hello, from new blackpowder shooter

Someday you're going to wake up with a tremendous headache, your mouth will be dry, your stomach will be doing flip-flops and it'll hurt just to open one eye. You'll look around and the room will be spinning, clothes all over the place. The room will smell foul, like rotten eggs and there will be smoke in the air. Your wallet will be open on the floor, and while all you cash and credit cards are intact, the cards are all maxed out and there's a stack of overdue bills on the dresser. You're not sure you even recognize the name on the letters, nor the address. You especially don't recognize the places they're from, strange names like Track of the Wolf (some kind of religious cult, maybe?), October Country (must be a travel agent), The Log Cabin Shop (who wants to buy a log cabin?). You pick up the phone and check recent calls, and all of them are to a speed dial number set to Cabela's (some kind of bar, maybe, or heaven forbid, a sporting house!).

Resistance is futile.
 
mykeal...my girlfriend's going to have to start hiding the credit card again.

bill...no, don't know tom, but do know RO bill white. sold him a rifle once.

and bill, I drive a fuel truck and i'm up in hudson twice a week...if you promise to leave me a few cans, I can tell you where to pick up some black powder;)
 
Given prices around here, if I found six cans of Goex for $100, I'd jump on it.

Yeah, the BP Bug bites hard. I'm a newbie, too, and in the last couple of months I've acquired several cap'n ball revolvers, a 209x50 barrel for my T/C Encore, and a Lyman Trade Rifle flintlock. Broke the latter in today.

Nothing like the cloud of white smoke from a charge of black powder!
 
I don't know where the idea came from that FFFG was for pistols only? I've shot for close to 50 years and was always instructed and always used 3F in rifles of smaller caliber and pistols as well. I've always used 3F in my .32, .36, .40 and .45 caliber rifles - in fact, never used anything different in them. The 2F was reserved for my military rifled muskets - .58 and also used in my .69 muskets and .62 flint Fusil de Chasse. General rule of thumb taught to me by several "old timers" who were old men when I was a kid - "the smaller the calibeer, the smaller the grit". I had a .54 Hawken that I custom built and it shot well with either 3F or 2F. 4F was reserved for priming flintlocks - but, I've used 3F for my smaller caliber flintlock rifles with smaller locks when I didn't have any 4F and I've also resorted to using 2F for priming powder in my larger bore flinters with the larger locks when I needed to. In my BP revolvers, I try to use 3F but, when I have run short of it, have used 2F. I will note though, that some fellows use a much heavier charge in their rifles than I ever have (not being critical here - if it works for you then it's your choice). I was taught many years ago by an old BP gunsmith to figure 1 grain per caliber size in a rifle - i.e. - if your rifle is 40 caliber, your load should be 40 grains of BP. From there, you can work up a load that works best. Of course I'm talking RIFLES - not pistols - whether the pistol be single shot or revolver - they will take a reduced load. It's just common sense as the barrel is shorter and it takes less powder to get the projectile out - that was his theory anyway and while he wasn't a scientist - he was one heck of a shot! Good luck with your new pistol - you're going to love it and welcome to the forum! :)
 
Bedbugbilly, like you, I too have always used 3F in my .50 cal, CVA mountain rifle. Never had a problem and its one of the most accurate rifles I own, including my modern ones. I also most often use 50 grains of 3F with round ball for my .50 cal, just like the old timer told you...."1 grain per each unit of caliber". There's another old timer way to measure how much powder to use that works and is especially handy if you lose your powder measure.......

Put the round ball in the flattened out palm of your hand and pour your powder over it until the powder just barely covers and hides the ball. That is approximately how much powder you need to use. Forget exactly where I learned that from, but it was close to 40 years ago when I leaned that.



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Welcome to the hobby. You'll always love this gun the most...

Take that powder off his hands before he gets cited for improper storage!

Rule of thumb is that for (rifles/muskets at least) anything over .50 cal. you use FFg.

Also make sure to always load LESS than the caliber in grains for a pistol. In fact, I usually load half.
 
