Testing my first black powder loads!

[flatapple]

Well I went to the range today to try my first black powder reloads!  All went great!  I shot my 12 gauge, it was awesome, then my .45 Colt in a Bond Arms Mini, that rocked the world and my .44-40 Uberti 1873 carbine was accurate.  My question is about my carbine.  Is there some things I should be looking for as to if this load will hold up for a match.  My main concern is about the fouling problems...I only shot 15 rounds thru the .44-40.

[St8LineLeatherSmith]

just make up some moose milk and put it in a spray bottle.
spray the cylinder then pass a bore snake through it
then spray the rest of the gun and give it a good wipe with a towel. takes just a couple of minutes.
dont use petroleum based solutions on BP it gums up and makes a mess IMO
water and ballistol is all you need
really water is all you need with real Holy Black but I really like how the ballistol works.

[Lefty Dude]

I carry a short brass cleaning rod with me to the Matches when I shoot BP in my 44-40WCF 73 Carbine. I use a 40 caliber nylon brush with a cotton patch applied. I carry a small squirt bottle mixed with 50% water and Simple Green. Every other stage, (20 Rds) I wipe the bore.
Works for me, here in the dry Arizona Desert.
Oh, by the way. I place an empty cartridge in the chamber to kept the fouling out of the action when I do the wipe procedure. I do the wipe in a up-right position in the gun cart. And when I clean the piece at home I also use the MT cartridge, makes for less of a mess.

[Coffinmaker]

Most of the time (your mileage may vary) a 44-40 has very little, if any, fouling in the action.  Most guns finish a full CAS match looking like they have just been cleaned.
I like the idea of chambering a fired case and running a wet patch thru the bore every so often.  If your hitting the targets without problem, you may not want to bother.  If you shoot APP, you may not want to bother.  If your shooting Big Lube bullets, you may not want to bother.
44-40, 38-40 and 32-20 are the cats meow for BP shooters.
I, on the other hand, shoot .45s, and don't bother.  Since I live with a lot of blow-by, I do squirt the Carrier Block every now and then to keep the gun running smooth.

Coffinmaker

PS:  as you peruse the stuff here for Darksiders, pay particular attention to Lefty Dude.  Nothing but GREAT information.

[flatapple]

Just an after thought...I'm using Black Dawg spg 2 groove bullets.

[Tornado]

I just made my second batch of blackpowder rounds(45 colt) this weekend.  My first batch were 170g Biglube, I stepped up and made some full house loads of 250g Biglube bullets this time.  I can't wait to try them out in my New Vaquero.   

[Coffinmaker]

Hang on TIGHT 

Coffinmaker

[St8LineLeatherSmith]

I have only  loaded .44-40 cartridges
I was wondering how much powder makes up a .45 load?

[Tornado]

I crammed 2.2cc of FFF Goex in those cases. 

[Jefro]

Howdy Flatapple, I'm gonna asume you mean in the bore not in the action, should not have fouling in the action of a 44/40. Sounds like it's starving for lube. Get some 200gr Big Lubes, should be able to shoot a two day match with the 44/40. Or you can always do the empty case and swab, or bore snake method. Good Luck

Jefro Relax-Enjoy

[Dick Dastardly]

Howdy Flatapple, and welcome to the Darkside.

As for the 44-40, there's a bullet that was specifically designed for the 44-40 and black powder.  It is the Big Lube®LLC Mav Dutchman.  This is one of the best all time sellers in Big Lube molds.  With this bullet lube sized with any good black powder lube and loaded over black powder you can expect continuous accurate shooting with no need to clean your guns between stages.  I frequently shoot entire three day annual matches with this bullet and never clean till after the match is over.  This includes side matches, main match and long distance competition.

DD-MDA

[Blackpowder Burn]

+1 what DD said.  I never clean rifles or revolvers until after the entire match is over.

32 grains FFg Goex, 200 grain Mav Dutchman - it don't get no better for CAS.

[HL Hunley]

I just cast my first ever batch of Big Lube 44-40s. Beautiful looking projectile.

But...I'm off to a bad start.

