Smokeless for Black again

[Ball Caster]

How many time has this question been asked? I originally posted on the Black Power Cartridge sight but the suggestion was to try this sight , so here goes.

I have a Forehand Model 1901 break top .32 cal. S&W Long. To the best of my knowledge this is a BP era gun. I shoot a lot of BP but I would like to try a low pressure smokeless. So, I need a smokeless load that is at or below the black powder pressure. I have a number of 90 grain semi-wad cutters that I would like to use.

Unfortunately I cannot find any information on .32 cal. cartridge BP pressure and the SAAMI 15,000 psi for S&W Long I assume is for guns of modern construction.

I have had good luck with low pressure shotgun loads but low pressure smokeless pistol loads evade me. I have shot Pyrodex loads and they work fine but you still have the clean up.

Any suggestions?

[waksupi]

I would personally stick with BP or a substitute. I would be afraid of that pistol getting way too exciting with modern smokeless powder.

[rintinglen]

With your 90 grain boolit, 1.7 grains of Bullseye or Reddot, 2.0 grains of ww-231 or 2.4 grains of Unique will all produce useful low pressure loads. The Unique and Reddot loads will likely require charges to be weighed. The only one of these I have personally tried is the WW-231/ load, but the others all are very low velocity as well. These are the Lyman 3rd Edition CBH starting loads