My homemade black powder

[Boerrancher]

I know Fly. It is all fun and games until someone loses and appendage... or blows out a window in dad's house... That was the last time I packed a toilet paper tube full of my homemade powder, run a fuse out of it and wrapped it good and tight with a roll of duct tape. I never thought it would explode like it did. When I lit the fuse It was about 10 ft from the side of the house. A huge chunk of duct tape blasted through the basement window. "It was a rock from the lawn mower dad, honest... smoke? oh, that smoke.... The lawn mower is burning oil and back fired... yeah that's it... you didn't here it running?... uh oh"

Best wishes,

Joe

[Boz330]

I know Fly. It is all fun and games until someone loses and appendage... or blows out a window in dad's house... That was the last time I packed a toilet paper tube full of my homemade powder, run a fuse out of it and wrapped it good and tight with a roll of duct tape. I never thought it would explode like it did. When I lit the fuse It was about 10 ft from the side of the house. A huge chunk of duct tape blasted through the basement window. "It was a rock from the lawn mower dad, honest... smoke? oh, that smoke.... The lawn mower is burning oil and back fired... yeah that's it... you didn't here it running?... uh oh"

Best wishes,

Joe

Sort of amazing that youngsters think their parents were always adults and didn't engage in foolishness when they were that age.

Bob

[Fly]

Not me Boz I was the kid every Mom & Dad wanted!Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Well almost! Fly Ha Ha!

[Hellgate]

You guys remind me of the statement made by Aunt Polly regarding Tom Sawyer: "He might be president some day............ if they don't HANG HIM FIRST!" :>)

[atom73]

Fly, I've been around but busy of late, recently got out of the Navy and moved to south Dakota. Have been on the board but only just recently got all my bp stuff unpacked to make a new batch. Fortunately there is a ton of willow, soft maple, and cottonwood out here. The other thing there is a lot of out here is room, plenty of space to test fire cast boolits and my own bp, nobody minds either.

[Charlie Sometimes]

Well, I haven't made a post on the forum in a long time, and it looks like I am not the only one who has been scarce around here.

I finally got through the divorce issues, have that finallized, and am now trying to get my life back into some semblance of normalcy, what ever that is. Lawyer is paid, but I am nearly broke and unemployed (again), and looking (for a new job, and the next ex-Mrs.) LOL
I still have all my guns, home, and most everything else, but the kids. I see them as often as I can.

Now, maybe, this summer, I can pick up where I left off with this project LAST spring!
I am definitely going to have to read the whole thread over again, just to refresh my memory, and get back on track, along with my other references on this.

I've got several projects that I left incomplete on my work bench that I am looking forward to getting back on, and this was one I was really looking forward to trying (before wife & life blew up), along with the building of a 42 caliber smooth bore flintlock, and completing the 44 Navy revolver kit I started, too. I think I need to clean up my shop first, jsut to figure out where I left off last year.

I've got some new ideas, and some other things I am anxious to try my hand at, too. Just got to take one step at a time............

[Boz330]

Good to see you back Charlie. Sorry you've had such a tough time, divorce can sure turn your life upside down. Never been through it myself but have had several good friends go through it.

Bob

[T-Bird]

I am on this thread for the first time in a good while too. Good to see you back Atom 73. Your powder is somewhat faster than mine. I will work on my technique. Been eating pheasants all winter. Shoot Straight, T-Bird

[Fly]

My goodness the whole gang is comming back.Good to see all our ole friends
back.
Fly

[atom73]

T-Bird,
Gonna be buying some pheasant chicks this spring to raise and boost the population around the compound here. The winter was mild here and if a bird made it through hunting season it made it through the winter. If things go well this year the state flock should rebound. I did make a bp batch this winter but have yet to shoot it. I do have plenty of room here though and this spring hope to put in a 600 yd range.
Mike

[MtGun44]

Welcome back. Sorry to hear about your troubles, hope you get them behind you.

