Blackpowder FAQ

[Marshal Halloway]

Here's an old Cas City feature written by By F.G. Black, SASS member #7213.

http://www.cascity.com/bpfaq.htm

[Cuts Crooked]

That's a great summation there! FG obviously knows his stuff when it comes to black powder!

[California Lawdawg]

Good article for the novice

Lawdawg

[Paper Chaser]

Good article!  And goodness, my black powder shooters cost me a 'wee bit' more than $700.  Thanks for the posting Marshal.

[Big Boss Man]

Pardon my ignorance if I am posting this in the wrong place.  I just purchased a new Ruger Old Army and when I took it to the back 40, I tried about 6 cylinder loads and each and every time, the first time around all failed to fire.  The second time I made the round on the same cylinder they all fired. I tried #10 and #11 primers and the same result.  I made sure they were seated fine but that made no difference.  It was as if the first go round, the hammer seated the cap and the second go round it fired.  Has this ever happened to anyone else.   

[Cuts Crooked]

It was as if the first go round, the hammer seated the cap and the second go round it fired.

Yup! It happens sometimes, when yer caps don't fit yer nipples properly. A couple of things ya can do to cure this: Try another brand of caps, try another brand of nipples, turn yer nipples down to fit yer caps.

Bottom line is, the caps should seat all the way down on the nipples without using very much force to seat them. Some folks use a wooden dowel to push the caps down on the nipples, I
don't reccomend this practice, but it werks fer some. I prefer to have the nipples fitted to the caps so that they seat with a firm push from the capping tool.

[Paper Chaser]

I'll go along with Cuts.  I tried the dowel rod and gave up on it as maybe not so bright.  Just try to get the right sizes and let 'er rip!  Takes a little experimenting but it's still FUN !!

[J.D. Stawker]

Another possibility is that there is oil or grease in the nipples themselves which would block the fire from reaching the powder. I always swab out the cylinders with alcohol to remove the oil before I go shoot and then run a pick through each nipple before I cap it.  You may think you don't have a nipple pick but you do. Some people call them paper clips.

[Shiloh Sharpie]

Try firing a cap on empty chambers before loading and firing.  Point the pistol in a safe directiopn when doing this.  It tells if the caps are firing and clears any small impediments from the nipple.  I have Rugers and needed to move to the Remington Hot caps I found at Wal-Mart of all places before it shot reliably.  Keep experimenting and you will get there.

[Calamity Jane]

"there is one correct load. Black powder or Pyrodex is poured into the case to a level when the bullet is fully seated, the powder is slightly compressed about one eighth inch.  "


A goodly number of us would take exception to that statement "one correct load"

[El Paso Pete]

"A goodly number of us would take exception to that statement "one correct load"

I've never been a goodly number before.    I have to compress the powder 7/16" in my .45 Colt, 42 grain loads.
I compress Goex 1F 9/16" in one of my 50-90 loads.  The amount of compression all depends on how much ya want to put in.  What ya don't want to do is leave an air space.  In the cartridge you'll have BP plus you may have a filler and/or a wad.  When ya seat the bullet you want to compress what ever ya got in the cartridge, 1/8" is a good minimum amount and more is OK.

I know nothing bout Pyrodex or any of the other counterfeits, only real Black Powder.

[Dick Dastardly]

There's iron in Petes' words.  I shot that 50-90 and it is one sweet gun, but do wear that recoil pad. . .

DD-DLoS

[GunClick Rick]

calibrate the nipples so they are all the same highth...one end of cylynder to the nipple is what i was told..

[litl rooster]

Another possibility is that there is oil or grease in the nipples themselves which would block the fire from reaching the powder. I always swab out the cylinders with alcohol to remove the oil before I go shoot and then run a pick through each nipple before I cap it.  You may think you don't have a nipple pick but you do. Some people call them paper clips.

try this after you clean your pistol and or before you load them. This always seemed to work for me.

[litl rooster]

the shootin iron link doesn't work....at least not for me.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Calamity Jane speaks from the heart.  She has done extensive research into lightened, HIGHLY ACCURATE loads.  If you haven't been to her website, you should !

I prefer the Warthog loads myself, but don't put down the accuracy loads just because they aren't as hot.  Her loads CERTAINLY aren't gamer loads,  just accurate - and several come very close to original (un)Civil War loads; tho I don't recall that they used a filler with those loads.

Hope y'all had a Merry Christmas!

And Happy Boxing Day to you, CJ, Ratt. Jack, and all our Canadian Pards!  ( I wish we celebrated BD here in the US.  My Scottish wife and her family taught me about Boxing Day.)

[gmatov]

No one seems to have read Big Boss Man's question.

He said he capped 6 nipples, with 10 and 11 caps, and wheeled thru a cycle, and none popped, then snapped 6 more times and the same primers popped and fired.

You guys say try firing a clearing cap, or try cleaning with alcohol. It's not NOT firing, it's NOT detonating the cap. That does not call for a clearing cap, it calls for WHY the first hammer drop seems to be "hammer seating" the cap.

Have to go back to see what gun it is, but mebbe the mainspring is too light, in a Rem, torque the adjusting screw, get more spring tension, in a Colt, make sure the mainspring screw is snugged.

Some people like to back off a turn or 3 to lighten the trigger pull, also lightens the hammer fall.

It's been 3 weeks since the last reply to his problem, and some seem to be slanted toward cartridges..

help the guy, guys.

Cheers,

George

[Smokin Gun]

Pardon my ignorance if I am posting this in the wrong place.  I just purchased a new Ruger Old Army and when I took it to the back 40, I tried about 6 cylinder loads and each and every time, the first time around all failed to fire.  The second time I made the round on the same cylinder they all fired. I tried #10 and #11 primers and the same result.  I made sure they were seated fine but that made no difference.  It was as if the first go round, the hammer seated the cap and the second go round it fired.  Has this ever happened to anyone else.   

All I know about the Ruger C&B's is I think they a coil type or wire mainspring...it may be they or one is broken or weak...just a guess. The other is make sure nothing has fallen down between the frame and the hammer and is stuck there, check to see the hammer is all the way forward when after you bring it down to rest...I'd suggest tearin down and puttin it back together if you haven't done so already. You said the caps were fullty seated so cap shouldn't be deformed or plugged. Try hammer seating the caps, , with chambers empty first and see it if helps. That's all I can think of.

[dpote]

I had the same problem Big Boss Man was having. I tried RWS 1075 and CCI mag #11 caps. Nothing fit, and it always took a second hammer strike to get the caps to seat. Remingtons are not available in my area. A friend had some very old Remington caps, the size was not marked on the tin, and those fit perfectly. I think the Ruger nipples are made for Remington caps.
I went and bought some Treso nipples, which are a shade smaller in diameter, and everything is good now. I sent Big Boss Man a PM explaining this, I posted here as well so everyone gets the information.

Be safe,
Dave

[sundance44`s]

if the caps fired the second time around ... they probally aren`t seated on the nipples ... i use a wooden dowel  to push the tight ones on ..( of course keep her pointed down range ) ...... maybe some help on the subject ...