chance

Anyone shoot bp in their Blakhawks or know where I can find some loading info. I know squat about bp but think it would be interesting to load up some 45 LCs and give it a try. The has to be a "modern" black powder book out there somewhere.

Cheers and Beers
Chance

Bountyhunter

I don't know about any books, but was reading an article on it in one of my gun rags. I thought about giving it a try, but the article said that it is really dirty. The gun in the article had to be cleaned after a couple of cylinders. That's a lot like work.

tx gun runner

There no trick in loading black powder . You fill the case up with powder and DON"T leave a air gap between powder and bullet . A little compress load is best . FFF work in 45LC and DO NOT LEAVE AIR SPACE BETWEEN POWDER AND BULLET . You can't over charge with black powder . The only way to blow up a gun with black powder leave a 1/4 inch plus air space . I use instant cream of wheat for filler in reduced loads .

These are fun to shoot and cheap , and no FFL needed to buy or ship them

http://www.dixiegunworks.com/product_in ... ts_id=3473

chance

TN Gunner
Does that mean I can take a 45LC shell, load it with Pyrodex to the seating depth of the bullet (250gr lead), set the bullet and then load it in my 45 NMBH and shoot it?

I have been tearing thru all of my loading books and can't find anything specific.

deputy125

welcome to the dark side.........

this is from the hodgdon pyrodex site http://www.hodgdon.com/ml-warning.html

Pyrodex In Cartridges: The mechanics of reloading metallic cartridges are quite simple,
but there is one requirement of the modern shooter that can not be overlooked.
The modern loader must set aside his knowledge of loading with smokeless powders
and embrace the ways of years gone by. It must always be remembered that blackpowder
and Pyrodex are very inefficient powders by today’s standards. The methods
described here are consistent with good loading practices for Pyrodex and should be
followed without regard to smokeless loading practices.
Pyrodex works best in straight walled cases, but it will work satisfactorily in bottle
necked cartridges as long as our warnings are observed.
WARNING: Never allow an air space in any cartridge loaded with Pyrodex. The loading
density must be 100% by light compression. 100% loading density may be
accomplished in two ways:
The case is filled with powder to a level that will provide light compression of the
powder (1/16” to 1/8”) when the bullet is seated. Bottle necked cases must be
loaded in this manner.
In straight walled cases, filler wads may be used to reduce the powder charge. This is
done by inserting card or Polyethylene wads between the base of the bullet and the
powder. Wads should be sized to the internal diameter of the cartridge case. The
loader must be careful to insure that there are no void spaces in the assembled cartridge.
NEVER use any other type of filler material. Be careful as loads are reduced.
At some point, the bullet will fail to exit the bore.
When loading cartridges with Pyrodex it is recommended the loader use a volumetric
powder measure designed for use with black powder, or consult the manufacturer(
s) of his powder measure for their recommendations for use with black powder
substitutes.
Pyrodex does produce a corrosive residue from combustion. Even though this fouling
is softer than the fouling produced by blackpowder, firearms should be cleaned after
each use. Hodgdon Powder Co. recommends the use of natural cleaning solvents.
Cartridge cases that have been fired using Pyrodex require special care. As soon as
possible after firing, cases should be de-primed and immersed in 50% water and
white vinegar. The acidity of the vinegar will neutralize the corrosive residues remaining
in the case. Care should be taken to limit the soaking time of the cases in the
vinegar to 10 minutes. Soaking for a longer time may cause etching of the brass case
resulting in shortened case life. Rinse cases with clear water, dry and polish in a tumbler
with corncob or walnut shell media.

some load data and handling precautions also available on the goex site http://www.goexpowder.com/index.html

chance

Thanks for the good info Deputy. Went to Dillon today to pick up some accessories and one of the guys who works there shoot SASS using BP. He told me the same thing.

Don't think I want to shoot the corrosive stuff thru my Blackhawk. My son may have a line on a 45 LC Vaquero for a couple of hundred bucks. May take a look at it this weekend.

tx gun runner

I did a lot of traveling to BP matches and stayed in motels and didn't have a place really clean the gun correctly . I carryed a bottle of Windex and toothbrush and at the range when I was done shooting I would clean it with the Windex or auto windshield cleaner and then WD40 after I cleaned it and wiped dry . Never had one to rust , even if it was a week before I could really clean it .

chance

Did you carry a container with water to dump the brass in or did you just wait until you got home?

tx gun runner

Plastic milk jug with dish washer soap and water at the loading bench . If I'm shooting a cartridge , I drop them in there right after firing . When I get home I rinse with water and then give them a auto window washer rinse , air dry and tumbler if needed . 95% of my BP shooting is muzzle loader not cartridge guns , so I'm not the best one to ask about brass , but the dish soap won't hurt brass if left in it for a couple of days . Also I only shoot real BP [goex] , the matches I shoot don't allow the other stuff .

PetahW

In my Ruger .45 Colt, I've been using a commercial Speer .454 plain lead round ball, seated over a .45 Ox-Yoke treated felt wad that had a bit more of Bore Butter spread around it's edge after it was seated atop 35gr FFFg of Goex BP.
I use Winchester 150 primers, FWIW.

I slightly crimp the case mouth with an appropriate-sized washer I've chamfered on one side - to keep a ball from tying up the cylinder under recoil and/or moving away from the powder charge (a no-no).

I am as mindful of possible chainfires, across the front of the chamber mouths, as I am with my ROA and M1860 clone.

gunman42782

I have thought about loading up a few BP loads for my .45 Vaquero. I have almost a full pound of Pyrodex P left after I (in a fit of foolishness) sold my Old Army. I still have not done it, and probably will not, as I would not fell right without taking the gun completely apart and cleaning the crap out of it. That is a bit more of a pain than I want to do. So, I reckon having that pound of powder laying around should be a good excuse to buy another BP revolver, right? (But honey, I NEED one to shoot up that powder I got!)

Bountyhunter

Get another Old Army. I almost got one a bit back. My local has two. One blue and one SS. I will never load it and shoot it though. I know me.