I pan lubed (45/45 beeswax and Crisco equivalent, and 10 olive oil). I used dry veg wads, over 25gn of WANO/Schuetzen bp PPP (what we can get here in Australia). and I got fouling after 5 five rounds in my revolver. After 10 it was hard to cock, and at 15 almost impossible, had to Windex it out (seemed to be the bushing around the cylinder pin).

Tomorrow I'm going out with a more traditional setup: same lube, but wads soaked in olive oil. This has worked OK in thin-lube grooved projectiles before, so I'm hoping for perfection with the Huuuuuge Lube Big Mavs. I was just hoping to avoid a step.

Being new, I wonder if I am doing something wrong or plain goofy...? We'll see tomorrow!

[Noz]

Somethings wrong!

I shoot the MavDutchman and I have never fouled the barrel or action enough to cause feeding, firing or levering problems.

Now, the 32-20 is a whole different breed of cat.  I have yet to find a bullet that will carry enough lube. I'm joining the shoot and swab  bunch on it.

[ndnchf]

Flatapple - slightly off topic, but FYI.  I saw you just bought a Lyman 55 black powder measure.  They are great and I really like mine.  One word of caution; after using it with holy black, if you live in a humid area, be sure to remove the rotating drum and clean all BP residue from the internal surface of the iron casting where the drum fits.  Otherwise, rust may form and lock up the drum.  I know from painful experience...

[Jefro]

I just cast my first ever batch of Big Lube 44-40s. Beautiful looking projectile.

But...I'm off to a bad start.

I pan lubed (45/45 beeswax and Crisco equivalent, and 10 olive oil). I used dry veg wads, over 25gn of WANO/Schuetzen bp PPP (what we can get here in Australia). and I got fouling after 5 five rounds in my revolver. After 10 it was hard to cock, and at 15 almost impossible, had to Windex it out (seemed to be the bushing around the cylinder pin).

Tomorrow I'm going out with a more traditional setup: same lube, but wads soaked in olive oil. This has worked OK in thin-lube grooved projectiles before, so I'm hoping for perfection with the Huuuuuge Lube Big Mavs. I was just hoping to avoid a step.

Being new, I wonder if I am doing something wrong or plain goofy...? We'll see tomorrow!

Howdy HL Hunley, yes something is wrong, your lube mix should work great with the BL bullet, no wad needed. What kind of revolver are you using??? Some Ruger Vaquaros come with the cylinder gap too tight and need to be opened up just a tad. The 1875 Remington has no real base pin bushing to speak of and will cause binding, nothing to do but clean cylinder face and lube base pin after each stage. Give us a little more info, and check out the SASS thread below. Good Luck
Cylinder Gap Vaquaros

Jefro Relax-Enjoy

[flatapple]

ndnchf...Thanks for the advice!  Everyone here are a great help.

[Dick Dastardly]

Myself and many of my posse members shoot Mav Dutchman bullets and never experience fouling problems.  Our guns easily run an entire monthly match plus side matches with no need to clean to maintain function or accuracy.  We load the Mavs over a compressed charge of black powder and never use a patch, wad or anything else.  We lube/size the mavs to fit the bores.

Any good black powder lube will work.  It's not so much the brand but the amount that the bullets haul that keeps things running.  Of course I prefer my Pearl Lube II but there are more expensive lubes that work as well.

DD-MDA

[HL Hunley]

My test with an olive oil wad was good. 15 rounds (3 stages) and I had nice wet muck that easily cleaned, but a very slight resistance to cocking.

Nooooo offense to the truly lovely Big Lube, but I can't say it was really any different to the same setup with regular projectiles.

So what is going on?

I'm using Uberti Smokewagons (Ruger transfer bar BLAH!), .44-40, Big Lube's sized to .429. (My barrel is 428 to 428.5 and .430 is just to big). I'd like to get a good load worked out so I can be exclusively BP (all hail the 'gasmic black! Fire! Punch! Smoke). The Big Lube's have a nice nose and cast well, but as I said, I'm off to a bad start.

[HL Hunley]

This is an old thread now, but I thought I'd update to say Big Lube's were not the problem! Big Lube projectiles are good!

It was my small brain.

What I took to be a fouling problem (cylinder was tight and sometimes wouldn't turn)  was primers backing out.

My BP pard bought a BL mold last year and is loving them.