Also make sure to always load LESS than the caliber in grains for a pistol.
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I don't know about "always." Nothing like a 60 grain charge of FFFg behind a .44 caliber ball from an 1847 Walker replica! I'll admit, though, that I usually shoot 35-40 gr ... seems most accurate.
 
Krazykat, sometime when you come to Hudson on your fuel drives, give me a call (727 819-8352) and we can do some shooting on my property here. Yes I would like to know where to get some more black powder, that would be great. And I'll be sure to leave you a few cans. Thanks, Bill.


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bill, left you a message, i'm going to stop there tomorrow and pick up a can or two.

thanks for the welcome, gerhard.

still waiting for the 1858 to arrive.

I now have black powder, nipple wrench from RMC, .454 hornady balls,

#10 cci caps and #11 remington caps, bore butter and thats it.

if I get it by the weekend I'll shoot it at the antelope club with

25 grains fffg (measured by my RCBS scale) no wad, .454 ball, smeared

over with bore butter, and capped with the cci # 10's.

from what i've gathered here 25-30 grains goex fffg is a pretty good bet.

cheers.
 
Welcome to the dark side young one!
30 grains max on 3f for the pistol and find the sweet number when it comes to capping. You want the best ignition you can get without the cap falling in the guts of the weapon when you pull the hammer back. Is it brass or steel frame? always be sure the bore butter is completely filled in all the chambers if your not going to wad. If you want some real fun shop for a walker, dragoon or a lemat :) the monster guns. I love shooting a 60 load behind a 44 ball in my dragoon. the rule of powder 1F cannons 2F large cal rifles 3F pistols 4F primers. I've used 2F and 3F in my .58 Enfield rifle with no problems. The interchangeability doesn't work so well with pistols. And after your done shooting take a bath, be sure to bring your tools, dish soap and gun(s) and lets not forget the ol' rubber ducky with you. only draw back to BP is cleaning it takes forever to get done. Ive got 4 revolvers and a rifle. After a battle at reenactment it takes us all night to get the guns clean for a battle the next morning.
 
30 grains max on 3f for the pistol
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You cant overload a steel frame with bp.

always be sure the bore butter is completely filled in all the chambers if your not going to wad.
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Why? It's just going to blow most of it out when the chamber next to it is fired. All you need is a little dab around the edge of the ball.


The interchangeability doesn't work so well with pistols.
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I use Pyrodex RS which is an FF equivilant. I can't tell any difference.

only draw back to BP is cleaning it takes forever to get done. Ive got 4 revolvers and a rifle. After a battle at reenactment it takes us all night to get the guns clean for a battle the next morning.
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You're not doing something right then or you're really over zealous about cleaning. It takes me less than ten minutes to clean a revolver.
 
+1 on the Bore Butter. No SMEARING/FILLING needed. I paint a complete sealing circle of grease between the ball and the cylinder wall with a sandwhich toothpick. OK, I'm cheap, but that's really all you need...

Pistols are easy to clean. Muskets and rifles? Seem to take forever. When you burn out your Black & Decker coffee maker because you use it as often to boil up water for cleaning BP guns as making coffee... you might be a redneck. Ooo, and wait till you burn your first hole in your relatively expensive period shirt!!!
 
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I'm a n00b at BP as well. It is addictive, IMO. I love my replica Remingtons; i think i still enjoy the simplicity of my sidelock pistol more, really close though.

I do cheat a bit on the loading. I use a loading press from RAI. It wasn't exactly cheap, but is solidly made. If you have trouble loading with the loading lever (as was intended), look around for a loading press to try.

Don't freak if a round doesn't fire; it happened to me the second cylinder i loaded. After waiting a bit (seemed like a long bit) to see if things were just going slow, a new cap set it off just fine. I guess the cap was defective or the nipple had some crud in it.
 
dang it.

missed the ups man.

left note on door reading he'll try again tomorrow.

thought for sure they'd leave it at the front door.

oh well, friday...hope i can get it cleaned up and loaded for

the weekend. if not, i'll just have to cope with my glock and marlin

30-30:D
 
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