What is it about Black Powder???

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

    Needs a BIGGER SPOON!!

Paladin (what's impressed the SC`s contraption  ) UK

Next time I will alter the measurements to make a SQUARE LOAD!

By the way, Shawnee, your scatogically ephemeral references blew right by me!

[Rye Miles]

When the flame of powder toucheth the soul of man it burns exceding deep
Roger Bacon 1242

...and when the flame of powder toucheth the attacker, if he's close enough it will burn him exceedingly deep also!

[Steel Horse Bailey]

All this discourse about the "One True Powder" makes me all the more excited knowing that our club's first shoot of 2014 is in 7 days and a wake-up!  It will be great putting my trigger finger back into operation.

It sounds like many others out there are ready to shoot, too.  The one reason I'd like moving to warmer states like Florida, Arizona, and/or others is the weather which would allow round-the-calender comfortable shooting.  Yes, I can (and do) shoot during the winter months and my all-time personal coldest (private, not Military) BP shooting fest in the cold months was New Years Day back in 1977.  I'd only been shooting BP for a couple-or-three years back in '74 or '75.  The actual temp was (in the sunlight) hovering around the 0 (Zero) degrees F with the wind-chill taking it down at times to -27F.  My fingers could hardly grasp my ... I'd better change my wording to: "the" instead of "my" balls to load up the cylinder.


Anyhoo, it was darn cold.  The silver lining around the clouds that day was that the (sometimes it seemed like) gale-force winds (OK, MAYBE a little exaggerated) blew the lovely smoke away quickly and we had no problem with target obscuration.  My best friend and I used to have a "traditional" New Years Day shoot, but eventually, life got in the way and being in the Army and stationed in Germany caused that little tradition to fade away.  Now we're both over the age of stoopidity and we no longer brave Mother Nature's worst and we now spend the day being normal, instead of mimicking Eskimo shooters! 


But we had more fun then ...



PS - another wonderful effect of shooting BP in the winter is the heated gun barrel after shooting several rounds from your rifle or pistol - your cold digits will thank you!!


Sir Chas, that is a fine machine you made, Pard!  Us fellow NCOWS folks will forgive your use of stainless steel ... just polish it up 'til it SHINES real purty and say it is Nickle plated.  That was pretty common, back "In The Day!"

[Dick Dastardly]

Watch it Steel Horse,

I've raised blisters on my digits from handling my scattergun too soon.  We had an all scattergun stage that took a minimum of 10 shots.  My 16ga 97 didn't have a good place to lift it from with the barrel up.  She burnt me.

DD-MDA

[Grapeshot]

Watch it Steel Horse,

I've raised blisters on my digits from handling my scattergun too soon.  We had an all scattergun stage that took a minimum of 10 shots.  My 16ga 97 didn't have a good place to lift it from with the barrel up.  She burnt me.

DD-MDA

This is why I use gloves when I shoot my 1887 Lever Action 12ga.  That barrel gets hot fast and my '73 Winchester also gets might hot when I run 10 rounds of full bore BP rounds thru it..

[St8LineLeatherSmith]

all this talk about the holey black makes me want to shoot a load

[Steel Horse Bailey]

 



Go for it!
and don't fergit ...

Keep yer Powder Dry!

(and use lots of it!)

[Green River Powell aka RonC]

Just yesterday, shot my Ohio/Vincent style rifle with 50 gr of Goex and a 440 ball.
I LOVE the way it goes BOOM! What I noticed when the AR15 shooters died down, was the SPLAT sound the balls made when hitting the paper targets and wood backing!
BOOM...SPLAT,
What could be better than THAT?!

Ron

[Blair]

GRP,

Very nice rifle!

The attraction to BP can have various reasons to many people.
But, for me, it is the shooting of firearms within the, or any given time period.
There was only one choice of propellant powder for close to 500 years, and that was BP.
Why change now?
My best,
Blair

[Paladin UK]

Green River Powell says.............

