your BP supply. Several on-line vendors are where most real BP shooters get it, as finding it locally in most gun shops is impossible. Powder Inc, Track of the Wolf, Maine Powder House, Graf and Son, Jacks Powder House, etc. If you order a 25 pound lot (shipped in a large box), you will be much better off per pound, but it takes 6 months or more of active shooting to go through that much powder, for most of us. Before you splurge on $350 bucks of powder and shipping, you might find another BP shooter to split the costs on a divided order.

 

The kinks in supply of BP, and the need for soft bullets lubed with BP lube, is what makes about half of the "Frontier XXX" shooters shoot a substitute, rather than BP.

 

And regardless of BP or substitute, wash your cases within a day or so with soapy water to get the fouling off. And clean guns well and often, with BP compatible cleaners and lubricants.

 

Good luck, and MORE SMOKE!

 

GJ

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Been thinking about shooting frontier cartridge. Is using black powder instead of smokeless when reloading shells much different? I use a Colt 45 1860 Henry rifle and .38 Rugers.

By all means give it a try, even if you just buy a pound of APP or Triple Seven to try with your smokeless-lubed bullets. You will enjoy the experience even if you don't convert to the Darkside.

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Heee Haaa Sawbuck.. Ifin your thinkin about it,You will try it out.. :lol: And once ya go Black you'll NEVER go back.. ;)

My advice is ta read all you can, Loading is EZ ,cleaning is EZ,Its more Fun than you know.. ;) Just Go to a Match , look for the SMOKE , Hook you wagon ta that cowboy or cowgirl and enjoy the ride.. :P

 

Heee Haaaa Crazy Mingo :wacko::wacko::FlagAm:

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Handloading 44 Special and 44 Russian cases with BP was the easy part for me. I just ordered the correctly lubed bullets, applied the correct FFg charge and seated. Later came the 44 WCF that was only slightly more difficult, and worth it.

The biggest challenge was loading up a decent BP shotshell, since I did not have shotshell reloading equipment. This was solved when I embraced the period-correct, all-brass shells by Magtech. I could knock out the spent primer with an icepick and hammer, then seat a new Magnum Large Pistol Primer with an RCBS Hand Priming Tool. The shells do not expand, so all I had to do then was pour in the powder and add the wads and shot, then seal it with some beeswax/parafin.

Shooting BP is more expensive and time consuming than the modern stuff, but the reward is worth it. :FlagAm:

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Howdy

 

Loading Black Powder is no big deal. The rules are, put in enough powder so that when the bullet is seated it compresses the powder by about 1/16" - 1/8". Leave no air space. And use a bullet with plenty of Black Powder compatible lube. Smokeless lubed bullets will create hard fouling that will build up quickly in the rifling and destroy accuracy. So compress the right amount, and use a good bullet designed to carry enough BP compatible lube. For 45 Colt I recommend the Big Lube PRS 250 grain bullet or the Big Lube J/P 45-200 200 grain bullet. For 38 Special I recommend the Snakebite Big Lube bullet.

 

You can use regular smokeless primers, nothing special is needed. Do be aware that Black Powder is a true explosive and is easier to ignite than Smokeless powder. So be extra careful around it.

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YES! YES! YES! Give it a try. My advice: do lots of reading, the best resource I found http://www.davidscottharper.com/shoot/BP_for_CAS.htm

You'll hear lots of different views on real or subs, make up your own mind for what is best for you, but take notice of one thing: EVERYBODY WHO REPLIES TO THIS WILL HAVE ONE THING IN COMMON.....IT IS LOTS OF FUN!!! I'm was brand new to reloading and the first thing I tried was BP, and then APP, so if I can do it...anybody can do it. I think it adds a whole new aspect to the game for those of us who are never going to burn the house down with speed.

Enjoy,

Mad Dog Irv

2011 Va State FCGF Champ

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By all means give it a shot, so to speak. I shoot Classic Cowboy with smokey powder, and it's major fun. More smoke!

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I use Big Lube bullets in my rifles but smokeless lubed bullets don't give me any problem in my handguns. The 4 3/4" barrel is not long enough to get alot of fouling. I know several bp shooters that use smokeless lubed bullets in their pistols.;)

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