Got Me Some Gun Powder

Bryan Austin · January 21, 2011, 06:56:09 PM

Finally, I ordered a five pound batch from Powder Inc. 1 lb Goex FFF, 1 lb KiK FFF, 3 Lbs Swiss FF. I always have access to Skirmish locally I guess as long as its made.

Now lets go see what I can screw up

john boy · January 21, 2011, 08:19:11 PM

Jack, I hope you have been saving all the informative posts related to black powder reloading that have been posted over the years. If not, it is a weak powder and you should be safe from harm - I think!

Bryan Austin · January 21, 2011, 08:39:43 PM

Quote from: john boy on January 21, 2011, 08:19:11 PM
Jack, I hope you have been saving all the informative posts related to black powder reloading that have been posted over the years. If not, it is a weak powder and you should be safe from harm - I think!

Dang it, I can't get anything past you!

Dick Dastardly · January 21, 2011, 09:19:30 PM

Howdy Jack,

For the same hazmat fee you can get up to 25 pounds. Powder Inc. will mix them for the same fee.

DD-DLoS

Bryan Austin · January 21, 2011, 09:24:33 PM

Quote from: Dick Dastardly on January 21, 2011, 09:19:30 PM
Howdy Jack,

For the same hazmat fee you can get up to 25 pounds. Powder Inc. will mix them for the same fee.

DD-DLoS

Yeah, I know but if the wife finds out I just paid $125 for powder, I'm dead!

Dick Dastardly · January 22, 2011, 12:41:48 PM

Howdy Jack,

Domestic tranquility exacts a high price, but it's worth it in the long run. You could, in a calm serene moment, suggest that a larger quantity of Genuine Powder might help you in your quest for the elusive mink for her new mink coat that must be hunted with black powder only. . . .

If she buys that, yer in pard.

DD-DLoS

rickk · January 22, 2011, 03:26:29 PM

get 25# instead of 5 #... get the "evil Eye" 1/5 as often.

Only talk about how little you paid per pound by buying in bulk.

Montana Slim · January 22, 2011, 04:39:14 PM

wow...my last case of powder was under $200...'course it didn't contain any qty of Swiss.

Slim

Dances With Coyotes · January 22, 2011, 10:00:28 PM

Quote from: Savvy Jack on January 21, 2011, 09:24:33 PM
Yeah, I know but if the wife finds out I just paid $125 for powder, I'm dead!

I'm with ya there, pard. I'm trying to figger out how to get a pair of Ruger New Vaqueros without mine knowing about it! I'm just about there.....

pony express · January 22, 2011, 11:28:28 PM

Quote from: Dances With Coyotes on January 22, 2011, 10:00:28 PM
I'm with ya there, pard. I'm trying to figger out how to get a pair of Ruger New Vaqueros without mine knowing about it! I'm just about there.....

I know that feeling, too. I was just at a gun show today, and this Colt Official Police .38 wouldn't let go of my hand(I know it's not BP, but a good backup for my 1892 Colt Army for GAF shooting).

So now she has decided next turn is hers, and wants a new Coach brand handbag. Can you believe, those things cost more than a lot of guns I own? For a PURSE?

Fairshake · January 23, 2011, 05:01:28 PM

Jack, You would do yourself some good if you try the Diamondback powder. Jerry at Powder INC only sells it in 25 lb boxes but it is $10.16 a pound to your door. It also in my mind is a good all around BP to load and clean. It does very well when loaded in my 44-40's that I shoot in SASS. It leaves a residue that is close to that of Wano and cleans up very easy. There is a store in Winchester, Va. that is Back Creek or something like that that sells in 5 pound increments. Like everything else the less you buy the more it cost. Look him up. Later

Bryan Austin · January 23, 2011, 05:48:06 PM

Quote from: Fairshake on January 23, 2011, 05:01:28 PM
Jack, You would do yourself some good if you try the Diamondback powder. Jerry at Powder INC only sells it in 25 lb boxes but it is $10.16 a pound to your door. It also in my mind is a good all around BP to load and clean. It does very well when loaded in my 44-40's that I shoot in SASS. It leaves a residue that is close to that of Wano and cleans up very easy. There is a store in Winchester, Va. that is Back Creek or something like that that sells in 5 pound increments. Like everything else the less you buy the more it cost. Look him up. Later

Maybe by the time I need more, I'll try that next time! This will last me for a ver long time. As I said, I pretty much no longer shoot CAS/SASS. Have not done so in over two years....but it might be time to do it again for a weekend or two.

rickk · January 23, 2011, 06:06:40 PM

Being practical about it though, you don't want 25# sitting on shelves in your basement. To be legal, you need an ATF compliant (but not ATF approved) powder magazine. Mine is concrete, and is way out back, well away from the house, behind a seriously thick earthen berm.

Montana Slim · January 23, 2011, 10:04:31 PM

I only keep a few pounds inside my home.
My local codes require storage of hazardous/flammable material to be at least 75 ft from an occupied dwelling.
Fortunately, my storage shed meets that criteria.

I have taken two college level courses on pyrotechnics and several videos show that black powder and other propellants, when stored in their original packaging, do not blow-up in a massive fireball as you'd see on the big-screen.

I used to pick up my powder directly at a dealers staorage facility...it was on the edge of a medium sized rural community...seems they had the same regulation on distances. Except, it was jaw-dropping to walk into his shed with over 40,000 lbs of BP stored at least 10 ft high.

Slim

rickk · January 24, 2011, 06:03:19 AM

The ATF "Orange Book" has all the details about construction materials, distances to things, berms (if needed), locks, hinges, inside wall liner materials, amount of what can be stored inside of each type.

There is a thread on the construction of a simple one type 4 magazine on "passfire.com", which is the big pyrotechnics forum.
A type 4 is suitable for storage of up to 50 # of Black Powder. It was made out of one of those steel boxes that one can buy at home depot and put in the bed of a pickup truck. With a few modifications, it was Orange Book compliant. The boxes are weatherproof by nature as well. My only issue with that design is that it is not bullet proof, and I allow hunting out behind my house. Occasionally an un-invited "goof" wanders out back there, and goofs do goofy things, hence I went with concrete.

ATF compliant magazines can be made out of wood, concrete, metal. There is a lot of flexibility on how they are made.

Montana Slim · January 24, 2011, 09:24:57 AM

I assume folks know firing a bullet into your BP won't cause it to catch fire....unles you have the muzzle close-up to it, or are firing trace/incendiary cartridges.
The discussions of powder magazines are interesing...but, isn't it odd that a BP/pyro wholesaler does not have such requirements...and I know they receive regular site visits by ATF. In the event of a fire, it would be much preferred to allow the building / structure vent pressure rather than confine it.

Slim

Stu Kettle · January 24, 2011, 10:01:33 AM

Quote from: Montana Slim on January 24, 2011, 09:24:57 AM
The discussions of powder magazines are interesing...but, isn't it odd that a BP/pyro wholesaler does not have such requirements...and I know they receive regular site visits by ATF. In the event of a fire, it would be much preferred to allow the building / structure vent pressure rather than confine it.

You seem to be assuming that government regulations should somehow make sense