BOOM...SPLAT, What could be better than THAT?!
Reeeel Poetry pard..... Reeeel Poetry

Paladin (Whut lurvs the HB ) UK

[Blair]

Paladin,

What sound does a 400 grain lead bullet sound like when it hits a Buffalo or a bull Elk at 200, or more yards?
My best,
Blair 

[Bruce W Sims]

Interesting experience when I went scouting a well-known range not far from where I live.
The Bristol Range is actually a series of ranges across the border from me in Bristol, Wisconsin.
As I did my recon work through the various ranges--- one for shotguns, one for archery, one for rifle
etc, etc--- I was impressed by how clean and modern everything was. The CAS area was a bit
more primitive, and then I got to the BP range.

I think what struck me first was how it seemed to be nestled among the trees. The RO was sitting
comfortably on the porch of the Sign-in shack and two or three folks were at the shooting tables
with a second line of loading tables behind. The word that kept coming to mind time and again was
"comfortable". There weren't any blaring loud-speakers, or buzzers or bells or sirens. I asked Mark, the RO,
how often he called a cease-fire and was told that the folks on the range would let him know if it was something
they needed. The two people on the firing-line were putting their muzzle-loaders through their paces, puntuated
with occasional conferences with the people doing the loading. Mark also introduced me to Terry, one of the muzzle-loaders
who was a font of information, a reenactor and a competitor. All I needed was coffee and a chair and I could have
parked myself for the afternoon. Mind you , I never fired a shot for the hour I was there and counted myself a lucky man for the experience.
Note to self:   member the skeeter pelent.

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[Bruce W Sims]

GRP,

Very nice rifle!

The attraction to BP can have various reasons to many people.
But, for me, it is the shooting of firearms within the, or any given time period.
There was only one choice of propellant powder for close to 500 years, and that was BP.
Why change now?
My best,
Blair

You hit the nail on the head for me, Blair:
I'm no chemist but I think a huge part of the thrill is working to replicate how things were donee during a different period. Yes, I know; I can always go to the store and buy what I need. But the folks from the period I am studying could not. I am constantly mulling over how people from the late 19th Century would have solved their problems, made due with something else or developed some innovation. I can always buy GOEX at the store but I'm going to get a real charge out of shooting my own stuff.  Just sayin.....
Best Wishes,

Bruce

[rifle]

I always liked the time period 1840-1880.
Freedom was on the breeze if some form of an enemy,animal or human, didn't kill ya. They say the mountain men and trappers were fatalists. They lived and died with the black powder firearms,hatchets and long knives they carried.
Same goes for the travelers stopping in Deadwood or Tombstone for a drink. The cap&baller revolvers they carried along with the rifles or double shotguns kept them alive or killed them. Blackpowder firearms gave Hombre life and liberty or the oblivian of death.

Americans traditions with the gun run deep. Projectiles flying thru the air to a target got in our genetics the first time a cave man threw a round rock at an animal and got supper. The first time a big rock stopped a meat eatin animal from eatin the caveman the genetic bond was deepened.

We are genetically predisposed to love gun powder and projectiles and all that. Some like golf balls. Some baseballs. Some lead balls.

Those of us that love lead balls flying thru the air to a target launched with blackpowder are the pinnical of evolution. The hope and leaders of mankind.
We must prevail and spread the sound wisdom of the fact that Holy black gun powder and flying projectiles are food for the soul and the mind.
Only normal human beings use and love The Holy Black Powder.

After thought......that Vincent Rifle up there in the pic is a beautiful rifle. Beautiful  art in form and function. One of my favorites....The Vincent Rifle. I have several squirrel rifles ,half stock, of the Ohio school.  Ohio rifles. The big bores I have are mostly The Hawkens.
Everyone should own at least one "nice" blackpowder rifle.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

I will echo what my esteemed colleagues have said: BEE-u-tiful Vincent Rifle!

Rifle said:  "We are genetically predisposed to love gun powder and projectiles and all that. Some like golf balls. Some baseballs. Some lead balls."

I will add this as well.  Along with our predisposition comes a modern choice which has become a necessity.  I look at shootinig - especially BP shooting - as doing my bit for the ecology.

I'm putting minerals BACK into the soil!

