Compression Dies

[Guy La Pourque]

Hey boys - I just got a compression die from the fine fellas at Buffalo arms and need to know a thing or two about compressing black powder charges.

Is it possible to squish the powder so much that it distorts the case? How do you prevent that?

I actually DID distort a case by squishing the bullet down on it and had to throw two cases away...and that is not a good thing when you shoot a .45-75 in Canada and you can't get brass across the border...

[Brad Phillips]

I have compressed as much as .300 in a .45-70 with cartridge grade powder that was dropped 24".

I measured free space in cases with powder already dropped and made enough room for a wad, lube cookie and bullet to be seated where it needed to be. You will want to measure the components you have and figure how much room you need.

[missionary5155]

Howdy Guy
Well as you found out.. yes you can "Bulge" cases. Some cases are fragile... like 45-75's and 50-95's. That caliber .50 is one I shoot when up north there.
So how much powder are you trying to load ?
In my 50-95 because we are using "solid head" cases they will not hold as much powder as the old ones "ballon head" cases. My solution is to switch to 3F.. I have not yet fired a BP load that blew up or was less accurate using 3F. I shoot 38 Long, 38-55, 45-70, 43 Spanish, 45-90, and 50-95. I can pick up about 150 fps over 2F and do not have to "crush" it into any case.
3f does raise pressure volumn to volumn but I have not seen any ugly results. The38 Long is a Marlin Ballard from 1871 and has not "stretched linchage" using 3F. But then I am not "crushing" it into cases.
So what you want to do is with a micrometer measure a fired case in numerous spots. Write those diameters down. Begin compressing. when the case shows anyexpansion you know you have gone to far. This is one of those cases where slow and easy is the only route to go.
This rifle of your's I assume is a 1876 style. So I have the same dilema ofOACL. that again is another reason I switched to 3F in the 50-95. There was no way to get enough 2F under a plain based no wad or cookie boolit and attain any FPS that corresponded to origonal loadings. But 3F will do it.
Mike in Peru

[Guy La Pourque]

Hey Mike.

Yes, I am burning 2F in a Uberti 1876. I was a keener that couldn't wait for my compression die to show up so I used the bullet to compress approx. 70 gr. of 2F with a cookie and a .45 caliber pistol felt wad. Accuracy at 100 yards off the bags is around 4 to 6" and I seriously need to clean that up. So now I have the compression die and I have over-the-powder cards which are made especially for BPCR and should be a bit thinner. I could have boolit issues leading to accuracy problems too, because I am new at this. I buy lead off flea bay and alloy it with tin solder and I haven't got the slightest idea what my alloy is or whether it's any good or not! Boolits seem to dump at around .457" and my barrel was slugged at the same.

How long does you brass last running black powder, Mike? Do you have any good pics of your drop tube arrangement? I have a 6" tube that came with the RCBS funnel pack, and I pour the powder in from about 6" over the funnel. The powder does seem to settle a bit better but I think I need a big drop tube like the pros are using...can you buy them?

[Brad Phillips]

I made my drop tube from copper pipe with a couple of fittings to make it bigger on top and smaller on the bottom. Buffalo arms also has punches in different sizes. Then you can make wads from wax type milk cartons and things that are made from LDPE.

[Brad Phillips]

Brass will last a long time will BP loadings. I would usually have a milk jug with water and dish soap so I could just toss fired brass in while shooting. When home you can give them a rinse cycle and then clean then in a regular case cleaner. The water helps keep fowling soft and giving them a pre-wash will help your cleaning medium last longer.