3 F's black powder for .45 LC

[Anvil Dave]

Hey pards...........got me some .45 Colt "Big Lube" boolits and I lube them with 50/50 mix (bees wax and Mobil Oil 1) and load them with 3 F 35 gr. I know that 3 F B/P has a faster burning rate and will increase pressure. Do you think the pressure will be too high? Or, stick to 2 F B/P?

[Judge Lead]

Some say 2f for larger calibres is the go, but if that's what ya got, go for it. BP will not produce excessive pressure that you will do damage unless it is something like 5f or the likes (that is a very fast burn BP and would be used in the flash pans for front stuffers if I am correct).

I use 3fg for 12g, 45/70, 357 and 44/40. One powder does everything for me.

Hope that helps.

[hellgate]

You'll get a little higher pressures (but well within the tolerances of a smokeless proofed gun) and maybe a slightly sharper recoil due to the faster burning time.

[Dick Dastardly]

Howdy Pard,

The 45 Cal is kind of in limbo.  It's the cutoff, if there is one, between FFFg and FFg Holy Black.  I won't speak about the replica/subs cuz I don't shoot 'em.  I've loaded both and run side by side double blind tests on paper and over the graph.  As said, FFg seems a mite softer.  Both can be very accurate.  Your gun will tell ya if ya shoots some paper.  Both will work well for SASS shootn'.

To get FFFg velocity, ya have to use a mite more FFg.  If yer loadin' compressed loads already and don't use a drop tube or viberate your load before seating the boolit ya kin get a lil more in that way.  Since yer already loadin' Big Lube™ boolits you know there's no need for any cookies or sum such under yer boolits.

For the 45-70 ya mite want to pur a 1/16" Circle Fly compressed fiber wad under yer boolits.  FWIW, the PRS makes a great little Plainsman boolit in the 45-70 if cast from a soft alloy and not sized, but pan lubed.  They bump up to .458 and fill the bore just fine.  Accuracy is great out to 200 yards and recoil is very mild.

DD-DLoS

[Fox Creek Kid]

There is an alternative: mix FFFg & FFg vol. for vol.    This is what GOEX did to make their "Cowboy" powder and was what Winchester used for their factory BP rounds in the Old West for at least their 44-40 rounds. I've done it for years, usually mixing Elephant with Swiss FFFg. Hey, I'm Scotch!    Note: NEVER EVER do this with smokeless powder!!! 

[Adirondack Jack]

A load of FFFG in a .45 Colt is not gonna break it.  Ya may find it is a little more whoopass than ya like, but it ain't gonna break the gun.

[sundance44`s]

I`ve always used 3f in my 45 colt cases too .. 30 grs and 2 cards and a 200 gr bullet .. it`s stout but no problems from it ... and the marlin likes them too .

[litl rooster]

 Anvil Dave, if you have the powder on hand...............>saying don't run out buy additional< why don't you load say 10 rounds of each fffg and ffg then go out and try them.....See what you think for your own self...The info I have gathered here has been top notch, yet I have had to do my own reserach and feild testing.  Not complaining guys I  have enjoyed every second of it.

[Dick Dastardly]

Ho Small Rooster,

Yer dead nuts on.  Yer own guns, yer reloading bench and yer own trigger finger.  Let 'er flicker, take notes and report back.  We're all in this together.

DD-DLoS

[Wills Point Pete]

 I loaded FFFG in my .45 Colt and FFG in my mule ear double right up until I discovered I could get a better deal buying a 25 pound lot of the same stuff. Now it's FFG for everything.
Of course by then I had ldropped back a tad on the powder charges for my revolver/rifle cartridges anyhow to keep my compadres from complaining about dentin' the steel. I cut back to the powder charge that the Cavalry used although I kept the bullet weight at 250 grains.
When I switched to FFG from triple F I ran the loads over my chrono until I got the load adjusted to match the velocity of 28 FFFG, it took three grains with my particular blend of bullet/lube/case and compression/crimp.
Since the original load was 40 grains in a baloon head case I doubt you'd overstress anything. It might be more than your hand likes, depending on how heavy your shootin' iron is and how well the grip fits. If so, no biggie. A little less powder and fill the airspace with some dry grits.
It ain't rocket surgery or brain science.