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Green  River; That is a beautiful rifle, and beats anything I have.  My best flinter is a Pedersoli Mortimer in .54 and a 12gauge barrel for a change. The lock ALWAYS works and the rifle shoots much better than I.

[Bruce W Sims]

I see a lot of resources in MUZZLELOADER for folks who enjoy shooting flintlocks and "snaplocks" ("cap-locks") but
I have often wondered if there are still old pieces still in use from that period like there are original pieces
from the 19th Century. When someone says that they are shooting a HAWKEN is this a reference to an original
piece or a replica of the same name.  Thoughts?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[Blair]

Bruce,

Most likely, they are referring to new made copies of those original firearms. I can't say this is the case for all for them, to be sure.

Some of these old rifles are just too valuable, in any condition to shot very often.
Hope this helps.
My best,
Blair

[brazosdave]

Rotten Redeye Randy, Pukin' Dog and myself shot the season opener at Ripon today.  We made lots of smoke and big BOOOOMS.  We were the only ones on our posse shootin' Holy Black.  By the time we put our guns away we had lots of pards asking questions.  I expect that you will find some more Darkside converts from that gang soon.

We had more fun, shot our own game and proved that there is more fun in shooting black powder then there is in merely running and gunning.  The clock is less important when there's REAL action happening.

Real Black Powder is about enjoying the real feeling of the 1880s.  I was young again today.

DD-DLoS

And that's what it's all about.  I think that statement just about sums up why i love to shoot black powder, and why modern guns don't excite me anymore.

[rifle]

Howdy B.W.Simms,

There are some folks that will shoot old pieces from the 1800's. Shotguns by Moore and Mortimer and Manton come to mind. The guns need a thorough examination by a qualified person. There can be metal fatigue with old guns. Look good but changes in the metal from time.

The breech plugs & patent breech of old rifles need checked closely since some are held in place by corrosion mostly. Not good.
There are old originals that can still be shot safely but.....I don't think the shooting of the old guns is worth the gamble of getting a breech plug stuck in yer forehead.

Most people collect the old guns fer lookin at. They are fine examples of folk art and craftsmanship.

The recreation of old guns with new raw material is what most people shoot. I've made some Hawken rifles to be as close to the originals as I could do it.
The Hawken is my favorite. Most all were "tools" for the expansion into the west where the land was open and the shoots could be long and the abuse to the rifles could be severe.
The Hawkens had no frills except the basic size and shape that lends itself to hard use and balanced shooting. Heavy barrels and thick wrists and strong construction. The Hawken is said to be the pinnical of the evolution of the single shot muzzleloader rifle.

The Vincent rifle with it's very curved butt plate made to hang on the arm and not placed where a person normally wants to place a shotgun or rifle and it's half stock wood is the pinnical of the smaller bore rifles I thunk. The half stock had some iron rib under the barrel to hold the thimbles to hold the ramrod. The full stocks had the wood forward of the entry thimble there to hold the thimbles to hold the ramrod. Wood being in better supply than iron  in the earlier days.....to hold the thimbles to hold the ramrods.

They say the examples of old rifles we see today that are fancy and beautiful were not the ones used to death and devoured by hard use as tools. The nice rifles they say are the ones still around because they were not used to death.


Now-a-days the few that build the old rifles by hand like was done back in the day are well paid. The rifles with all pieces made the old way  are worth lots of moola when done entirely by hand with the old processes. Expensive folk art.

I like fancy muzzleloader rifles but....the ones that are made to copy the old "tools" that have the nice shape and construction with the creamy rich stain and oil hand rubbed wood and browned furniture and barrels and locks are some of my favorites.
Those rifles look right at home in the woods and fields.

You know....back in the day it was the muzzleloader rifles that actually won the west. The cap&baller revolvers that accompanied them helped with that. Lots of Westerners made it out there because of the single shot rifles and cap&baller revolvers. The cap&baller revolver was well recieved since before them it was the single shot pistol one had to carry.

The famous Jerimiha Johnson (famous late period mountain man that made the way fer the Cowboys) carried a Hawken rifle and a rosewood gripped Walker revolver and large knife. He was big enough to do that. He was a large man. Died in California in 1902. Always said he planned on layin his bones by the ocean.