DIY bp gurus: will I need to corn my black powder? for use in cartrides?

[Boz330]

Bob,
Would it be possible to mill or cut two slots in a deep socket to accomodate the handle on your vice? You might be able to use a torque wrench to generate consistent pressures on your vice from batch to batch.

Just a thought.

I believe that I am probably tightening beyond what my torque wrench would do. I'm not all that unhappy with the results I'm getting now for what I'm doing with it. A hydraulic press is in the cards somewhere down the road when I get around to it. Just need to be in Harbor Freight at the same time as the money in my pocket.

Bob

[Texantothecore]

From day 1 I milled everything together. My CC was just run through an old meat grinder so wasn't anything close to air float. I tried several times to just screen it and load in a cartridge and had velocities in the 1000fps range. When I started corning the velocity went up to 1200-1250fps range. My competition load with the same boolit and Swiss is 1275fps.
I compress my pucks in a vice so the consistency isn't what it would be in a hydraulic press and I'm sure that makes a difference beyond 125yd which is all I figure on for hunting. I found that 3F worked best for me as far as accuracy, YMMV.
I think you guys might be over thinking this, load some up and run it across a chrono and see what you get, you might be surprised. The proof is in the pudding so to speak. My system is about as simple as it gets and has put meat on the table twice and provided some fun in competition at 300yd. I wasn't expecting much in the way of hits but the powder performed way better than expected. At 500yd the wheels fell off though, but I didn't make it for competition. That is where being anal retentive might prove to be the way to go.

Bob

I am definitely looking for a chrony later this year. It would really help get the powder right.

[Eagle66]

Read the whole thread and now I'm more confused than ever. Short & sweet; I got the HF press, gauge, etc. Compressed my meal @ ~1450 psi. After drying, the density was ~ 2.2 g/cc, somewhat over the commercial number. Planning to chrono it, of course, but I'm concerned that this density may be too much for proper function. Too much bang, maybe? Maybe I should reprocess it with less squeeze? Just shoot it, but make sure my measures account for the higher density? [smilie=b:

Advice, please

[Boz330]

Just shoot it. Some commercial powders are denser than others. Swiss for instance is 10+% heavier than Goex.
The only place that you get into trouble is trying to compress too much fine grained powder in a case. If you weigh your charges you should be fine and if it is too dense just add wads to make up the difference and work up.

Bob

[Texantothecore]

Just shoot it. Some commercial powders are denser than others. Swiss for instance is 10+% heavier than Goex.
The only place that you get into trouble is trying to compress too much fine grained powder in a case. If you weigh your charges you should be fine and if it is too dense just add wads to make up the difference and work up.

Bob

It would be instructive if our users weighed a cc of Swiss and Goex and posted the weoghts here. It didn't occur to me that densities would be different but it could have a substantial effect on velocity.

Thanks for the comment Bob, another layer of information to test out.

[Castloader]

Hey guys, newbie here. I'm assuming that the ultra fine powder that gets generated during corning could probably just be re-pressed with a little water and re-corned, correct? I made a couple small batches and unfortunately about 60% of the powder went through the 50 mesh screen. I have screens all the way up to 400 for other purposes, I'm learning that for BP, they aren't very useful.

[Boz330]

Hey guys, newbie here. I'm assuming that the ultra fine powder that gets generated during corning could probably just be re-pressed with a little water and re-corned, correct? I made a couple small batches and unfortunately about 60% of the powder went through the 50 mesh screen. I have screens all the way up to 400 for other purposes, I'm learning that for BP, they aren't very useful.

That is what I do, minus a little for flintlock prime. You do get a lot of fines. My best results have been from 3F which stays on my 30 mesh screen. Bigger is reground and smaller is re-corned.

Bob

[Texantothecore]

Hey guys, newbie here. I'm assuming that the ultra fine powder that gets generated during corning could probably just be re-pressed with a little water and re-corned, correct? I made a couple small batches and unfortunately about 60% of the powder went through the 50 mesh screen. I have screens all the way up to 400 for other purposes, I'm learning that for BP, they aren't very useful.

That is exactly how it is done. Just wet it and press and you will get 100% utilization of your green meal.

[Texantothecore]

Shop tip with the 12 ton press:I picked up a 2 ton hydraulic jack, put in the press frame and now use it as a vise. Best vise I have ever had. The orientation is different but it does not require a heavy table for mounting the vise.Try it, you'll like it.

[cal50]

Making good powder is fun and addicting.....

[Texantothecore]

It certainly is addicting. Worse than casting your own, if that is possible.

[Boz330]

Headed out this weekend for deer with my HM. Put a doe in the freezer with the ML and HM last month. Need one more for summer sausage.
The 40-65 roller with 60gr and a 325gr flat point doing 1350fps should get the job done.

Bob

[Texantothecore]

Good luck! It doesn't look as if I will get to deer hunt this year as business is taking all my time but I am going to be looking for some land to hunt on for next year with my hm bp. What a pleasure that will be.