Hey Lars...

[Major Matt Lewis]

I may be joining you on the darkside....I picked up an EMF Rossi Winchester 92 Clone at the convention...It feels pretty good, but needs an action job....

[Lars]

Hej Rich!!

Great to see another shooter switch to shooting the smokey powders!!

When you got it all together, the only differences between the smokey and nitro powders is the smoke -- and -- of course -- the closer tie to the late 1800s.

It was great to see so many folks shooting smokey powders at the 2005 GAF Muster!!

Lars

[Major Matt Lewis]

I was talking about the rifle, not the smokey powder....forget that.....

[Lars]

OK Rich, NOW I am wondering just what all "darkside" means to folks out there!!

Lars

[Ol Gabe]

OH, NOOOOOOOO!!!! Here we go again!
M.M.,
Please, please, please, just don't tell him, let him get so anxious, antsey and curious to find out he'll just be aggravated enough he'll come up to the Muster next fall and watch you shoot it! Yeah, thats the ticket, total confusion and Victorian Era Pysops all combined together, I love it! Besides, he won't go that far without a chance to show off his fast fingers on that Nyklharpe, and I, for one Iowegian, can't wait to here it and match wits with him on my Washtub Bass! The gauntlet has been thrown down Lars...Dueling Scandahoovians at 3 paces!
Best regards and good shooting!
'Ol Gabe

[Lars]

Nää, Gabriel, M.M. is just feeling feisty cause I missed a few shots at the last GAF Muster and he got to keep his 100 dollars.

I am real pleased to see that the experimental gamer in him is trying those naturally short-stroked rifles, both Marlins and W92 replicas. He is a real "Gamer's Gamer"!! Cannot keep that man down.

Now, IFFIN we is a gonna duel at three paces at the next GAF Muster, we maybe should agree the Scandihoovian tunes -- you know, sorta like choosing your pistols. How about "Hambo på lögan", "Rullande Gubban", "Forsmarkar'n", maybe "Josefin" and "Sommarvalsen" and "Bonden i paradis" for a change of pace.

John C. and Chantilly danced to "Bonden i paradis" last time. IF we do this right, it can be a "multi media" event.

Now a Washtub Bass -- must be one o those things picked up in the new country.

Lars

[Major Matt Lewis]

Lar's you're right....I am feeling a wee bit fiesty...But Gabe does have a point....he he he

[Lars]

Hummmm................. are the machinations for GAF Muster 2006 are now "officially" started? Or do we have to wait for Kayleen to fire the starter's pistol?

Now, lets see, IF Old Gabe and MM are on the same posse with me .................. I need a ............. ой, ОЙ, ОЙ !!! ............. this could be fun!!!

Lars

[Dakota Widowmaker]

I managed to pick up a LeMat Cavalry model at a special "last day of the convention" price.

There were deals to be had. Lots of good vendors.

I might suggest getting some "snakebite - grease wagon" 158gr boolits. They are often available on Ebay for $18/250.

I have found them a joy to shoot with BP. ZERO hard fouling and with fire formed 38spl brass, no noticable back blast of smoke...it all comes out the front! Similar boolits are available for 44-40 and 45lc.

[Lone Gunman]

Well Dakota, you should have said something...I thought that was just one of the local townspeople who bought Yuma's Lemat. Bring it down to the FDMR Shootout at Coyote Gultch http://www.ncows.org/CoyoteGulchFDR.pdf in June so you can honor Yuma's promise to let me shoot it 

[Yuma Kid]

WidowMaker,
I did my part for the economy, I put your check in my pocket and walked over and handed a check to another dealer for a Cimarron 1873 model P "7th Cavalry" single action.  7-1/2" blue with "US" marking and of course the black powder frame.  However, it remains to be seen if it will actually shoot with black powder.  If not, it will likely end up on my "mistakes" table next year.
Yuma

[Lars]

Yuma City Kid,

There are lotsa "informations" out there about what it takes to shoot BP with the same ease and reliability as modern nitro loads. In reality, there are very few critical factors.

The three major ones with ammo are:
1) quality powder (Wano, Swiss, Schutzen, 777 FFG, APP Gold/ Goex Pinnacle, even Pyrodex) is really one of the most crutical because of the relatively small amount of soft powder fouling they leave in the bores,
2) quality bullets from the BP era ( that covers ALL the 40, 44 and 45 calibers -- recommend the "Snakebite" for the 36 calibers for which there are no excellent BP bullets from the 1800s). ALL are excellent with the currently available BPs that closely replicate the quality BPs from that era (see list above),
and
3) enough quality lube (home made or lubes like SPG, Javalina Alox, BoreButter, etc. -- the old Lyman BP bullets with two lube groves for 44-40, 38-40, and 45 Colt are really excellent).

For guns there are also few critical factors, mainly, 1) a good "crud bushing" to keep powder fouling off the cylinder pin -- Colts have this, as do an well-built Colt replica, Rugers, etc., original S&Ws, but NOT replica S&Ws, 2) adequate clearance between cylinder pin and cylinder, 3) very minimal end-shake of cylinder (so that hand does not push crud-covered front of cylinder against crud-covered back end of barrel -- seen this on some replicas).

If your gun won't shoot BP well with the factory ammo that George Warnick and I report on in the Nov-Dec The Shootist, then there is a problem with the gun. That problem may be as simple to fix as through polishing of cylinder pin and its hole in the cylinder.

May you enjoy happy and easy BP shooting!!

Lars

[Yuma Kid]

Lars,
Thanks for the info!  I've actually been shooting the "holy black" for a couple of years now.  I have just found some revolvers more finicky than others about their tolerance for shooting black after a cylinder full, or for that matter some only after a round or 2.  Particularly, Schofield and Remington 1875 reproductions.  I have noticed that the revolvers with tighter cylinder gaps (less blow to the cylinder pin) seem to go longer.
Yuma

[Lars]

Yuma,

In my experience cylinder gaps are irrelevant (except for those sloppily made guns where the hand pushes the cylinder against the end of barrel) to performance with BPs of any kind. Primary essential is excellet performing "crud bushing" that keeps the BP burned powder crud off the cylinder pin. The Rogers & Spencer C&Bs have this, the Remington and Colt C&Bs do not. The Ruger Old Army copies the Rogers & Spencer in this regard, as did the Colt model Ps, and modern Rugers.

One can compensate for poor or absent "crud bushing" by using a "huge" amount of BP lube. Many of us do this with New Model Remington C&Bs, which have absolutely no protection of the cylinder pin from BP crud. Just put lots of lube either under or over the balls. Still, properly made "modern" revolvers should have well protected cylinder pins and not need excessive lube just to keep the cylinder turning. The modern replicas of Schofelds I have seen had greatly reduced "crud bushing" because the cylinders had been lenghtened to allow use of 45 Colt in a gun never designed for such a long cartridge.

Amount of clearance between cylinder pin and its hole in cylinder can be important, even with proper "crud brushings" (which really do not totally protect the cylinder pin). I have one Ruger Vaquero that has unusually sloppy clearance between cylinder pin and cylinder -- I have yet to find a BP load so bad that it will clog up that Ruger. My other Ruger is more typical in this regard --with care it goes 6 stages each day with no problem, so long as premium BPs, time-tested original BP bullets and excellent lubes are used. Cylinder gaps are same for both guns.

Lars