Why. . . . Holy Black?

fourfingersofdeath · November 02, 2013, 05:22:07 AM

Why, that's sort of like asking about why a person hunts or rides a motorcycle, or any other thing that is a bit different and most times, if you gotta explain, they will never understand.

brazosdave · November 05, 2013, 05:16:48 PM

I like the looks that you get at the range, the smell, the boom, the fire. Pyrodex and Trip 7 are a close second, but shooting with modern powder is just, well, downright boring. Plus it is less harsh on my ears to hear a boom than the high pitch of the plastic fantastics the other guys at the range are burning through all their ammo for the day in the five minutes they actually shoot.

Dick Dastardly · November 05, 2013, 06:19:17 PM

Gentlemen and Soot Lords all,

I hear what you say and I've become part of it. I loaded 45-70 long range ammo tonight. Got Ten rounds loaded. Primed with the Trade Mark (TM) turned toward me. Sized the brass with the TM oriented the same. Belled the brass with the TM facing me, same as the sizing die. Put the ready brass under the drop tube (Old 3' copper bugle) and dropped in the powder slowly. Took the charged brass back to the press and oriented the TM towards me again, put in an over powder card and compressed the powder and card. Took a lube sized Big Lube®LLC DD 45-70 500 bullet (496.5 ± 0.5g) and set it straight up on the brass. Ran the cartridge home in the seating die, of course oriented properly to the TM. Marked the cartridges with a red stripe.

All that, and when I shoot these bullets I'll be orienting the TM up in the chamber of my original Remington Rolling Block rifle, shooting over my graph and taking notes. Is this a hunting rig? Could be, but it's my passion, pleasure and precision.

Yup, I enjoy SASS matches, and I also enjoy my long range shooting. It's all Holy Black.

DD-MDA

Steel Horse Bailey · November 07, 2013, 05:52:28 AM

Sound like things are well-in-hand at Ranch Dastardly!

Happy hunting, pard!! Or whatever brand of shooting you are planning for.

Dick Dastardly · November 07, 2013, 10:33:38 AM

Howdy Steel Horse,

I intend to kill Bambi with my 45-70 this season. I'll report back.

DD-MDA

Qball · November 30, 2013, 08:16:34 AM

Well, shooting's been on the backburner for some time now (due to family problems)
But when i did, it was the only powder for me.

I realy thought that Cowboy Action Shooting was only done with Blackpowder when i started this game

All dressed up and no smoke to go, ain't Cowboy to me

Rye Miles · December 02, 2013, 06:58:36 AM

I started out shooting smokeless .45 colt, I switched to BP about 6 or 7 yrs. ago and I haven't looked back! It's all BP for me now. If and when I shoot smokeless (maybe once a year) it's just not as much fun. When I shoot my modern guns, 9mm, .357 DA, 1911 etc. at the indoor range it's kinda boring after awhile. I love to bring my C&B revolvers to the indoor range and see the crowd gather behind me, "Wow what;s that?" they ask!! I say the"ONE TRUE GUNPOWDER fellas"!

.44-40 rocks!

Rye

Blackpowder Burn · December 02, 2013, 07:03:51 AM

Rye,

Take your 1911 to the range and run it on black powder. That will really blow their mind!

Cliff Fendley · December 02, 2013, 05:56:24 PM

I've never shot black at an indoor range. I bet the sparks and flames show up nicely.

Rye Miles · December 02, 2013, 07:46:29 PM

Quote from: Blackpowder Burn on December 02, 2013, 07:03:51 AM
Rye,

Take your 1911 to the range and run it on black powder. That will really blow their mind!

Someone did that at a WB match we had a couple years ago. His 1911 Colt ran great with BP. I should try it on my Springfield 1911.

Rye

Rye Miles · December 02, 2013, 07:49:18 PM

Quote from: Cliff Fendley on December 02, 2013, 05:56:24 PM
I've never shot black at an indoor range. I bet the sparks and flames show up nicely.

It looks awesome, which is why everyone leaves their stalls and comes over to hear what the "boom" is! When they see the flames they're surprised and if they try it they always love it! I'm trying to convert as many as I can but it's hard when they have "modern" guns. I tell them they need to buy "cowboy" guns!!

Rye

Gus Walker · December 02, 2013, 08:24:00 PM

My first big bore was a Cva hawken style rifle,when i was 22. Up until then all we had was a .22 bolt action and a twelve gauge bolt action. Been hooked on blackpowder ever since. And there aint nothing like unlimbering my Walker when there a bunch of guys with their wonder nines, all pow pow pow then i unleash Thors hammer......

Blackpowder Burn · December 03, 2013, 07:26:57 AM

And then you unleash a lever action 45-70. All the heads pop up like gophers!

Dick Dastardly · December 03, 2013, 12:25:46 PM

Ever notice that the Cowboy Chronicle and other publications feature so many black powder shooters? It's because flames and smoke make more exciting pictures.

DD-MDA

Blackpowder Burn · December 03, 2013, 05:41:14 PM

A local newspaper sends a photographer to our matches once or twice a year. At least half the photos that show up in the paper are of BP, just so much more visual appeal. I ended up on the front page of the paper last time.

That probably means the NSA is now watching me!

Tornado · December 14, 2013, 11:10:05 AM

Well I just loaded up my first 50 rounds of 45 Colt using blackpowder. It seemed strange not breaking out the scale! I loaded 30 rounds using BigLube 45slim and 20 rounds of the 250g BigLube bullets. I have a mixture of some full power loads, down to ones with a fair amount of grits. Sadly I will not have a chance to shoot them until the first of the year

.

Dick Dastardly · December 14, 2013, 08:52:16 PM

Black powder is so very versatile and easy to load that I'm some put off by all the rigamrole needed to load heathen fad smokeyless ammo. One thing I really enjoy about loading black powder is that it supports the bullets so that they don't turtle into the brass.

DD-MDA

Gus Walker · December 15, 2013, 06:07:18 AM

Yep,yep,yep and no worries about double charges and all that.And i may be imagining it but in all my guns the holy black is more accurate.

Cliff Fendley · December 15, 2013, 10:32:45 AM

Quote from: Gus Walker on December 15, 2013, 06:07:18 AM
Yep,yep,yep and no worries about double charges and all that.And i may be imagining it but in all my guns the holy black is more accurate.

I don't think it's your imagination, I've also found it to be more accurate in any of the cartridges I shoot it in.

Not that you can't find a smokeless load that will shoot as good in a particular gun but the BP is more inherently accurate.

Dick Dastardly · December 15, 2013, 10:35:49 AM

Yup Gus,

One reason for that accuracy is that you shoot those guns more. Like the legend says, "Fear the man that owns only one gun for he probably knows how to use it". Also, black powder recoils less sharply than heathen fad smokeyless does. Also, if you graph bp loads you will find that they are very consistant. This is because of the more consistantly filled cases (compressed loads).

Grampa knew what he was doing with that old 38-70.

DD-MDA