New to reloading Black Powder

[JAbee]

Where can a newcomer to reloading and black powder find information on reloading 45 Colt with black powder for a 1858 Remington conversion gun? Kinda looking for the reloading steps as well as general info (ex. do you use standard loading dies, lubes.....)

[Dale53]

When I first started using black powder in matches with the .45 Colt, I didn't have a clue. I bought Mike Venturino's book and all became clear. This. Book covers both smokeless and black powder. After developing my loads I won a number of matches with my Ruger Bisley Vaquero.
https://www.amazon.com/Shooting-Sixg...enturino+books

Good luck!
Dale53

[country gent]

The Spg manual gives a very good How to o loading true BP. Its simple to do just a few other steps and slight diffrences. One big one is a lube that works with BP keeping fouling soft and moist. SPG is very good as are some others. Emmerts can be made at home from easy to obtain materials. 50% beeswax, 40% crisco unsalted shortening, and 10% olive or canola oils. For the improved version drop oil to 5% and add 5% lanolin. Loading Black Powder the biggest is no air space in the case. Find a charge that fills the case to the base of the bullet or a little more. SOme BPs like more compression than others so experimenting is needed here. Wads can be hand punched from cardboard boxes (cerial, crackers, and such) or vegetable fiber from walters and others. To load prep brass size and bell lightly, expad case mouths. Find your desired charge weight and charge cases, insert wads by hand, compress charge to depth for bullet to seat to overall length. Seat bullets lubed with BP lube into cases and just remove bell. When testing watch fouling as compression goes up fouling slowly drop as burn becomes more effient then as you go past to over compression the fouling starts going back up. Also if chronographing loads watch Standard Devitaion and extreme spreads as they drop on the up and start raising as you go past compression point. In 45 colt start aropund 30-35 grns 2 f BP. WOrk up in 2 grn increments

[Wayne Smith]

I will double down on Dale's advice. I don't think Duke says anything new in his book but he does say it in a very readable and understandable way.

Get real black powder, not one of the substitutes. Get a big lube boolit mold because you need a lot of lube to keep the powder residue soft. Reseach BP lubes on this site - sticky covers it but Emmerts is simple and adequate. I added lanolin a) because I had some and b) to make it sticky. I added a little oil soap because it was suggested as helpful. I have been using this original concoction for about 15 years (I made a lot!) in both BP and regular pistol loads and it hasn't let me down yet.

I think Tom at Accurate has big lube boolits and I think (I'm less sure of this) that NOE has the original of at least some of the original Big Lube boolits.

I'm not target shooting but I've never used a wad in the 44-40, just loaded the boolit down onto the powder without any air space.

[rfd]

interesting post as i just acquired a uberti 1858 .44 rem NMA and have a conversion cylinder for .45LC too. i already load black powder grease and ppb rounds for .45-70 and i see the .45LC as no different. i'll be making initial rounds with about 30 grains of swiss 3f, well lubed 1/8" durafelt wad, rcbs 255 grain .454 cast 1:20 bullet.

[bigted]

yes i concur with every post here. it is an easy task to load 45 Colt rounds with Black Powder. just a few simple rules to follow and the "BLAST" effect {fun value} is without saying ... very fun indeed.

nice lookin rig there RFD. them Rem new models always barked my knuckle too often but other then that with my huge paws ... very fun revolver.

JAbee ... careful there ... you are embarking upon a trail that has no end in sight. a very fun trail tho and extremely addicting to say the least. you have arrived at a great place for these questions. the amount of valuable info here is unequaled id venture to say anyplace else on the net.

just a short primer to maybe get you started down the path with no end;

begin with a good boolit or maybe what you have on hand [Lee has a boolit i use often called the #452155 ] mold and it works well in my revolvers and rifles chambered in the old Colt 45 round.
- either buy some blackpowder lube or make a simple mix of 1/2 bee wax and 1/2 clear Vaseline to lube your boolit with.
- buy some real Black Powder to load your rounds with
- yes your dies will work well for loading ... takes no special loading dies ... just 45 Colt dies
- any powder measuring devise will suffice for loading BP.
- regular large pistol primers work best.

now here we go;

- size your brass in the normal way
- flair the mouth so as to not shave lead from the boolits when seating.
- prime the clean brass with your large pistol primers ... i use CCI 300's
- measure out 30 grains of good ol Black Powder ... i use GOEX 2Fg or KIK 2Fg sometimes i use Ol Ensford 2F powder ... some use Swiss as well.
- take a sized and lubed boolit and place upon the case mouth and seat to the crimp ring ... this will gently compress your powder by maybe around 1/8th inch with your boolit will accomplish with no worries with the 30 grain charge.
- i use the crimper on the seating die to roll crimp into the crimp ring of my boolits. may want to seat the boolits all first then go back and crimp em all as sometimes the seating and crimping might wizzel off a small bit of lead while seating the final bit and crimping at the same time.

now try em all in the cylinder to make sure they all will fall into the chambers slick like. go out and shoot em and try to not wear that silly grin all the way home. folks not in the know will think you maybe slipped n fell n wacked yer noodle on the ground and maybe are a bit SIMPLE as a result ... just sayin.

have a ball ... this is so simple you will scarcely believe your luck at stumbling onto this new addiction. there are many little hints to follow and i know some but definetely not all of em ... these fellers will not guide you in a faulty direction ... and may well help you into an ace shooter of the Holy Black.

[JAbee]

Why would you use 2F instead of 3F?

[sharpsguy]

The fouling from 2f powder is softer.

[Kevin Rohrer]

Has the OP invested in a copy of any of the extensive BP guides available from Lyman, Gun Digest, Sam Fadela, etc? They can be bought for only a very few dollars on Amazon. The older editions are just as good and maybe better than what is currently available. BP and old guns don't change.

[bigted]

Why would you use 2F instead of 3F?

couple reasons ... 1st, is that as stated the fouling is a bit less with the 2Fg powder ... and 2nd, the black powder is a bit more lively with the 3Fg powder then the 2Fg and i aim to have fun with my BP revolvers and nuttin else on the agenda like POWER or VELOCITY.

i shoot these only for fun ... i do not compete, hunt or any of the like {nothin against those that do} i just go out to have fun shooting them and trying to shoot against myself for groups and the like. i shoot clay pigeons and cans as often as i can [very informal].

being about half hermit i enjoy my company most and rarely fit in with others agendas. usually will find me on good days up in the hills looking for another rock pit to shoot at or bounce tin cans around in. i can while away an entire day with a percussion revolver and a pound of BP, tin or two of caps, plenty of lead balls and the makings of a fire and a few hotdogs to roast unless i have found an old slow ruffed grouse or two to roast plus a kettle of water to make cowboy coffee. this is the life my friend and little in it gets better then that.