Getting ready to take a walk on the dark side.

[Bibbyman]

I've blown away a bushel of black power over the years but mostly in percussion guns and big bore cartridges.   I knew when I started shooting CAS I would eventually try shooting frontier cartridge.   I've been loading up, testing and getting ready for the shoot tomorrow.   My powder is Graf & Sons 2F.  I've shot a lot of BP and subs in shotgun and know what to expect.   I've shot 30 rounds of C45S through one Cattleman 45 Colt and all went well. 

It's my Marlin 1894CC that I'm worried about making 60 rounds without malfunction.   I broke it completely down and cleaned it up really well and lightly oiled it.  It tends to clog up from blow by like most all 45 Colt Marlins.  I'll try to swab out the bore between stages.  I'll just have to give it a try and see what happens.

So far I've figured out loading up enough ammo for a match takes a lot of powder.  I'm loading on the Dillon 550 by removing the powder measure and using a powder through the expander die.  Powder dipped with Lee dipper.  Maybe it's lack of practice but I suspect reloading rate is half as fast.

[hellgate]

A good crimp on the rifle rounds will help as well as a bullet that carries a lot of BP lube. A light load will cause more blowby than a heavy load that swells the case to seal better.

Also, run the loaded cases through a LEE factory crimp die. The die can add a crimp or merely size the exterior down to SAMMI specs. Some cases will bulge with too heavy of a crimp and the FCD irons it back to factory specs.

If you are going to do "pull through" barrel swabbing, wear a black shirt. I kept getting my sleeves sooted up when I did pull throughs between stages on my Rossi 92s in .357mag with BP. If you use a BP sub (777, APP, Pinnacle) you can use any bullet with a smokeless lube and forget the swabbing part. You might get even more smoke but without that sweet BOOM of real gunpowder.

I generally shoot Frontiersman and occasionally FC. I use 777 in the Rifle only and real BP in the revolvers & shotgun. My rifles wouldn't feed the big lube carrying bullets.

[Bibbyman]

Thanks for the advice on between stage swabbing.   

I've read and studied up on swabbing the bore and not decided what I'm going to do.  I was in Wally-World yesterday and had a 45 caliber bore snake in hand but put it back.  I'd like to pull it from chamber to muzzle but don't see how I can do this with rifle in the gun cart. 

I loaded my 45 Colt cases with enough BP to have some compression when seating a 200g bullet.  I'm not using big lube bullets or soft black powder lube.  I may be learning the hard way.

[hellgate]

My first foray to the Dark Side was just like yours is gonna be: I just stuffed the 357mags with BP to within 1/3" of the mouth, seated a smokeless bullet on the top and went to the match. After about 15 rounds I was shooting patterns. Hence starting the swabbing. You will need to somehow swab out the bore either between each stage or every other stage. If you don't the bore will cake up starting at the muzzle and working its way down. Pyrodex is slightly less fouling but is practically BP otherwise and just as corrosive if not more than BP. I have friends that shoot BP loaded 32-20s in their 73s and wet swab from the muzzle with a ramrod during the match. Their smaller bullets do not carry enough lube to carry them through the match. IIRC they are doing it in/at their carts.

[Dick Dastardly]

Hellgate, think Snakebites.

DD-MDA

[hellgate]

DD,

I got about 50 of them during a casting session at a friends house (I was showing him the ropes). The problem was that they didn't reliably feed in both my Rossis. I tries a whole range of OALs and still got hiccups. If they had fed reliably then I would have gone to the Snakebite which is a great bullet. I still recommend it to anyone wanting to shoot the Holy Black. I ended up switching to T777 and never looked back. The 158gr Lyman shot into 1.5"@50 yards with it so I stayed with 777.  I do feel a tad guilty about that (not being 100% real gunpowder).

[Bibbyman]

Note to self,  Next time you strip a gun all the way down for a good cleaning,  function test it with dummy ammo or shoot it before going to a match.

When I reassembled the Marlin,  I wasn't real sure the that the loading gate was right.   Looked right but didn't feel right.  Got to the loading table to find out it wasn't right.  I couldn't load the magazine.    I traded places in line and took the rifle to the clubhouse and tried to tighten the loading gate screw.  Well, the problem is bigger than that. So I put the Marlin away and Mary and I doubled up using her 44 Marlin 1894. 

Shotgun did fine although the hulls wouldn't fall out reliability after the first stage.  After 4 stages I couldn't see the cylinder gap in the handguns but they showed no signs of binding.

The humidity was very high and no breeze.   Perfect BP shooting weather.

[rifle]

One thing yas want to do before shooting the Holy Black is to wipe the barrels of any oil real well. Then wipe again with alcohol to "really" get rid of oil or grease. Then rub some black powder lube into a coupla patches and work those up and down the bores. Then go to shootin.

