Reloading with black powder?

[Driftwood Johnson]

Actually, smokeless was the original black powder substitute.
But, no, you should not even consider using it in a muzzle loader.

The modern definition of a Black Powder substitute is one of the powders specifically developed to take the place of, and be safe to shoot in original and modern firearms of antique design. Pyrodex was the first of the Black Powder Substitutes, being formulated to create clouds of white smoke while keeping the pressures down so that the metals used antique firearms would not be over stressed. Some others are American Pioneer Powder, and Hodgdon Triple Seven, although 777 develops about 10% more velocity than real Black Powder.

The very early Bulk Smokeless powders were developed to keep the pressure down, while still filling up the case, much as Black Powder did.

I state again, Trailboss is often mistakenly called a Black Powder substitute, because it was formulated for light loads in Cowboy Action Shooting, but it is not a BP Sub, and should never be treated as one.

 

[slimshot]

Using 777

I tried BP, and several substitutes in .45 Colt brass for the cartridge conversion cylinder in my Ruger Old Army. Finally settled on 777 because it actually made more smoke, and isn't that the point! Tried dippers, but too much variance. Determined 24 grains by weight behind a 200 grain bullet shot the best. Trimmed a batch of cases to the minimum just for these. Doesn't quite fill the case, but have never had any inconsistency in report or accuracy. Now shoot the same load out of my Vaquero, too. Makes the gun hot to touch and soots up everything, but man, that's shootin'. Brass cleans up with 50/50 vinegar/water soak and rinse. (Don't try that on your blued gun!)

 

[44caliberkid]

The advantage of using the Big Lube bullets is that it keeps the fouling soft so that your revolver cylinder doesn't start to bind after multiple shots. You can shoot a 2 day match, 120 rounds, and just wipe your pistol off till you can thoroughly clean it. At cleaning time the softer fouling cleans up easily with Dawn dish soap and water. I find the bore cleans way easier than with smokeless powder. I throw brass in a jar of dish soap and water, let it soak, shake it up from time to time.
In cap and ball revolvers, I lube over the ball, not nessisarilly to prevent chain fires, but to keep the fouling soft for easy cleaning and trouble free operation.

 

[alicemarc]

I never thought if reloading 357 s with no he he I'm going to try it