[litl rooster]

Ho Small Rooster,

Yer dead nuts on.  Yer own guns, yer reloading bench and yer own trigger finger.  Let 'er flicker, take notes and report back.  We're all in this together.

DD-DLoS

  That's what I was saying              I think

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Howdy!

Like Litl Rooster said, "Try it!  You might like it!"  (Or words to that effect.)

I have a friend who uses ONLY 3F in everything he loads.  Including  12 ga for NCOWS & SASS ammo.

When he told me about it I gave it a try.  No problems.  Did it produce greater recoil?  Some.  Does it kick as hard as my 44 mag (non Cowboy loads?  Not even close.  As you can see from my signature line, I'm a Warthog and I LIKE stout loads!  Would I recommend it for everyone?  Nope.  Some of us have gotten more sensitive to recoil in our older years.  ( And I DID use the word "us" which includes me!  )

For NCOWS and SASS use I could tell no difference in accuracy, and I really can't properly test for accuracy as my favorite range which allows BP is closed for the entire 2006 season for a $$ Million Dollar $$ renovation project.

Now I use 2F or 3F - whatever I have on hand. 

[Cuts Crooked]

Howdy!
I have a friend who uses ONLY 3F in everything he loads.  Including  12 ga for NCOWS & SASS ammo.

Steel Horse, I din' know you knew me that well!

Yup! I only use 3F...in every CAS gun I own, revolvers, main match rifles, scatterguns, and buff guns. Although I ain't all that good a shot these dayz due to aging eyes, a pard of mine can take my loads and shoot the centers out of targets all day long at 200 & 300 yards...with his gun or mine!

However, I'm using KIK powder rather than Goex. I'm not a huge fan of Goex as I find it to be excessively dirty and not as consistant as KIK. The last two cans of 2F Goex I tried were a tremendous disappopintment. I don't worry that much about fouling with the big lube bullets, but I expect more from an American company dang it! And I can't see spending the money for something that doesn't work as good as it should!

Speaking of which, Swiss is an absolutely fantastic powder! Minimal fouling and good consistancy. But I have to be honest here, unless you are in the top 10% of the long range game, ergo: way up there in the rarified atmosphere, even Swiss isn't going to be much help to you. The average shooter isn't going to see himself pushed into the winners circle at big matches just because he's using Swiss......but it's great powder! I'd suggest KIK, Grafs, or Wano for the average guy who's in the mid pack area of long range shooters. Otherwise he's really just wasting his money for little or no gain. It's kinda like short stroking yer 73, it ain't gonna make ya into the next EOT winner and it's gonna cost ya a good bit to do it!

[will52100]

My basic load is the same as I use for hunting with my Henry, 250 grain PRS big lube bullet, 38 grains of 3f Graf's droped tubed(not that far), a .030 fiber card, and CCI magnum primmer.  A little on the stout side for a 5 1/2" barreled peacmaker, but not bad.  Wouldn't want to shoot that load out of it all day though.

I love Swiss powder, it's hotter and cleaner burning, but about twice as expensive.  The only thing I use it in is my 45-70 and 38 long colt with it's limted powder capcity.

[Anvil Dave]

Well now pards........I had a good a day today. I just shot 100, 50 w/ 35 gr. and 50 w/30 gr. of 3 f black powder, and there is no different in recoil. The boolets was the "Big Lube", and man, do I like them boolets. All 100 shots, at 25 yards, I hit the target evertime and did not have to clean the gun at all in 100 shots. Big Lube, you have a good thing going. And now, I'm a darksider.

[litl rooster]

 another satisfied customer