My homemade black powder

[Fly]

What we have here is a failure to comunicate????????

Fly

[perotter]

Just curious if anyone has chronoed or group tested their powder yet.

Bob

FWIW,

Only in a cartridge rifle & I make sulfurless powder(ISP is higher than normal BP) about 10 years ago. 5 grains less powder than org 1880's loads gave 25 fps less.

But, that info is not any great use real here.

[1874Sharps]

Perotter,

I am not familiar with "ISP", can you tell me what that is?

[Boz330]

I'll second that and actually I want to use it in my BPCRs as well. I shoot those more than my MLs.

Bob

[Fly]

Guy's this is off the topic some.But what would be a good deal for a 45-70 sharps?

Fly

[Boz330]

What kind? There are some out there that aren't a good deal if they are given to you. Pedersoli are the best of the Italians. C Sharps and Shilo hold there value the best so depending on what you want to spend they may or may not be a good deal.

Bob

[Fly]

Well Boz, I don't want junk.But I'm like most & don't own a bank.I would like to find a preowned one if that is possible.A grand is alot of bucks & way out of what I can do.

Maybe it is just a dream for me, but man that's one rifle that has always been the one
I always wanted.
Fly

[waksupi]

The sad truth of it is BPCR for the most part, is not a poor man's game. A good rifle costs plenty. Enough brass, lead, powder and primers to get through a weekend shoot costs plenty. You don't see many young guys on the line, unless they are shooting a borrowed rifle. Seems that way to me, anyhow.

[Boz330]

Well Boz, I don't want junk.But I'm like most & don't own a bank.I would like to find a preowned one if that is possible.A grand is alot of bucks & way out of what I can do.

Maybe it is just a dream for me, but man that's one rifle that has always been the one
I always wanted.
Fly

I hear what you are saying. I saved for a long time for my CSA Highwall but really wanted one. The Pedersolis are good value for the money and the sporting models are a little cheaper than the target models. They are also more practical if you want to hunt with it as well. I would think that you should be able to find something on that order down in the $600 range. Definitely stay away from the IAB Sharps, They can be made into a decent shooter but you would have as much as if you started with a Big Timber gun.

Bob

[1874Sharps]

Fly,

I found a used Pedersoli 1874 Sharps about eight years ago on gunsamerica.com for a great price and can testify to the quality of Pedersoli. Had money been no object I would have picked up a Shiloh, but I am not rich.

There are certain guns that have been on the "bucket list" for years and years. As the good Lord blesses I am occasionally able to pick one up along the way. The 45-70 1874 Sharps and the 54 caliber 1859 Sharps have been incredibly fun to load for and shoot! In fact, I think the other rifles on the rack have become jealous of them because they seem to be the ones that get taken out the most. If you ever get the chance to pick up a Sharps I am sure you will fall in love with it, too!

[Charlie Sometimes]

Well, I am going to attempt to make that apple wood into charcoal this weekend, but it looks like it is going to rain everyday for the next week!
I've got a pile of brush to burn in the back yard, and this would be ideal time to get this DIY BP project of mine headed in the right direction.

[bearcove]

This is looking better today! Went by the gun shop asked if they had BP. Nope. "There is a guy in Roswell or Riodoso that has some." Thats 150 miles away and I'm in the big city in NM. And they aren't sure where this guy is?

I'd save that apple for the smoker its the BEST.

[Charlie Sometimes]

I know there is at least one member on here from Roswell.
Might pay to post in Want to Buy for the BP, or some where else for the contact potential if you really want to find your source.

I don't own a smoker, but it would work on the charcoal grill.
I want to build a smoke house in the back yard eventually..............

[1874Sharps]

Charlie,

This is a little off topic, but I made a smoke house out of my enclosed utility trailer by cutting a hole in the side and piping in smoke from the BBQ and then patching the hole with sheet metal. It worked and I smoked a bunch of the deer I shot going on two years back as well as beef and chicken. So if you have a trailer you may consider using it this way.

[Old Ironsights]

THREAD DRIFT!





From the weirder side of news.... did you know that the active ingredient in Sensodyne Toothpaste is KNO3? Truth!

[tacklebury]

There are other nitrates that can work just as well as potassium nitrate also. The simplest is Urea Nitrate which is used in "Red Propellent" in the improvised munitions handbook from the U.S. Army. Just Pee in a jar and suspend a number of cotton strings down into the solution with a weight attached. As the water evaporates out of the urine, it will leave crystals on the strings which are this substance. You can just keep adding more urine from time to time and the crystals will continue to condense onto the strings. I'd recommend leaving it outside somewhere though, because it'll smell foul.

[nanuk]

what is the chemical composition of UREA?

is it ammonium nitrate?

Can this be used as a sub for potassium nitrate?

[zxcvbob]

what is the chemical composition of UREA?

is it ammonium nitrate?

Can this be used as a sub for potassium nitrate?

Urea == (NH2)2CO I'm not sure what urea has to do with anything.

You can convert ammonium nitrate to potassium nitrate if you have a source of potassium hydroxide or potassium carbonate. (I know the hydroxide works, I've done it. I'm pretty sure carbonate will work) It's a safe but nasty reaction that gives off lots of ammonia gas.

[atom73]

OK, I finally was able to get out and test my homemade BP at the range with a chronograph.
I used my own cast lead (WW) rn 230gr bullets sabotted into my TC black diamond express in front of 4 pellets (I press my powder putty into pellet cylinders) each weighing 20gr (total 80 gr BP). I got an average 1250 fps (+/- 50)using that load on the chronograph shooting 10 shots. I was able to stay on target at 50 yds with a consistent group of 4 inches. I did shoot it with 100 gr BP the next day but the chrono was acting up and it was getting dark so no reliable data for that load. I am happy with these results and will be taking this load to the field in the fall. I especially like using the pellets instead of loose powder. I used a stack of four rolled up in tissue paper, just tear off the bottom 'twist' of paper so the primer doesnt have to burn through it, and dump the whole package down the barrel. Ram the bullet/sabot down next and I am good to go, no funneling of loose stuff. Should work out great with cold hands during hunting season.
This is the follow up post to my original post that started the thread, you guys can now have your way with the thread and thanks for all the input. Good discourse guys.
Mike

[bearcove]

Thanks for the how-to! Your pictures and instructions and the discusion that went with it changed me from ignorant to curious.

With a recipe I understand.