1911 blackpowder

[Sherod Hunter]

Howdy pards.

Just want to share that you can run 10 rounds of 15 grain blackpowder loads through a 1911 before it stops.
I just had to know......

sherod.

[Mako]

Sherrod Hunter,

You can run a lot more than that reliably if you use a BP lube on those bullets and up your powder charge by at least 2 grains.

What bullet weight and and spring are you running?

Check out these threads:

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,39204.msg498549.html#msg498549

Stuff that case full and get a minimum of 1/16" compression.  That's determined by which bullet you are using, but I will recommend a 225 to 230 grain BP lubricated bullet with at least 17 grains of 3Fg if you are going to use your factory "ball" recoil spring.

Regards,
Mako

[PJ Hardtack]

Sherod

While I applaud your scientific curiosity, I have to ask - "WHY?"

Back in the late 70s, I organized a black powder event that included a trap shoot. I had shotshells loaded with 70 grs BP and the appropriate amount of shot. I left it open as to what type of gun could be used, never dreaming that anyone would shoot anything other than a BP shotgun.
One shooter (not a regular BP shooter) opted to use his current Winchester gas operated semi-auto trap gun. He won! The gun and load demolished the clays. Other modern guns I remember were a Browning 'Superposed', M12s, Rem 870s, etc.

That night, he got plastered at the dinner banquet and was sick, sad and sorry the next day, so much so that he didn't clean the gun until the day after. Humidity was high.
When he stripped and cleaned the gun, he was horrified. Had he left it any longer it might have done permanent damage.

What did your 1911 look like?

[Sherod Hunter]

Well I'm the chairman of our local blackpowder club here in Fredrikstad in Norway and all I use is blackpowder in all my guns.

I bought this Norwegian made Colt 1911 (called 1914 in Norway) for wild bunch shooting, and I just had to know how it would work with the propper powder in it.
Since I'm used to clean all my guns every time I shoot, the gun looked like any other gun I have after I have shot. It's made of steel, just like all my other guns.....

Now I know how the gun works with blackpowder, and I wanted to share that info with you.

Sherod.

[Four Eyes Henry]

I have done that too 
I use a J/P big lube bullet and 4F powder and it keeps running.


http://www.youtube.com/user/foureyeshenry1#p/u/4/5DGgMXl8Fzs


..as for why ? just for the fun of it !!

[Mako]

Well I'm the chairman of our local blackpowder club here in Fredrikstad in Norway and all I use is blackpowder in all my guns.

I bought this Norwegian made Colt 1911 (called 1914 in Norway) for wild bunch shooting, and I just had to know how it would work with the propper powder in it.
Since I'm used to clean all my guns every time I shoot, the gun looked like any other gun I have after I have shot. It's made of steel, just like all my other guns.....

Now I know how the gun works with blackpowder, and I wanted to share that info with you.

Sherod.

Congratulations Sherod!

Yep it works... It actually works well if you use the right combination of components, bullet lubrication and springs.  In the thread I pointed you to in my last post we were talking about different spring weights which I thought might be of interest to you.  I first tried BP in a .45 about 2005 in an IDPA match on a dare.  I did pretty well,  much to the chagrin of some of the naysayers.  In those days I was using 200 grain H&G 68 style bullets and really not enough powder because I wasn't compressing it enough. I was very concerned about the bullet moving forward with only a taper crimp.  Since then I have learned it doesn't move forward under recoil, the powder crushes down and doesn't try to re-expand."  I was running a lighter spring at the time because of the low slide impulse with the softer shooting BP loads.   The original spring I was running could have been anywhere from a 12 to 14 pounds in the pistol I was using, I don't remember anymore.

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,23296.msg301976.html#msg301976

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,28131.msg371915.html#msg371915

Since then I have switched to a 225-230 grain round nose with about 17.5 grains of Goex 3Fg and I run a standard 16 # spring.  17.5 grains is a compressed load load and I use a heavy taper crimp.  I'm thinking of changing to KIK or Swiss to get a cleaner burn and a bit more velocity.

17.5 rains behind a 255 gr bullet only gives me a bit over 710 fps with a standard 5 in barrel.  If I could get to 740 fps with that bullet I will have a load I would be very happy with.  I might try a different barrel and gain 20 fps and make the balance with a better powder and maybe even a mild roll crimp.

Since the Wild Bunch matches have become popular you are seeing more people trying BP in 1911s just for grins and even shooting them in Wild Bunch matches.  More and more people like Four Eyes Henry are proving every day it can be done and it will be interesting as to where this goes in the future.  A few years ago when we were posting about 1911s and BP it was an oddity, it seems now more and more tell us, "yep, I tried it and it works."  Will there be some whole new derivative syle or category based on BP in weapons not traditionally considered for them to be used in?

Regards,
Mako

[Springfield Slim]

15 grains of fffg and a 260 grain 454190 bullet works for me.

[Sherod Hunter]

Well I just tried to do this for fun. I guess I could have run a lot more rounds through it if I put more effort into it, but I just needed to see the smoke come out of an automatic gun.
All the parts in the gun are standard and I guess not enough lube on the bullets either.

I'm not going to test it more, it was just for fun.

When I get my Sharps 45-110, well then I'm going to put a lot more testing into the loads.....

Sherod.

[Dick Dastardly]

Watch the Cowboy Chronicle for the article by Pukin Dog on shooting the 1911 with black powder and flat nose ROA Big Lube®LLC bullets.

DD-DLoS