My homemade black powder

[Avenger442]

Grading powder today. But really not sure of what I'm doing. I don't have unlimited screens.

Put a 10 screen on top to catch anything that might need to go back in the grinder. What passed through it went to a 20 then a 40 then a 60 then 100. Now the question is what have I got? Is the 20 FFG 40 FFFG? I saw the post a while back showing what sizes of screens and the percentages of each for the powders. Trying to get around buying any more screens so I can just shoot some of this stuff.

Does anyone know a good book with loads for black powder cartridges? All I have show loads for muzzle loaders but no cartridge.

[Fly]

http://www.armsregister.com/articles...der_grades.pdf

Check the post above.
Fly

[Whiterabbit]

I use "lazy" 3F. Everything that's 3F gets mixed with about half again what is 2F and a couple percent (give or take) what would measure as F.

Otherwise I'd be grinding over and over for days and end up with a ton of airfloat to re-corn.

It actually works really well. 90 grains is pretty similar in performance to 90 grains of BH209. Shoots a little dirtier though...

[Avenger442]

So Fg, FFg...... are a combination of different sized grains. A mixture of different screen sizes. What happens if I pick a screen size in the middle of the group and use grains more or less all the same size?

What about a suggestion for a book on black powder cartridge loads?

[Nobade]

Not sure a book is all the useful, you pretty much just use as much powder as you can get to fit in whatever cartridge you are working with. Then work down a little until it shoots the best. But if it is a book you want, a couple of years ago I saw a pretty good one I think but not sure was published by Lyman and edited by Sam Fadala. It had tons of cartridges and load combinations, and was a pretty good read. Mike Venturino has written a couple also, about lever guns, single shots, and revolvers that may be useful.

As for grading powder, I try to make something approximating commercial 3F for most use. I also make a bit of coarser powder, more like 1F, for my shotgun. It seems to pattern better than the finer powder. But the 3f is used in everything else.

-Nobade

[Avenger442]

Thanks Nobade. Found the Sam Fadala book on Amazon. Will look for the Venturino book.

I understand the idea that you can't put enough black powder in a cartridge to blow up the gun. It is a little foreign to me since I also shoot quite a bit of smokeless. Just like to have reference material on hand from someone that has more experience than me in what I am doing.

I think I'm going to try some loads with the powder that passed through the 20 screen and stopped on the 40. It looks like it is going to be the closest to 3F. Probably start with some .44 loads with a small wad behind it. I have both .44 revolver and rifle so that would give me the best idea of my ability to use my black in cartridge.

[Fly]

I can't get but 35 grains of 3fffg in a long colt .44. I shoot 30 grains in those. That's the only black
powder cartridge I load.
Fly

[Whiterabbit]

So Fg, FFg...... are a combination of different sized grains. A mixture of different screen sizes. What happens if I pick a screen size in the middle of the group and use grains more or less all the same size?

What about a suggestion for a book on black powder cartridge loads?

yes they are a mix. BP kernals are all sizes from float to chunks. Look at the sheet given to you as a link.

Basically, you get the screen sizes for the powder you want. Or you can fudge a little if you want, no harm. for commercial, the chart basically says for a given pound of X, 3% won't pass the bigger screen, and 12% passes the smaller screen.

[Avenger442]

Thanks Fly
What is the bullet weight?

Thanks Whiterrabbit and all you guys. Your making this easier for me to get into.

[Fly]

I have been using the Lee mold in 200 grams & the 220 grain. The .220 grain kicks like a mule.
I like the 200 grain bullet best.

Fly

[Texantothecore]

@Fly
How long after the pressure stabilizes in the press do you compress? I am compressing for a half hour but I need to increase my production. I am using much more than I had anticipated.

[Boz330]

@Fly
How long after the pressure stabilizes in the press do you compress? I am compressing for a half hour but I need to increase my production. I am using much more than I had anticipated.

I use 10 minutes. After a certain point I believe there are diminishing returns. You might get a couple more feet per second but not much.

Bob

[Whiterabbit]

jeez, I use 10 seconds. My powder is fast enough for my needs. holds up with good integrity. Pours fine too, though not like commercial (I don't graphite my powder). My only complaint is it's dirtier compared to commercial. I think I waited a day to let the pucks further harden. I suspect I tried breaking a couple in half after an hour or so just to see what the inside was like.

after that it was ground, graded, and put in a sealed can. If there was any moisture left at that point you'd think my can would be filled with soup.

I'm still about committed to replace my 6 ton jack with a 20 ton air over hydraulic jack though. Not because I think I need more pressure, but because I want air over hydraulic, and the 20 ton costs only 10 bucks more than the 12 ton.

[Fly]

With a bottle jack press you don't need very long. No more than 30 sec or so. Now Bob is using a vice which
in not exerting as much psi, so I would think he knows best for that way of doing it.

Fly

[Fly]

I screwed up this evening. I know many of you rely on me for advice, & I appreciate that.
But I screw up also & tonight was one of those times. It is going to rain tonight so gest how
stupid I was. I started pressing pucks tonight. But like the dumb butt I can be, by not thinking
I misted my meal powder as normal.

Well into pressing water started coming out the bottom of the die sleeve. Well I just let it sit for
a while thinking I knew better. Just wanted to past this on. When it is humid back off the water spray.

My friend Lloyd in Fla said he does not ever mist his because of all the humidity they have there.

Just wanted to past this along, Fly

[Texantothecore]

I was watching the pressure gauge tonight and when it stops collapsing the powder it simply stops losing pressure. Maybe 3 minutes into the press run.

Thanks for the help Fly. I broke my pucks into smaller chunks after removing them from the die and they should dry very quickly in my dehydrator tomorrow.

[Freightman]

I can get 70 gr of my BP in a 45/70 but it has to be compressed hard, so I use a 60 gr load to make it easer.

[Hotfxr]

So I seem to be way off on puck pressure. I use my ultra high quality Harbor Freight 12 ton press and pump that handle until it just won't move any more. (hoping that it gets somewhere close to half it's rated capacity) then I leave it for a half hour or so, come back and pump it up again. By the third time it will stay at pressure so I leave it there for 15 minutes or so then take it our and press up the next batch. Maybe if I wasn't so cheap and would pony up the big bucks for a quality, made in the USA, 12 ton jack that actually went up to 12 tons I would shorten the time under pressure. But I still think I would leave it for at least a half hour. IMHO the extra time is what is making my powder virtually the same weight per volume as Goex. I could be wrong but you will never get me to admit it.

[Texantothecore]

I use a length of 1 inch gas pipe for the lever on the hydraulic cylinder. Works like charm.

[Atlast357]

I am at the beginning of making Holy Black.
Probably experiment like a lot of you have done. One ingredient needed is to locate charcoal.
I will make my own, but living in a big west coastal city, not many stands of trees to find
a suitable wood to cook.
There are a lot of Sycamores near the range I belong to, and that appears to be a hardwood
that dries easily. In fact it drops small dry branches almost all year round.
Anyone know about this wood as charcoal ?