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Posted: 1/1/2009 6:55:13 AM EDT
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I know that some old cartridges were designed to be used with black powder. Does anyone reload these with black powder today? Would there be any benefit to doing so? |
| Sure, lot's of folks are reloading black powder cartridges. Cowboy action shooters, military reenactors, etc. I've seen several TV shows about Cowboy Action shoots BPRC events where real black powder was required, and you couldn't use anything like Pyrodex or Triple Seven. They were shooting shotguns, pistols, and rifles. Google "black powder cartridges" and you'll get lots of links to magazines, and organizations involved in BP shooting. I lust for a Browning Highwall or a Sharpes! |
| Yea, it looks real interesting. The guns are very cool too. Wife gave me a coffee table book called "Shooting Buffalo Rifles of the Old West" by Mike Venturino. Really good reading. It has load data and procedures in there. It's a different world, but if you reload smokeless powder, the transistion doesn't good that bad. What drops my jaw is how accurate those black powder rifles can shoot. It's amazing considering they have a rainbow ballistic arch. |
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Because smokeless powder components gun cotton and nitroglycerine are more exciting to play with in your kitchen.
Actually, it is pretty difficult to make real black powder yourself. That's because the black powder we use in muzzleloader and black powder cartridges is more than just the mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur that people think. It is also processed by mixing into a cake and grinding and sorting to have a granular form - and that processing is an industrial process with its own dangers. |
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45-70 and .38 special were what came to mind for me. I wasn't really thinking of doing it now, but it would be cool to try some time. I definitely wouldn't do it without first finding some good load data! Not really. It was higher pressure than the .38 S&W so they made it longer for safety. While you COULD load it with BP, it came out long after 1889. 1902, IIRC. .38-55, the .45s (70, 90, 110 and 120) and the like were. The .30-30 was initially smokeless as was the .30-40 Krag, our first smokeless military rifle round. .22 Long Rifle was "semi-smokeless" up until the 1930s for older rifles but smokeless were available in around 1900. ANY other rifle than .22 LR that does not have a modern Cr-Mo steel barrel and action needs to use smokeless. Many replicas are such. And ANY antique should be examined by a QUAILFIED GUNSMITH or firearms collector before using ANY modern load. |
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45 colt. when the messiah over taxes powder, and bullets at least you can make black powder yourself. Why can't you make smokeless powder yourself also? Because it is highly specialized. From nitration of cellulose (Nixon Nitration Works, Nixon NJ) to the proper washing of ALL acids (nitric and sulfuric) to proper blending, extrusion, coating, drying and glazing (graphite coating) isn't something that is practical. Then there is testing. |
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Blackpowder loads are simple.
Fill the case so there is absolutely no air space between the top of the powder and the base of the bullet. Compress the powder various amounts if you want. Sometimes a card is necessary. Small charges of powder will require a filler on top. Corn meal, teddy bear guts, and so on are used for fillers. Make sure there is no air space between the powder and bullet. That's it. If you shoot a revolver, be prepared to clean the gun more thoroughly than usual. Get into every nook and cranny. |
| For SASS shooting, I load .45 Colt, 12ga and 45-70 with GOEX black powder as God intended. None of that sissy Pyrodex stuff for this cowboy! The big difference with loading with fire and brimstone is that you go by volume, not weight. You want to fill the case such that you have a good compression (at least 0.1") of the powder. Use a good wad between the powder and bullet and generally a hotter primer. You'll need a good BP lube on your bullets. My old Ballard buffalo gun will accurately shoot 500gr home cast lumps out past 500-800 yards plus and maintain a MOA with vernier iron sights (the Lord willing and the wind doesn't blow too hard). Beyond about 300 yards, it is more accurate than my .30-06 Ackley FN Mauser. The secret behind shooting accurately with black is that the velocity standard deviation is in single digits. My loads usually calculate to a SD of 7-8 fps. Give it a try sometime, it is addicting! |
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