Bill

[Boerrancher]

T-Bird,
Gonna be buying some pheasant chicks this spring to raise and boost the population around the compound here. The winter was mild here and if a bird made it through hunting season it made it through the winter. If things go well this year the state flock should rebound. I did make a bp batch this winter but have yet to shoot it. I do have plenty of room here though and this spring hope to put in a 600 yd range.
Mike

I have wanted to do that for years here on the farm, but I can't keep the coyotes and foxes from sneaking into the yard and killing my chickens, so I know there is not a snow balls chance in.... that I could ever keep a small population of ring necks alive and viable. Everyone says kill the coyotes, but me and my buddies can't kill them fast enough. Every time we get them killed out of the valley the cougars push more back in. Just a few days ago in broad daylight I pumped a big old 'yote full of lead, it was digging in the middle of my cousin's field as I was driving down the drive way. Was no more afraid of me than the man on the moon.

Best wishes,

Joe

[T-Bird]

Boerrancher, they make silent strobe- like lights that operate with a photo cell that can be used to ward off coyotes foxes etc. at night. I've heard they work well.

[Boerrancher]

Boerrancher, they make silent strobe- like lights that operate with a photo cell that can be used to ward off coyotes foxes etc. at night. I've heard they work well.

Heck a couple times a year I get them so thick in my yard at night I go out with the lever gun and a mag light and blast coyotes. The shots and light don't bother them at all, one night I killed a half a dozen in my front yard in less than 5 min, they just kept coming and I kept blasting. They have been on my cousin's front and back porches fighting with his dogs. They aren't afraid of lights, people, or most dogs. There are nights the 'yotes are so bad my great pyre and my cousins stay home and won't leave the porch. I personally have watched mine kill 5 in one big fight, so he is not bothered by small packs. One of my hunting buddies had a pair of his wolf hounds killed by a pack of coyotes not long ago out here. I am beginning to think that he and I are going to have to get a pack of Great Pyres because the one each we have just aren't cutting it.

Best wishes,

Joe

[T-Bird]

The idea with these things is that after dark, they blink constantly till dawn(photo cell) they are quite bright and you aim them away from your house(obviously). Again, I've never used them, I don't have livestock of any kind, but I have talked to people that do that have used them. There are similar systems that have been used by industry for years to keep birds from nesting in garages etc.

[Boerrancher]

I will check into them and maybe pick up a couple and try them out around the chicken pen. If I can keep the chickens from being eaten, that will be a good start.

Best wishes,

Joe

[hatcreek]

give me one reason why, not 10 reasons why not, been making bp for years, still have all my fingers, try it you'll like it...... HC

[AR-15 Cowboy]

I just made my first batch this week. I'm not impressed with it but it works. I think my grain size is off, I ran it through a window screen, I think that's too big...more like cannon powder. But I'm learning. I wish I had a simple way to test it. I start with a small charge and work my way up. I'm almost seventy and not very mobile so I don't hunt anymore except on my own ranch. I sit on the porch and shoot coyote's and wild hogs. I just need a powder strong enough that it won't bounce off the hard headed hogs. My first batch smelled really bad so I plan to cut back on the sulfer on the next one.

I'd like to thank all the posters on this and other threads for giving me the courage to try this at my age. I've never been so enthralled or had as much fun as with this powder making adventure. It gave me a whole new perspective on my abilities and my hobby of shooting and reloading. I learned about charcoal from Fly and corning from Boz and and the CIA process from Atom. I will keep doing this until I get the equivilant to a commercial powder. Thanks guys.

[Boz330]

AR be sure to check the links in this thread, there is a lot of info there. I press my powder into cakes and then break it up and screen it for grade. My velocities were were about 75fps slower than what I get from Swiss BP. I would not hesitate to use it on a pig. The deer I took was a complete pass through.
Consistency from batch to batch is probably the only thing that I worry about but so far it hasn't been that big a problem. I even shot my BP in a Silhouette match at 300yds and was pretty happy with the results. There is something very satisfying about making your own powder and making meat with it.

Bob

[Fly]

AR may I add one more thing.Nether Boz or I use the CIA process.I'm not saying
it's bad.But some time,s people try to many things.Bob & I both mill our powder
dry in a ball mill.

Our powders are very fast.I use a binder whether than press mine in pucks.
Nothing wrong with pressing powder for I have & sometimes still do.But I,m
lazy & find thats to much work (wink).
Fly