The Barnstormer .45 bullet meets the smokey stuff (that was fun!!!)

[Adirondack Jack]

As some of you pards know, I been playing with a new bullet mold I had a feller make for me. It makes hollow based .45 bullets, and can be adjusted to throw bullets from probably 100 to 150 or so grains. So far I made and shot bullets at 103, 110, and 120 grains, and I like the 120s best.

After some initial promising tests with smokeless, I tried a few rounds with 777 FFG and Goex FFG today. While not really  BP bullet, owing to a single small lube groove, I wanted to see what kind of performance I got with Goex FFg as a comparison for the other subs Like APP and such that I don't have on hand.  I also tried it with 777 FFG, using a couple of different recipes. I do think this might be a fine BP sub bullet.

Cowboy .45 Special brass, CCI LP primers, 120 grain Barnstormer HB bullet (crimped in crimp groove, OAL just about an inch.)

Goex FFG 20.5 grains (thumb seated + 1/16 or a little more compression), average velocity 752 FPS with a satisfying boom and good smoke.

777 FFG, 17.2 grains WEIGHT (probably 23.5 grains volume) 1000 fps average (too hot for CAS, but might be a neat critter gitter)

Then I tried a "minimum" SASS load, using 11.5 grains weight of 777 FG (about 15.5 grains volume), a nitro card, and goodly compression to seat the bullet.  Average velocity 886 fps with a fairly tight ES and SD.  Shot well, fair smoke, light recoil, it's a volume equivalent of a bit over the SASS minimum for powder, so I guess it would make the smoke test (hard to tell when yer shooting instead of watching). Not for nothing but we're talking a 106 PF, which out to take down any KD ya ever encounter.  The recoil is light, so I might like to shoot them when I try shooting gunfighter this year (another shooting style to try, like I need to complicate things) as the light recoil helps my left handed shooting with a lousy elbow and wrist.  Just for giggles, I tried a five shot dump, shooting two handed, and they cranked right along and made a nice 12 inch or so pattern in the snow at 10 yards without having to squeeze heck outta the gun. Interesting.

I'm still working on options to bring the bullet or molds to market at reasonable cost.....

[Dick Dastardly]

Got the test sample.  Weighed at 123 grains.  Mike said .452".  Come fair weather I'll run 'em ahead of some FFFg Holy Black both from the Kirst Konverter and AJ's brass and from the Ruger Old Army C&B cylinder.  I only load compressed loads of BP and I use a good charge of it so I expect that it'll wander along at near, or over, SASS maximum velocities.

I intend to adjust some loads downward to just under 1000 fps from my ROAs and see how they group and graph.

Also, AJ, you might just have an interesting .410 ga slug there. . .

And, this might well be the ultimate bullet for derringer side matches!!!

Work to do and reporting to follow.

DD-DLoS

[Adirondack Jack]

Got the test sample.  Weighed at 123 grains.  Mike said .452".  Come fair weather I'll run 'em ahead of some FFFg Holy Black both from the Kirst Konverter and AJ's brass and from the Ruger Old Army C&B cylinder.  I only load compressed loads of BP and I use a good charge of it so I expect that it'll wander along at near, or over, SASS maximum velocities.

I intend to adjust some loads downward to just under 1000 fps from my ROAs and see how they group and graph.

Also, AJ, you might just have an interesting .410 ga slug there. . .

And, this might well be the ultimate bullet for derringer side matches!!!



Work to do and reporting to follow.

DD-DLoS

I have thought a .44 sizer, followed by a .410 sizer might do to make em into .410 slugs

FFGBP  in my brass ran 750 or so.  Mebbe more with stiff compression and a long pipe.  I expect maybe 825???   I'd love to hear what they'd do with a stiff charge in the ROA C&B cylinder, just for grins.

[Dick Dastardly]

For the moment all my C45Spl brass is sittin' on the shelf full of bp and Big Lube™ boolits.  I'll need that new order of brass I sent a check for. .

It'll all  come together before this winter weather moderates enough to set up the graph.

DD-DLoS

[Adirondack Jack]

For the moment all my C45Spl brass is sittin' on the shelf full of bp and Big Lube™ boolits.  I'll need that new order of brass I sent a check for. .

It'll all  come together before this winter weather moderates enough to set up the graph.

DD-DLoS

Moderates?   Yer getting wimpy, DD.   Hell fire, we had a balmy 28 degrees today.  I dragged out an old camera tripod to set the new Shooting Chrony up out of the snow and ran some tests.  Of course I forgot to keep the smokeless test rounds in my pocket, so they were ice cold when fired, and gave a bit more ES than I'd like, but nothing that wasn't usable. I burned up probably 50 of them just plinking left handed to see how I'd do with the light loads.

Then I ran the tests with the 777 and Goex before heading back to the house.  The nice thing about the Beta Master chrony is I simply wrote the number assigned to the string on the bag the ammo came out of, and retrieved the numbers from the control box later, at the house.  No recording each shot on paper, no math to do.  It really is neat.

In the mean while, Shooting Chrony finally called me back today, (they been having phone problems), and they sent out a new sensor for the F-1 I shot up.  The gal said it was gonna be under $20 charged to my card.  I'll have the "basic" unit fixed up and usable, probably use it at shoots so pards can graph their loads if they're interested in the PF they're making.

If I let winter get in the way of product testing I'd never get it done.  Spring and summer are for shooting and riding the bike

[Dick Dastardly]

Experience is a good teacher.  Mayhaps I could add "His Wussyness" to my DLoS handle?   For reasons I can't explain my arthritis acts up more since I started getting those SS checks in the mail. .

DD-DLoS

[Cuts Crooked]

Hell fire, we had a balmy 28 degrees today

.

Braggart!!!!

(sub zero here this morning and it's s'posed to get up to 1 degree tomorrow  )

[Dr. Bob]

Cutts,

Where is that GLOBAL WARMING anyway