Cornbread for BP Filler

[Diamond Jake]

Many of you have recommended cornbread as a filler material for reduced power BP loads.  I decided to try it.

 

What are you using to cut the cornbread to fit the cartridge?

 

I tried using an empty, not resized 45 Colt case.  The bread can be hard to get out, and often it crumbles when I cut it to the desired thickness.

 

What am I doing wrong?

[Rip Snorter]

I used to use cornmeal straight out of the box to fireform wildcat rifle cartridges.

[Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903]

All this time I thought it was corn meal, I guess this way if you get hungry on the trail you could break down your bullets and have something to eat!

 

Randy,

 

PS see you tomorrow 

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

Hahaha, you didn't read all the directions.  You are supposed to use Jalapeno cornbread.  

[Will Kane]

42 minutes ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:

Hahaha, you didn't read all the directions.  You are supposed to use Jalapeno cornbread.  

That would make for a hot load, Abilene! 

[Goody, SASS #26190]

[Diamond Jake]

1 hour ago, Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903 said:

...

Randy,

 

PS see you tomorrow 

 

If you bring your bullet puller, I'll let you snack on some of my extra ammo.

[Rusty Cuff]

And if you put sugar in it,  it's cake not cornbread!!

 

[Mogollon Munk,SASS#303]

Try corncob tumbling media instead. Works well, doesn't waste perfectly good cornbread! (Hint: I used dirty, used corncob tumling media when I need filler)

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Not even April fool's day yet and people are posting jokes.

 

The quick and easy way to load the grits, Cream of Wheat or other DRY filler is as follows:

 

[Buckshot Sheridan]

Filler for BP loads?  You mean more FFFg

[JackSlade]

Wow, I can honestly say this is a first for me haha.

 

No cornbread, just the cornmeal. And use veggie wads to separate powder from the filler.

 

I also use a Montana compression die for uniformity, and so bullet seating isn't messy.

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

Cream of wheat with a desicate pack in the container would be my filler recommendation. Dispense with powder measure like Larson suggest.

[Ya Big Tree]

I'm in throwin' my .02 cents.
I use lizard bedding from the pet store. (finer  ground walnut shells)
 

[Turkey Creek Red, SASS # 22854]

A long time ago, there was a cowboy that had tons more experience shooting BP than I will ever have. Weewahootee suggested that I use uncooked grits. They have always worked great for me.

[Rip Snorter]

I keep cornmeal because I cook and eat cornbread.  Never much cared for grits, never had them growing up.

[Bear Claw Brian]

I’ve used cornmeal for three decades with black powder.  Competed in North South Skirmish Association for years.  Used cornmeal and a wonder wad on my .44 cal Rogers and Spencer cap and ball revolver loads, and similarly a wonder wad and cornmeal in my Smith carbine .50 cal cartridge loads.  Never an issue.  Good luck.  Bear Claw

[Rafe Conager SASS #56958]

Cornmeal or grits if I use a filler, cardboard wad between powder and filler. To much work so fill case with powder, went to 45 Schofield brass in pistol or 38 long colt in my open tops.

Rafe 

[Eyesa Horg]

I haven't put anything between the powder and filler. I figure since the load is compressed, they shouldn't mix. No problems so far, but then I've only shot several hundred, not thousands. I do put a .060 card over the filler to protect the bullet.

 

[JackSlade]

Yeah if you're already using a wad, put it between the powder and the filler instead. It's just good practice to not have anything interfere with the powder burn. And cornmeal won't hurt your lead bullets.

[Abe E.S. Corpus SASS #87667]

Try Captain George Baylor’s recommendation of a plug of caulk backer rod (foam).  It works well with APP.  Have not tried it with real BP.

 

Its keto friendly and grain/gluten free so it won’t cause your firearms to have an insulin spike.

[Cliff Hanger #3720LR]

Corn meal and cream of wheat have an issue that is over come by placing a card wad over the powder before adding these fillers.

They both absorb moisture out of the air which increases their weight and can contaminate the powder.

 

Instant grits as filler does not require the card wad because it does not seam to absorb moisture from the air.

It also does not compress as much as the other two fillers which means you do not have to use as much filler.

This add less weight to the over all load.

Instant grits is also much cleaner than the other two when shot so cleanup is easier.

 

The corn meal and cream of wheat can be put in the case to the top of the case then compressed with the bullet.

Instant grits can be filled so that the bullet compress the grits about 1/8".

 

Instant grits in the cartridge stores much longer that the others.

I personally have rounds in 45 colt, 38spl, 357 mag, 45-70 and 38-55 that are over 20 years old that shoot as if loaded yesterday.

 

The Corn meal rounds I tested seem to get erratic after about 2 years of storage.

Never did the cream of wheat except in cap and ball revolvers which where shot right after loading during the matches.

 

This is just my personal observations over the years.

All three fillers work and do the job ask of them.

Instant grits was just easier to uses and store.

 

Instant grits flows through the powder hopper and does not pack in the hopper.

I have two hoppers on my Dillon 650s.

One for powder and one for filler.

[Diamond Jake]

I appreciate all the good tips, but yes, this original post was intended to be a joke.

[Lassy LaRock]

• 
   

I used Couscous………

[Will Kane]

6 hours ago, Abe E.S. Corpus SASS #87667 said:

Try Captain George Baylor’s recommendation of a plug of caulk backer rod (foam).  It works well with APP.  Have not tried it with real BP.

 

Its keto friendly and grain/gluten free so it won’t cause your firearms to have an insulin spike.

Caulk backer rod works great with real black. I use it in my Plainsman 45-70 light rifle loads.

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

I'm not so sure that's real cornbread in the above pic.

I am sure we have all heard how when a mathematician quoted the formula πr² that he was corrected by a student who proclaimed, "That's wrong!  Pie are round!  Cornbread are square."

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

I found early on, I had to really reduce the liquid in the Cream-0-Wheat.

[Mustang Gregg]

Maybe foamie ear plugs?

LOL

[G W Wade]

On 1/22/2023 at 9:50 AM, Diamond Jake said:

I appreciate all the good tips, but yes, this original post was intended to be a joke.

Heck, with my Grandmothers corn bread you could forget the bullet!!!     GW

[Cpt Dan Blodgett, SASS #75655]

hmmm waste of good corn bread will swap on 1/3 weight basis corn meal for corn bread

[Dirty Dan Dawkins]

On 1/21/2023 at 6:39 PM, Eyesa Horg said:

I haven't put anything between the powder and filler. I figure since the load is compressed, they shouldn't mix. No problems so far, but then I've only shot several hundred, not thousands. I do put a .060 card over the filler to protect the bullet.

 

Let some loads set on the shelf a year or more, then pull a bullet and tell us if filler and powder pour out. I did this once and filler and powder were hard as a rock. A solid plug. Found this out when I tried to fire old filler loads and they didn’t go bang. If you shoot them up rather quickly it’s no problem. I recommend at least a card between filler and black powder.

[The Coconino Pistolero, SASS # 72432]

Using them fillers is cereal murder.

 

 

I prefer Buckshot's additive.

[Eyesa Horg]

On 1/22/2023 at 11:17 AM, Will Kane said:

Caulk backer rod works great with real black. I use it in my Plainsman 45-70 light rifle loads.

Off topic,but how much longer than the space do you cut it? IE, how much sticking out of the case before seating a bullet?

[Frontier Lone Rider]

I use a Walters Vegetable Wads and activated charcoal granules for filler which is made for water filters/purifiers.  The charcoal does not react to the black powder, thus extending shelf life, or so I am told.