Shot a little black powder

[Pitchy]

Joe suggested i try a couple loads of black in my cowboy so i loaded a couple up and had fun.

[Malamute]

I used to shoot black in my 86 Winchester and Colt SAA 44 spl. Good fun. Haven't done it in a long while. I always found clean up to be much simpler than most made it out to be. Nothing special needed, some hot tap water, some patches and a brush, clean the fouling out, dry with a few dry patches, leave to dry a short while then oil. Check the next day if living in a damp climate, tho I never had the least trouble with mine. I'd toss the brass in a pot on the stove and simmer a few minutes, then drain and lay on a towel neck down to dry, load as usual. The cases looked dark, but never hurt anything. Shot them without any other care for a fair bit of time. Finally had a friend tumble them and I'm still using them for smokeless, 25 years later.

[gamekeeper]

I just love the smell, nothing quite like it..

[J Miller]

Didja hit what you was aiming at??

Looks like fun. I got some black powder ammo loaded up, next range trip I'll have to shoot some.

Joe

[Pitchy]

Didja hit what you was aiming at??

Looks like fun. I got some black powder ammo loaded up, next range trip I'll have to shoot some.

Joe

Heck no !!!! missed the gong plumb clean, gotta be someones fault
I was using real black so much more dirty but as Malumute said no big deal and the smoke is cool.
See what ya started Joe

[Griff]

Didja hit what you was aiming at??
Looks like fun. I got some black powder ammo loaded up, next range trip I'll have to shoot some.
Joe

Heck no !!!! missed the gong plumb clean, gotta be someones fault
I was using real black so much more dirty but as Malumute said no big deal and the smoke is cool.
See what ya started Joe

Au Contraire mon ami. Compress that powder about 1/16" and put a slightly heavier crimp... They'll "crack" sharply, and you just might find less fouling.

[Pitchy]

That was a 60 grain load of FFF with a 405 grain cast. , plenty of soot.

[Malamute]

Yes, some compression helps with cleaner burning some. Using a lube that's compatible with black helps also.

[JReed]

Looks like fun. And on a side note glad to see your snow is finaly gone

[Pitchy]

Looks like fun. And on a side note glad to see your snow is finaly gone

SNOW, Quit cussing.

[JReed]

Looks like fun. And on a side note glad to see your snow is finaly gone

SNOW, Quit cussing.

I hear ya.

[Sixgun]

Pitchy,
It ain't so much cleaning the gun that bothers me, its cleaning the brass and the oh-so-long process in reloading it is what keeps me away from it. If I can't run it on a progressive, I don't load it.

Hey there you "long hair". Some of us never could resort to getting an "establishment haircut". (remember that?) Me neither, but it is getting a little smooth on top. --------Sixgun

[Pitchy]

Pitchy,
It ain't so much cleaning the gun that bothers me, its cleaning the brass and the oh-so-long process in reloading it is what keeps me away from it. If I can't run it on a progressive, I don't load it.

Hey there you "long hair". Some of us never could resort to getting an "establishment haircut". (remember that?) Me neither, but it is getting a little smooth on top. --------Sixgun

I know what ya mean, if i shoot much black i`ll get the ML out.
Haircuts, now your swearing.

[J Miller]

Cheat like I do. I wash 'em (the guns-not the brass) with Windex Window cleaner with ammonia, then oil. Works pretty good. So far no rust.

Joe

[Pitchy]

Cheat like I do. I wash 'em (the guns-not the brass) with Windex Window cleaner with ammonia, then oil. Works pretty good. So far no rust.

Joe

Oh my God, i`ve heard everything now works huh?
How do ya get down the barrel with the spray bottle.

[M. M. Wright]

Pitchy,
You need to drop your powder into those 45-70 cases through a drop tube. You'll be amazed at the difference in accuracy and clean burn. You still want about 1/8" compression and I like to use a nitro card over the powder. Made my drop tube from an old aluminum arrow with a funnel duck taped to the top of it. (didn' have no frog tape) I find that real Goex burns cleaner than any of the substitutes and is much easier to clean up. I used to use AA hulls and plastic wads but it makes so much black snot I went to the brass hulls and Circle Fly wads. I put lots of compression on the shot shells.
An amazing thing with the drop tube is that the powder is so tight in the case after the drop, if you need to dump it out for some reason, you must take a little screw driver and break it loose. Now I don't do all this for my SASS loads, they are run on a Dillon progressive (550) and I use the Dillon powder measure. I know, plastic hopper but I've tried to ignite black powder with a spark plug and couldn't do it.
I shot a 2 day, 12 stage match last month and used ffg in both pistols, 73 rifle and my Baretta shotgun with brass shells too. I try to wipe the rifle after every other stage, usually 10 shots to a stage. The pistols (Colts) just get a squirt of Ballistol about midway through the day. Always clean up with Ballisto mixed 10:1 with water. Only 3 or 4 patches required and the 44-40 doesn't crud up the innards of the 73 like 45 Colt does. I use SPG or my own concoction for bullet lube it's just the bullets don't hold enough lube for the 24" rifle bbl. Don't have to wipe if I use a 20".

