Hello to everyone. I finally got my hands on my very own 1873 Springfield Trapdoor. I knew I would eventually want to shoot some black powder cartridges in it. I purchased the gun from some good friends that own and operate a local gun store. They had limited experience on loading black powder but told me to do my research and make sure I had no air space in my cartridges.
I was familiar with Goex, that's what I shoot in my muzzleloaders, so that was my powder of choice. I researched drop tubes and built one out of 3/8" brass tubing, mine is only 18" but serves the purpose for now.
I am loading 55 grains Goex 2f in Remington brass,CCI large rifle primers with Montana Precision Swagging 405 grain bullets. For my wad to take up any space between my bullet and powder is a 44/45 cal wad like I use in my Colt reproduction revolver. Has anyone else used these before in their cartridges? They fill the void perfectly and the bullet seems to seat perfectly.
I've reloaded and fired about 12 of these without any issue. I am getting 1120 fps through my chronograph with this setup.
I am wanting to hear from you guys that have a lot of experience with these rifles. It's a wonderful shooter but I want to preserve it for even more years to come while enjoying shooting it.
Thanks