My homemade black powder

[fishingsetx]

Help me out here guys, what is this polishing you speak of?

Once the powder has been pressed, corned and screened, it is put back in the tumbler with no media, a small amount of graphite is added, and then it is tumbled for several hours. This polishes off the sharp corners and breaks up any soft grains. The graphite lubricates the grains letting them flow past each other and protects them from moisture.

Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "Holy shoot....what a ride!"

[Hotfxr]

Has it finally happened? Has this thread actually run out of new things to discuss? Did we by any chance set a record for the longest thread in the history of Cast Boolits?

[Fly]

Has it finally happened? Has this thread actually run out of new things to discuss? Did we by any chance set a record for the longest thread in the history of Cast Boolits?

We did that a long time ago. Ya it has been a little slow of late. But it always picks up.

Fly

[Whiterabbit]

Has it finally happened? Has this thread actually run out of new things to discuss? Did we by any chance set a record for the longest thread in the history of Cast Boolits?

We have run out of new things to discuss, just like every invention worth inventing has already been invented.

[Nose Dive]

Hmmmm see below... my post to find this thread.....
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Best Black Powder..."home grown' Recipe?

OK guys.... here goes.... getting back in to black powder after years and years of 'heavy magnum' smokless shoulder killing rifles and pistols..... I guess...here...I am 'coming back home' to where I jumped into reloading...casting....shooting...

OK...OK...yea... 40 years plus, but old black powder in a pistol now, to me... at 65 or so...(OK...OK...PLUS) is again fun....

So... know I have time...and little money....'go figure'... I want to again make my own black powder.... I did in the third grade...yep... used my 'home made' to win my 3rd grade science project fair.... "a volcano' of mud with a hole in it...stuff with 'my home' made black powder and "FIRED IT UP"... won first price hands down.... Principal ate my butt out for smoking up the gym...but... well...screw him.....God rest his Christian soul in his grave....60 years on....

So now, with 20lbs of store bought saltpeter..(potassium nitrate) and powdered Sulfur...store bought too...OK...OK...got both from SEED RANCH website...we used to have to get saltpeter from the Commissary. Granulatged and low purity....but we made it work...

SO know guys... QUESTION TO MY FELLOW Black Powder compatriots is....

What is your best mix? 75-15-10? 75-13-12? Nitrate_Charcoal_Sulfur....???? Got something better?

I know...grind each separately.... mix well... add Isopropnoyl and mix well again and then spread to dry. Break clumps and blend easy..... ready? yea?

What do you guys like the best.... best BURN rates and pressures and velocities? I do 75-15-10.

Got any better ideas? Any tips for the 'home boys' who do it ourselves?

thanks gents....limme know!!!

Nose Dive

Cheap, Fast, Good. Kindly pick two.

PS....http://www.seedranch.com... had lots of neat stuff....ND
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I have spent several hours reading the 80 Pages and gee.. think alot is discussed and I learned alot... So....
My question is still... what is the major opinion of the best mix? 75_15_10 or other?

Also... I do my final 'solution' mix with Iso and make it gooy for sure. Have always had good ignition and burn after drying and 'powdering'.

And...new suppliers of materials beat the heck out of a military commissary. see above. so...next question is ....

Any method to 'slow burn' rates and help pressures? 'BUDDY" told me 'baking soda' will help ignition and slow burn rate.... yea sure.....I add "mothballs" to my gas tank to increase gas mileage..... (heard that one before?)... only if you can buy 'old' naphthalene mothballs. (don't waste your time and money....I made gasoline for 30 years...if you want to add naphtha to your gas...buy it as a liquid and pour it in) (again, don't waste your time and money....it won't be cost effective....just buy the ETHYL or HI TEST gas at the pump...it is better)

So... with new and high quality materials...(see above resource)... am looking to help my old Hawken 'style' rifle to push things out to 200 or 300 or so... I was wondering if there is any 'new' chemistry for our old mix of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur.

OK...OK...OK...'leave the ole man alone'..... "if you want 'new powder'...go to smokeless".... I know...I have reloaded for 40 years and have seen things come and go and 'new' things come along and help our hobby and technology. GOEX...yep.. a good product... but...I don't make GOEX and do make BP and what I make today....is much better than what I made in the third grade. (see above)....

My cousin took 5 of my GrandDad's nitroglycerin pills....ground them up and added them to his BP Mix. Yes...he did it. Pills were for GrandDad's heart. Clandestine to say the least. I really couldn't tell any difference and when we shot the rifles we didn't die...nor did GrandDad.

When my cousin suggested we add some 4064 smokeless to our mix...well... 'common sense' prevailed and I left the project... Now..don't get me wrong... my cousin was a great guy and won a Silver Star in Nam and came back to USA ...well...unsettled and died young. I remember the day I picked him up from the airport in Dallas. Yes...the old...LOVE FIELD.... He spent a few weeks in 'decompression' in Germany and landed in Dallas. He was in full uniform and was...well...semi-sober. But...he looked great and was fully talkative and functional. Back then, you could go to the gate and see everybody get off the plane. I met him and we hugged and there were about 10 or so military guys getting
off the plane too. A few Airmen..few Marines...few Army guys.... So...we walked down the concourse to baggage claim. We picked up his duffle bag and were walking to the parking lot when a few guys met the Marines, two of them, in front of us and spit on their battle ribbons on their uniforms...and...well guys...then....needless to say...the preferable 'kit hit the fan'.... My cousin knocked both of the 'spitters' to the ground with his duffle and the marines jumped on them. Two other guys walked up the the two Airmen behind us and they decked them. This little melee went on for a few minutes and I grabbed my cousin and dragged him away by the belt and threw him against the wall and quickly, grabbed his duffle and pushed my cousin and duffle out on the street in front of taxi's and busses. He fought to get back in and, luckily, an officer in uniform grabbed my cousin and let him know 'all was under control' at baggage claim. We made a very speedy, tactile retreat from baggage claim and made to a 7-11 and with Schiltiz beers and Winston's, we made it safely out of Dallas County. No arrests.
Very close call that day....

