Black Powder or Smokeless??

B-Maxx

New member
I have what I believe to be a J. Stevens Lever action Model 44. This rifle is chambered in .25-20 Single Shot. It's hard to find much information on these old Stevens Rifles. I see that Buffalo Arms sells both a Black powder and a smokeless round. How is one suppose to figure what would be the proper round to shoot? Would these be interchangeable? I reload for my centerfire rifles so I have a little bit of experience with smokeless powders, but what I know about black powder is next to nothing. What would be the primary difference in this round with the different powders?

Thanks for the info.
 
I don't see either version of the round generating much chamber pressure. I would think both would be fine.
 
I would think it could handle smokeless ok but why put the added stress on the old girl? BTW Buffalo Arms only sells bp cartridges in 25-20 Single Shot but at 64.00 per 20 they're kinda pricey. 25-20 Winchester cases are too short. If you do decide to shoot it with bp clean up is with hot soapy water. Modern smokeless cleaners won't do anything for bp fouling. Don't use any petroleum based lubes in the bore unless you want to find out how hard a gun can be to clean.
 
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