[Pitchy]

Pitchy,
You need to drop your powder into those 45-70 cases through a drop tube. You'll be amazed at the difference in accuracy and clean burn. You still want about 1/8" compression and I like to use a nitro card over the powder. Made my drop tube from an old aluminum arrow with a funnel duck taped to the top of it. (didn' have no frog tape) I find that real Goex burns cleaner than any of the substitutes and is much easier to clean up. I used to use AA hulls and plastic wads but it makes so much black snot I went to the brass hulls and Circle Fly wads. I put lots of compression on the shot shells.
An amazing thing with the drop tube is that the powder is so tight in the case after the drop, if you need to dump it out for some reason, you must take a little screw driver and break it loose. Now I don't do all this for my SASS loads, they are run on a Dillon progressive (550) and I use the Dillon powder measure. I know, plastic hopper but I've tried to ignite black powder with a spark plug and couldn't do it.
I shot a 2 day, 12 stage match last month and used ffg in both pistols, 73 rifle and my Baretta shotgun with brass shells too. I try to wipe the rifle after every other stage, usually 10 shots to a stage. The pistols (Colts) just get a squirt of Ballistol about midway through the day. Always clean up with Ballisto mixed 10:1 with water. Only 3 or 4 patches required and the 44-40 doesn't crud up the innards of the 73 like 45 Colt does. I use SPG or my own concoction for bullet lube it's just the bullets don't hold enough lube for the 24" rifle bbl. Don't have to wipe if I use a 20".

Thanks for the great info but i`m not into BP cartridge shooting to much, just wanted to try a couple shots out of the cowboy.
Most my BP shooting is more primitive using a long rifle or one that i made, i use FFF most of the time in my percussion rifles and a patched RB.
Sounds like you are really into BP cartridge shooting.

[Cimarron Red]

Pitchy,

Shooting black in a cartridge gun is a hoot! I've been doing it for some time, primarily on BPCR silhouettes. I've been trying to get my buddy, Sixgun, to join the fun -- but even though he claims to be a traditionalist, he won't hear of shooting black.

Jack, the case clean-up is a snap using a rotary tumbler with ceramic media along with dish liquid and water. Also, I neck size, expand and bullet seat on a Dillon 550. I de-prime at the range and hand-prime while I watch TV. Yes, loading is more labor-intensive than with smokeless, but toppling 500 meter rams is worth the effort, not to mention the joy of launching the off-hand chicken off its perch at 200 meters!

[Pitchy]

Pitchy,

Shooting black in a cartridge gun is a hoot! I've been doing it for some time, primarily on BPCR silhouettes. I've been trying to get my buddy, Sixgun, to join the fun -- but even though he claims to be a traditionalist, he won't hear of shooting black.

Jack, the case clean-up is a snap using a rotary tumbler with ceramic media along with dish liquid and water. Also, I neck size, expand and bullet seat on a Dillon 550. I de-prime at the range and hand-prime while I watch TV. Yes, loading is more labor-intensive than with smokeless, but toppling 500 meter rams is worth the effort, not to mention the joy of launching the off-hand chicken off its perch at 200 meters!

I agree, the gun i should be doing it in is my Sharps rifle instead of the lever guns, easier to clean up.

[J Miller]

Cheat like I do. I wash 'em (the guns-not the brass) with Windex Window cleaner with ammonia, then oil. Works pretty good. So far no rust.

Joe

Oh my God, i`ve heard everything now works huh?
How do ya get down the barrel with the spray bottle.

Just saturate a patch with the windex just like you'd do with Hoppe's.

I've been told it won't work, but then you read in the instructions for the imported mil surps to use it for cleaning out corrosive primed ammo, so I tried it. Worked for me.

Joe

[Griff]

OH, MY GHAWD! I CAN'T LOAD BP ON MY DILLON? Ya REALLY mean that after 22 years of doin' so, sumpin' changed and I HAVE to go back to my single stage?

Pitchy,'
It ain't so much cleaning the gun that bothers me, its cleaning the brass and the oh-so-long process in reloading it is what keeps me away from it. If I can't run it on a progressive, I don't load it.
Hey there you "long hair". Some of us never could resort to getting an "establishment haircut". (remember that?) Me neither, but it is getting a little smooth on top. --------Sixgun

The only "extry" steps are decapping, rinsing in hot water w/dish soap, laying out to dry, then it's tumble & load as normal.

WELL worth the teensy bit of effort to gain the "smell sulphur in the mornin'!"

[bobbyjack]

My rifle is not a 45/70 but a 45Colt ,and when I loaded the mag tube up full to see just how many it would hold a few

of the factory loads had bullet setback. I used bacon grease with beewax lube and 40 grains Cart blackpowder.

and the bullet was really compresed. You can load the mag tube full of these and you won't get any bullet setback.

Another reason that blackpowder will overide the bullet setback problem that might occure with a weak crimp on smokless

powders.

Bob

[Cruise]

I just came up to search for this very topic and there it was. Thanks for the info folks!

[olyinaz]

Just saturate a patch with the windex just like you'd do with Hoppe's.

I've been told it won't work, but then you read in the instructions for the imported mil surps to use it for cleaning out corrosive primed ammo, so I tried it. Worked for me.

Joe

Not sure why someone would tell you it doesn't work...heck, it's always been exactly what I've been told DOES work and it's what I often use myself. Or Ballistol mixed with water. The key is you gotta remove the salts with something that has water in it but will also cut through any lube or oils that are present. That's why Windex or a Ballistol mix work so well!

Cheers,
Oly