Geeee... sorry... where did I go here? I just need some ideas on slowing BP down a bit and not blowing my old Kit Hawken rifle from blowing up.... I really don't want to add 'just a bit of 4064' to the mix and 'see what happens'.... (dead cousin's idea)

Nose Dive

Cheap, Fast, Good. Kindly pick two

[Whiterabbit]

my best mix is 75-15-10

[Nose Dive]

I just read to add DEXTRIN.... sooo

Why?

When?

How Much?

Nose Dive

Cheap, Fast, Good Kindly pick two

[hatcreek]

I believe dextrin is a binder, I use 5grams per 100g batch, some will tell you to add it to the last hour or so, others grind it all together for the entire process, myself I grind it all together, have fun and be careful. HC

[Fly]

Dextrin is a binder for screened powder. It is not required if you pressing, corned powder.

Fly

[WolfPack]

MY post is simple taking a shot in the dark Where cn I find and order black powder with no hazmat fees is this possible

[Nobade]

MY post is simple taking a shot in the dark Where cn I find and order black powder with no hazmat fees is this possible

The only way I know of is to pick it up from the distributor. Saves the postage as well. Perhaps you can go in with some friends and order a case so you can spread out the fees, if you are located far from a source?

-Nobade

[fishingsetx]

MY post is simple taking a shot in the dark Where cn I find and order black powder with no hazmat fees is this possible

Somewhere local that sells muzzleloader or reloading supplies may have it (or at least smokeless equivelant). Otherwise, the only way I know is to roll your own.

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[Fly]

The problem getting it locally in many places is insurance. I was told by my gun shop, was his insurance
rate was increased higher than the profit he made off it. It was the fire hazard that comes with it. Funny
they carried it for many years with out problems but today????? Join the club * make your own as we do.


Much cheaper & its fun to shoot knowing you made it. Fly

[Greg G.]

Just want to thank everyone on this thread that freely shared their knowledge and experiences, both good and bad. I made some BP recently, that i pressed in a homemade die with a 4 ton bottle jack in a home made frame also used aspen for the charcoal. Worked great it is almost as fast as the 15 year old Goex that I have which works well for me. I am loading for a Martini Henry and a full load in that case of my powder and no filler is as fast as 85 grains of the Goex with filler. I could make it faster but I like what I've got plus it's cheap. So thanks again for all of the info, there are a lot of people here that have forgotten more then I know about all of the different disciplines that make reloading and shooting so much fun.

[Whiterabbit]

I just read to add DEXTRIN.... sooo

Why?

When?

How Much?

Nose Dive

Cheap, Fast, Good Kindly pick two

IMO:

WHY: as a binder, if you can't compress it into pucks
WHEN: Never, figure out how to compress it into pucks
HOW MUCH: 2% by weight, but an even better qty is 0%

even 2% dilutes your BP. so dump it, and compress it proper.

my opinion.

[Whiterabbit]

MY post is simple taking a shot in the dark Where cn I find and order black powder with no hazmat fees is this possible

buy local, only option. Can't get around the law.

[Fly]

Greg you could increase the speed of your powder by using a different charcoal. I tested aspen charcoal & was not impressed. There are many
faster charcoals to be had.
Fly

[fishingsetx]

Greg you could increase the speed of your powder by using a different charcoal. I tested aspen charcoal & was not impressed. There are many
faster charcoals to be had.
Fly

This! I've had great luck with ceder shavings used for pet bedding (as suggested by Fly). I'm still looking for some dry willow, but have about relegated myself to cutting some and waiting for it to dry. The cedar shavings are easy to find, easy to work with, smell good till you start cooking them and make a good powder. I had my .50 cal inline rifle zeroed off 90 gr of pyrodex pellets at 50 yds. Last range trip, I fired one round each with 90 gr by volume, pyrodex pellets, 85 gr loose pyrodex fff powder, 85 gr loose American pioneer fffg powder and 85 great of my homemade black powder (screened with 20 mesh, then 30 mesh). The pellets were still dead zero, the pioneer powder was about 1/2" high, the loose pyrodex was about 1.5" high, and the loose home brew was about 2" high. By my not so scientific test, I'd say my powder is just a bit hotter than both of the factory smokeless equivalents and much hotter than the pellets. Could have just been the grain size though.

I stepped down to 85 gr because my manual lists that as max for loose fffg pyrodex.

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[Fly]

I bet you a dollar to a donut yours was faster!.

Fly

[Greg G.]

Fly,
I will try a different wood for charcoal on my next batch that I make, it will be for my Hawken. This powder is good for the Martini Henry case because it fills it up with room for a card wad, grease cookie, and 2 more card wads. Shoots the same as 85 grains of Goex but no filler and doesn't kill my shoulder. Shoots to POA at 100 yards.