Idiots guide to black powder?

[dave]

Well, the charges are given in GRAINs a unit of wieght! BP measure devises are set at grain markings, a dipper for instance, All BP substitutes that I know of are measured by eqivilant BP volume. In other words if the load is 50 gr. BP you use the same volume as the BP, but it will not be 50 gr. weight.
Lyman, New England and other makers print booklets that give basic instuctions and loads. These are free usually, do a google search. Also DB books has a very complete BP instruction book. Consider using AmericanPowder (Shockleys) substitute. Clean burning, no fouling, but still corrisive. I have not used BP in years.
And anyone who thinks you can not blow up a BP gun is living in dreamland! BP burns VERY fast, grain size controlls burn rate to some extent.

[macPA]

google JS publications He is a cas shooter and has good information
I am shooting BP in cas using 1858 Remingtons in .44 cap and ball (Uberti made)
45 colt rifle (44-40 would be better)
and 12 ga shot for shot gun

[dogtag]

I haven't seen BP in plastic (pyrodex yes) but then I haven't bought any in a year.

Personally, I'd never buy BP in a plastic bottle.

Then you're not going to be buying it in the future.
KIK now comes in plastic. Other brands will follow.
The metal cans are a thing of the past for smokeless,
Black and nearly everything else.
Plus I use the Lee plastic dippers for BP.

[DocCasualty]

Guam,

If you're shooting a rifle FG or 2FG is the s**T. Pistols use 3 or 4FG.

Classic recommendations are Fg-musket, FFg -rifle, FFFg-pistol, FFFFg-flintlock flashpan. As you get used to using them, you do find that you have some leeway there. For instance, I use FFg in my Brown Bess and don't see a lot of difference between it and the Fg, though might be a little more reliable touch off. All of my experience is with flintlocks, so take that FWIW. Smaller caliber rifles are better suited to FFFg than FFg. The only thing I might be more cautious about was using FFFFg as a main load. I'm not saying you can't, especially with a small caliber pistol, though you could easily end up with a much higher pressure load than you might have intended, so proceed with caution.

[k arga]

start off charge will be as a rule one and a half the caliber, 45 cal about 60 gr 3f,

[older than dirt]

Somebody ought to strighten this OP out. BP is measured in volume not wt. Dippers are in volume not wt. 60 grains by volume not wt. There are grains in wt & grains in volume. Just like oz`s in liquid or dry. Liquid in volume, dry in wt.

[ClaudeH]

Here's one-

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Catego...73/1/BOOK-LBPH

I vouch for Fadala's book (above). It is interesting, authoritative and comprehensive.

[ClaudeH]

BTW: "suggesting that blackpowder is supposed to be measured by volume, or was designed to be. This is absolute rubbish."

This is from an article at: http://www.chuckhawks.com/blackpowder_volumetric.htm

[older than dirt]

BTW: "suggesting that blackpowder is supposed to be measured by volume, or was designed to be. This is absolute rubbish."

This is from an article at: http://www.chuckhawks.com/blackpowder_volumetric.htm

Ok, you got me, I never said how it was designed to be measured, but I haven`t seen a BP measurement yet for using a scale , & all the BP revolvers & rifles I have all say the charge in Volume not scale Wt. I`ve been shooting BP since the 1950`s. I also know a number of gents who shoot BP competion (Winchester Va & other places) & are very good at it & have the medals to prove it & they too measure BP by Volume. All the BP measures I`ve ever saw were in volume.

[ebeeby]

Ok, you got me, I never said how it was designed to be measured, but I haven`t seen a BP measurement yet for using a scale , & all the BP revolvers & rifles I have all say the charge in Volume not scale Wt. I`ve been shooting BP since the 1950`s. I also know a number of gents who shoot BP competion (Winchester Va & other places) & are very good at it & have the medals to prove it & they too measure BP by Volume. All the BP measures I`ve ever saw were in volume.

Hatcher discusses this as well in his "Notebook" showing that because of the various grain sizes, "volumes" will differ by as much as 10%

[ClaudeH]

Ok, you got me, I never said how it was designed to be measured, but I haven`t seen a BP measurement yet for using a scale , & all the BP revolvers & rifles I have all say the charge in Volume not scale Wt. I`ve been shooting BP since the 1950`s. I also know a number of gents who shoot BP competion (Winchester Va & other places) & are very good at it & have the medals to prove it & they too measure BP by Volume. All the BP measures I`ve ever saw were in volume.

older than dirt,

I'm glad you took that well, I was afraid it might have sounded insulting. When you think about it, weighing is absolutely impractical for muzzleloaders - Could you see Daniel Boone pulling a balance beam and weights out of his possibles bag every time he loaded a shot? But as a means of designating any quantity of black powder more exactly than "enough to cover the ball in the palm of your hand", weight is easier and more universally accessible to ascertain than volume.

Poring over the information at the Laflin & Rand site http://www.laflinandrand.com/ I discovered that there is a close, discernable relationship between weight and volume that could be used as a guide in creating the chamber in a charger or etc. (Of course there is, but I mean to say it is known and fairly consistent.) I can't immediately point to it but it becomes obvious upon reading the info at that site. When I once sought advice on blackpowder forums as to how you might corelate weight and volume if you were drilling a cavity in a horn tip or etc. no one seemed to know the relationship.

[m1ashooter]

The old Dixie Gun Works Catalog used to have a good chart in the back of suggested loads. I'm a Brown Bess and long rifle user and found 3F works. Never had a can of 2F or 4F. I use a .495 patched round ball in the long rifle and a .715 round ball or buck and ball or buck only or shot only in the Bess.

[John Sukey]

I would mention that with civillian flintlocks there was a priming grade for the flash pan (4F) and a coarser grade to go down the barrel.

[dave]

When you load a BP gun you use a, lets call it a dipper or small container. These have a scale if the measure is adjustable or a number if its only one size. That scale or number represents the appox. weight of the amount it holds in 'grains weight'! It should/will be pretty close and the books will recommend like 30 grains 3F, etc. You will not go wrong if you follow this. You can adjust some up or down to look for the most accurate load. Revolvers are limited by cylinder size.
So---- you use a volume container to load the gun BUT that container holds X number of grains, which is known. What is so hard to understand?

[Billy Beeza]

Did you ever find a book with the info you were looking for? If not, I have an older copy of Fadala's book I'd be happy to send you. If you still need it, email me at billmartiny@bellsouth.net.