Black Powder Cartridge Reloading

[Malamute]

Good points on the bores of the conversion guns. You can also generally see the braze line at the muzzle when they relined them.

When loading using the simple method mentioned above in an original 1886 Winchester with fresh rebore from 40-65 to 45-70, I was getting about 4" groups @ 100 yards with casual rest, probably over the seat of my motorcycle or hood of the truck, we had no formal range, just cinder pits to shoot at. My lube was the older Lyman "Ideal" lube, a black substance that came about in the early 1900s and was supposed to be suitable for both smokeless and black loads. I dont recall much info being commonly available in the early 1980s about black powder cartridge loading, what i was doing seemed to work fairly well all things considered, and when I load more black in cartridges, it will be basically the same methods, but with SPG lube.

[Jim Watson]

My friend with the Sharps and I got into Internet Lube Recipe Mixing. We had one batch that ended up as casting flux, the other was pretty good, but the cost of ingredients and the time spent warming and blending was a loser in favor of SPG. I always wanted to try Dan Theodore's stuff but it was not easy to get from him.

Understand, his real Sharps was an occasional plinker, his normal BPCR was a Shiloh. Mine was a Winchester Single Shot .38-55; superseded by a Miroku Browning "highwall" .40-65 for reliable knockdown of metallic silhouettes.
So we were careful and finicky; drop tube, compression die, weighed loads and all.

[fatdog]

the Lyman book and the previously mentioned Matthews books are useful references. Buffalo arms is a great supply source. A guy named Spence Wolfe also wrote a useful book on the .45-70 that gives a good general understanding of the BP rifle cartridges in general.

A fellow CAS competitor used to shoot a .50-70 original Allin conversion trap door Springfield and it worked quite well, although the sights were difficult to deal with comparted to the later trap doors.

[Stephanie B]

It would be fun to load up a bunch of BP in .357 cases and shoot a USPSA match.

[Malamute]

It would be fun to load up a bunch of BP in .357 cases and shoot a USPSA match.

Yes, it would, and they actually do surprisingly well loaded with black as regards velocity in pistols and carbines.


I believe Darryl mentioned having a single action 45 Colt with shorter barrel, 3 1/2" maybe, that he felt was a good "answer the door" gun with black powder loads, as it had a large flash and lots of smoke, a variation on the 357 shock and awe without the piercing muzzle blast effect.

[BN]

It would be fun to load up a bunch of BP in .357 cases and shoot a USPSA match.

I did that at a USPSA match once with a single action 44 Special loaded with Black. Another time I did a not for score re-shoot at an IDPA match where I cheated and carried 2 cap and ball revolvers plus 2 cartridge single actions all with Black powder. Turns out that the Safety Officers don't stay as close to you as they are supposed to.

[Jim Watson]

It would be fun to load up a bunch of BP in .357 cases and shoot a USPSA match.

Well, it's parent .38 Special did start out with black powder.

[awp_101]

It would be fun to load up a bunch of BP in .357 cases and shoot a USPSA match.

I have been told about someone who loaded up about a magazines worth of .45ACP and ran it through a registered Thompson for giggles. Supposedly there was video but it was pre-internet and the person telling me didn't know if it had ever been uploaded anywhere or if it even exists anymore. It may have been at someplace like one of the Second Chance shoots. The stories I've heard about some of the shenanigans that went on there are...highly entertaining.

[MandoWookie]

I have been told about someone who loaded up about a magazines worth of .45ACP and ran it through a registered Thompson for giggles. Supposedly there was video but it was pre-internet and the person telling me didn't know if it had ever been uploaded anywhere or if it even exists anymore. It may have been at someplace like one of the Second Chance shoots. The stories I've heard about some of the shenanigans that went on there are...highly entertaining.

That reminds me of a book series where time displaced WW2 Navy sailors experimented with the same thing to keep their Thompsons running.
Books were written by a professional gunsmith so I wonder if it was something he had tried.
Books also had one sailor make a flintlock rifle out of a Jap 25mm AA gun barrel. I know the author made a functioning build of that one IRL.

Also Hickok45 with a blackpowder Glock.

https://youtu.be/KfzQ4uKvE7c

[baddean]

Just some info I've accumulated over the years.
I load BPC for cowboy shooting. .44, .45, .45-70 and 12g shot shell.
It's already been said here but stick to real black powder. Easier clean up and better on your gun.

https://www.blackpowdercartridge.com...with-the-50-70

https://www.singleshotexchange.com/h...modern-rifles/

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010747741?pid=147514
450 gr bullets were commonly used in the .50-70. These are already lubed.

http://hstrial-mwhyte2.homestead.com/BigLube.html
Mark lists a 400 gr lubed bullet in .50 cal at the bottom of this list.

http://chuckhawks.com/blackpowder_volumetric.htm

Just some resources I thought you might find useful.

Remember that modern brass is thicker than brass used in the late 1800s so you may not be able to get as much BP in the case as the originals.
I have found that using Winchester large rifle magnum primers will ignite the charge completely and consistently.
In the book by Pat Wolfe (I don't know if it is still available) he recommends enlarging the flash hole in modern .45-70 brass with a #41 drill bit to get a more complete and consistent ignition from the primer. I would think this would apply to .50-70 with modern brass as well.

Good luck. Blackpowder is addicting.