About to Reload Black Powder- Advice Sought

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

  I've bought a Colt Bisley in 38-40 and have decided I'll probably limit it to black powder loads only. So my questions:

  Is any one brand of black powder better than another? i.e,- GOEX, Swiss, etc.

  Where is the best place to order black powder?

  Although I currently cast all manner of revolver bullets, I'm leaning toward just buying .401" bullets for the 38-40. Given I'll be using black powder, should I look for bullets that are lubed with soft lube such as SPG or will normal cast bullet lubes work?

  How often, typically does a revolver firing black powder have to be cleaned during a shooting session?

  What product id best for cleaning up after black powder, and is there some sort of home brew cleaner that will work?

I'm probably forgetting something, but thanks in advance for the help.

CHT

[Ranch 13]

 I've been shooting Goex's Olde Eynsford 2f powder in my 38-40's, I'm shooting bullets both from the rcbs 180 gr mould sized at .401 and bullets cast from an original Ideal loading tool , ran thru the built in sizer and pan lubed with Big Sky Components BSC lube.
35 grs of that powder under either bullet, and I've not had any problems shooting 50 rounds without cleaning the gun.

[Ranch 13]

As to the best place to buy powder, when ordering 10 lbs or less it's a toss up between Grafs and Powder Inc.
When you order more than 10 lbs Powder Inc. is cheaper.

[Mad Mucus]

G'day CHT

For bullets trial I would try here http://www.whyteleatherworks.com/BigLube.html
Mark is good to deal with & is a member here.

All natural lubes are recommended for BP shooting.

An atomiser spray bottle with water/Balistol mix 7:1 spritz between each scenario should keep 'em running.

As to cleaning, a water and dish liquid brushscrub, dry and lube with straight Balistol.
I like to have a sealed tub of the water/Balistol mix which I use as a many times reusable bath, blow off with compressed air then sun or warm oven dry. Follow with straight Balistol.

MM

[will52100]

The best black powder I've used is Swiss, but it's the most expensive as well and not needed for pistol caliber rounds, unless you want a little more "bang".  I've never had good results with Goex, always got hard fouling, but have been playing with Goex Olde Ensford and it's been working very well in my 38LC rounds.  My stand by powder is Graf's, it's schuetzen repackaged by Graf's, not to expensive and a good quality powder.

Big lube bullets are not needed, but they sure make life a lot easier!  Use a natural lube, mutton tallow mixed with bee's wax and paraffin works well.  Other's include bees wax, olive oil, paraffin.  Basically a natural oil, and something to stiffen it for weather conditions.  Been using Pearl Lube lately with good results.

When shooting frontiersman, or black powder cartridge I keep a spray can of Balistol in my cart.  Most times I don't need it, but if a gun starts getting sticky a quick spray loosens everything up.  Lately I've been using a squirt bottle of moose milk, balistol lube and water.  A shot of it on the cylinder or lifter keeps things running like a top.

[Blackpowder Burn]

Your best friend is a bullet with a large lube groove filled with a BP specific lube such as SPG, etc.  Mark Whyte of Whyte Leather Works casts and sells Dick Dastardly's Big Lube bullets prelubed with SPG, and is a great place to start.  I have always had excellent performance from Goex, especially their Olde Eynsford version.  I routinely shoot a 2 or 3 day match without cleaning.  All that is required is an occasional spritz of the revolver cylinder face with Moose Milk.

For cleaning, I dunk in an ultrasonic cleaner filled with Moose Milk for about 10 minutes, blow dry with my air compressor, run a couple of patches through the bore and chambers, lube with straight Ballistol - done!

[will52100]

Forgot to add, for cleaning just plain water works well, water mixed with balistol lube works even better.  My method is pretty much the same as Mad Mucus's.  Got a tub of moose milk, field strip the gun and dunk the parts in it.  On revolvers I maybe take the internals down every year or so, depending on use.  Just a quick dunk for the frame and wipe everything down.  A bore snake gets the majority of the crud out of the barrel and cylinders, then dry patches and finish with an oiled patch for protection.  The beauty of moose milk is that if you don't every last drop of it out, when the water evaporates it's leave a thin oil film.

The thing to remember about black powder fouling, not pyrodex or other fake stuff, is that it's mostly soot, with a little sulfur and salt residue.  Water softens it all rite up and just need something to wipe it off.  I've had harder times cleaning smokeless firearms.  As for any leading, what little I get most times comes out with the boresnake.  The most scrubbing I've ever had to do was firearms firing smokeless and jacketed bullets.  Black powder is a lot easier and faster to properly clean.