[Bibbyman]

Thanks for the tip.  We have shot a lot of BP and subs in the 12 gauge double over the winter.  I'd clean with hot water and then take a dollop of Thompson Bore Butter and smear it in the chambers and let it run down the bores while they were still hot.  Then follow with a dry patch to distribute it.  I didn't think about buttering up the handgun and rifle bores.

[Wildcat Will]

Always think moose milk.  I've been shootin FC with my Marlin 45LC for quite some time.  I've been casting DDs big lube boolets and loading them up with SPG.  I get a good grease star on the muzzle indicating plenty of lube.  My receipe is fill the case to about a 1/4 in from the top of the case and then press a 250gn boolet on top.  I have shot an eight stage match before without a problem with accuracy or function.  Load em up and get to Smokin'. 

After the match I'll spray the barrel down with moose milk (30% Ballistol 70% water), open the action and spray it down good.  Pull the lever and bolt.  I then run a patch down the barrel and that generally makes it shiney (the barrel not the nasty patch).  Then take about 5 -10 minutes to clean the rest of the gun.  Put it back together and into the gun locker until the next match. 

I use paper towel and moose milk on the shot gun.  I attached a wooden ball on the end of a dowel and use that to clean the shotgun barrels in about a minute. 

The pistols get the cylinder removed and sprayed, the barrel gets sprayed and after about 5 mins on each I'm done. 

I shoot 2f of real BP out of all the guns and have not yet had any problems other than operator error. 

Fire, Smoke, BOOOM and Stink.  Just cannot beat it.

[Bibbyman]

Ballistol products are not common around here.  I seen it at one gunshop that's not on my way to anywhere.  It seems a bit pricey but what ain't?

I just hope the weather is a little more comfortable the next match.   Out first two were officially rained out although some of us staid and shot.  Then the heat and humidity made the last one unbearable.

[Blackpowder Burn]

+1 what Wildcat Will said.

You can easily order a supply of Ballistol from MidwayUSA or other internet providers.  It is well worth it.

[Bibbyman]

+1 what Wildcat Will said.

You can easily order a supply of Ballistol from MidwayUSA or other internet providers.  It is well worth it.

I do a lot of shopping at MidwayUSA but not seen it on their web sight.   Thanks for pointing it out.  I've got a bottle in my basket.

[Sod Buster]

+1 what Wildcat Will said.

You can easily order a supply of Ballistol from MidwayUSA or other internet providers.  It is well worth it.

Yup!
I see Ballistol at every gun show I attend as well.  Severall vendors have it for sale.

[Wildcat Will]

Bibbyman you might want to check out the Ballistol website for more info on the product.  I order the gallon container which can run around $85 but it will last a long time.  You can also order the individual in 16 oz bottles but that will get expensive.  I don't use the arosol version but do have some I got probably 3 or 4 years ago.  I could tell because of the price.

www.ballistol.com

[litl rooster]

+1 what Wildcat Will said.

You can easily order a supply of Ballistol from MidwayUSA or other internet providers.  It is well worth it.

+2

[litl rooster]

Yup!
I see Ballistol at every gun show I attend as well.  Severall vendors have it for sale.

Yep

[Bibbyman]

MidwayUSA had the 16 oz bottle on closeout for a little under $10.00.  I have one in my basket.   I'm just holding out until I accumulate a couple more things and or have a need to go to Columbia. 

[Navy Six]

You should not have any major difficulties shooting Blackpowder 38Spl loads in your Marlin. My wife has a Competition in 38Spl(only) and I have a standard Cowboy Model in 38/357. Both guns shoot this load(Lyman 358665,SPG lube, 18grs FFFg Goex, any case or primer) all day long and have several times shot two day state matches with no attention given to the guns. Just keep in mind Marlins recommendations for cartridge OAL:
38 Special---1.275-1.550
357----1.400-1.590
One of the clubs we shoot at occasionally throws a few long range(40yds) rifle targets into the mix and hitting them has never been a problem. Yeah, I know 40 yds is not much of a "long range" but the targets are usually small and you may have already shot several stages worth of "fouling" in the bore. Go enjoy that Marlin.

PS--my mistake, I misunderstood the 45 Colt part of your Marlin, but the above info is still good. I knew someone that wanted to re-barrel a Marlin in 45 Colt. They called Marlin for a new barrel and was going to chamber it to minimum specs to attenuate some of the blowback. Marlin said they would sell them the barrel but his plans wouldn't work. They said they needed to chamber the 45 Colt guns a little loose or they would not feed correctly.

[Bibbyman]

Well, I'm getting cranked up to try it again tomorrow.   

I went out this afternoon and shot 25 loads though the Stoeger coachgun to practice reloading.   I shot 8 in a row and then refill loops and shoot 8 more. The gun really got hot!   Our stages are all 10-10-4 so it won't be as bad.

I hope I can stand the expected 100% humidity.