Powder question--about to reload

[treebeard]

Been on vacation last 2 weeks but before leaving I acted on a suggestion here about my problem of not
being able to feed a full 7 rounds thru my original action and loaded up 7 dummy's with a longer OAl and they
are now going thru OK.
I am now about to load for real and since I am loading for an original I would like some feed back on
wheather or not to use real black powder or some of smokless powders such as Unique or Trailboss .
My concern is safety of the smokeless in my original --I believe the pressure curves are different even
though velocity is modest at 900-1000 FPS with some of the published loads.

[ndnchf]

Definitely stay with black  powder - 2F is probably best, but 3F is good too. Metalurgy has come a looong way in 150 years.  A good rule of thumb: Modern powders in modern made guns. Original powders in original guns.

[Two Flints]

TreeBeard,

Shame on you   Check out the SORI Thread for powder suggestions . . . maybe this link will be of some use . . . 

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,5487.0.html

Two Flints

[KEN S]

I'm working on my original Spencer now.  see 'newbie' thread....
     the steel of 150 years ago was what we now call   'coat hanger steel'..
  same stuff....looked great, engraved wonderfully, soft as butter and that's not counting the
  carbon junk inside.......
      stay with BP and be safe.  the subs, are not as accurate and only give you a little more speed with the same cleanup.
    BP will wash out with soad and water...how much easier can it be?

     Ken

[Arizona Trooper]

Actually, most Civil War era arms are made from wrought iron, including Spencers. The Bessemer and Siemens-Martin processes came to America after the war. Before then, puddled steel was produced in small batches and was very expensive. In the firearms industry it was reserved for springs, cones and other small parts. Colt used English steel for barrels on some special model muskets and for revolver parts. Burnside produced steel barrels as well, but that's about it.

I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me black powder for Spencers! 

[treebeard]

OK--I'm convinced--Black Powder is the way to go.

[KEN S]

interesting piece of info on the steel. and yes, stay with BP on all old guns.  Ken

[Trailrider]

I have used smokeless loads in an original M1860 Spencer carbine, in the past. HOWEVER...since these critters are over a century and a half, and, as was posted (1) they are made of malleable iron (what we call wrought iron today...NOT what is termed "malleable", which is a cast iron!); (2) the pressure-time curves of smokeless powder can be quite different from BP (unless you have an Oehler M43 PBL and don't mind cementing the strain gage to the barrel, and know a LOT about interior ballistics), so the BOTTOM LINE is, IF YOU HAVE TO SHOOT AN ORIGINAL AT ALL, DEFINITELY GO WITH BP!  (Frankly, I have retired my original Spencer out of respect for its age.)