[rickk]

Powder, Inc is my preferred place to shop for BP.   Be aware that their listed prices INCLUDE shipping/Hazmat fee if you comparison shop. Most other places tack it on during the checkout process. For a couple of pounds it will drive the cost thru the roof. You can mix grades in 5# increments.

Best prices are going to be in 25# increments, which is a lot of BP - I don't keep such amounts in my house myself... I bring in what I plan to use and no more. The rest gets stored in a safe remote location.

While it isn't legal to order 25# and then resell some of it without an FFL because you don't need 25#l, to the best of my understanding it IS legal to do a group buy with friends and break it up when it arrives.  So, it must be predispositioned before you place the order is all.

I seem to recall that for your first order you will have to fill out and send in a waiver of some sort before they will process it... the details are on their web site.

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

Thanks for the advice, fellas. I think the biggest hurdle is going to be actually acquiring the powder. I certainly have no need in 5, much less 25 lbs. of it. So, I may just have to bite the soft cast, large lube groove bullet and pay HazMat on a couple of pounds.

CHT

[FriscoCounty]

You will be using up BP faster than you think.  .38 WCF uses about 36-38 grains of BP.  That is 180 to 200 cartridges per pound of powder.  If you decide to go BP with your shotgun, you will use it even faster.  A 3 dram 12 gauge square load (1-1/8 oz of lead) will yield 85 shells per lb. 

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

  I may have found a good buy on some GOEX 2F. I had pkanned on using 3F in the 39-40, is there any real disadvantage to the more course powder?

Thanks.

[FriscoCounty]

Nah, go ahead.  At 36-40 grains in a 38-40, you are safely in the "2F is a good choice" ballpark.  You are also still in the "3F is a good choice" ballpark. 

3F should give you a slightly higher velocity, as it should pack a little denser than 2F.  It will also give a higher pressure, because it is more densely packed.  In smaller loads, the larger grain (2F) may burn dirtier as not all the powder may burn completely.

Whatever is easier works for me.  If I have 3F, everything gets loaded with that - 12Ga, 44-40, .44 Russian, .38 Colt.  If I have 3F, same goes.  If I have both, then the order of precedence for 3F to 2F is 12Ga, .44-40, .44 Russian, .38 Colt.   

[Ranch 13]

2f should not be a problem. If the fouling is hard to deal with ,just add a couple more grains of powder. Heavy fouling is usually a sign of not enough chamber pressure

[wildman1]

Less lube= more fouling. More lube =less fouling. wM1

[FriscoCounty]

For me 'dirtiness' is more a function of the brand of powder I am using and whether I sift it.  If I want lots of smoke, I use Diamondback powder.  Sifting it to separate the various meshes and eliminating the fines, cleans it up considerably.

<16 Mesh gets tossed
16 - 24 is kept as FFg
24 - 46 is kept as FFFg
>46 is kept as FFFFg

[Navy Six]

You didn't mention what you were going to be using that 38-40 for. I've shot a lot of 38-40s over the years (mostly in SASS matches)with Goex 2F & 3F in both modern Colts and Ubertis. Both powders were satisfactory, at least in my guns. However, some of the older Colts were noted for being a little inconsistent in both barrel and cylinder dimensions (reports I've read and personally observed in first gen. guns). So you might have to experiment a bit with powders/bullet sizing, but thats part of the fun. Good Luck, the 38-40 is a neat round.

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

 Don't really have any plans for the rifle, but maybe some day I'll get back in to CAS.

  I loaded and chronographed a couple dozen rounds tonight after work. Results are intriguing.  All loads were a Lee 2.2 cc scoop heaping full (~ 32 grs. GOEX 2Fg, ~28 grs. Pyrodex P)

  GOEX 2Fg; Wolf LP primer, 180 gr. commercial cast bullet; 1169 fps; E.S.- 75
  GOEX 2Fg; CCI-350 primer, 180 gr. commercial cast bullet; 1099 fps; E.S.- 117

  Pyrodex P; Wolf LP primer, 180 gr. commercial cast bullet; 1386 fps; E.S. 13 

[Colt Fanning]

Howdy,
What is the best thing to pour the powder into for dipping.  Dipping through the small lid in a goex can is awkward.
Regards
Colt

[Cholla Hill Tirador]

Howdy,
What is the best thing to pour the powder into for dipping.  Dipping through the small lid in a goex can is awkward.
Regards
Colt

   I had the same issue so I saved a couple of empty sour cream containers, margarine bowls wod work too. Pour the powder into the plastic container for scooping, then when finished, pour back into the powder container.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

They'll work. I finally settled on a small plastic food saver with a snap top. I can cover it during a break in production. Mark the container, a piece of masking tape will do. And make sure the remnants get back to the proper can before you end the session.