BP in a 475 Linebaugh

[Rifle 57]

Have any of you Handcannon guys ever used any Black powder in a 475 Linebaugh with heavy boolits! or in a 454 Casull with heavy boolits.

[Crash_Corrigan]

Sounds like a good idea. I obtained a NIB 40year old Smith 57 .41 Magnum and I made up a dozen or two BP loadings for it. I dumped in some powder and then a .060 felt wad and compressed it a mite with a cast slug. What fun! Big booming report and clouds of white smoke that quickly attracted attention on the firing line from other shooters. No big deal on the cleanup Ballistrol and water a couple of time and wipe out with a lightly oiled clean patch. Then 24 hours later do it all over again just to make sure. That is too fine a weapon to let be damaged by the hydroscopic properties of BP.

The next step is to make my own BP and play it some. And somewhere down the road I can see a BP smokepole in a flinter.

[Cornbread]

Nope, but I have totally wondered about doing it with one of my 454s. If you do it, post back how it worked. I think BP loads out of a 45-70 BFR would be a riot at the range too. That one I might just have to try.

[Gus McCrae]

Those cartridges really came to life thanks to powders like H110.

[44man]

No, never did and talked to Magnum Research about the 45-70 BFR and they told me "No black powder." Confusing of course. Maybe cleaning is involved but it sure should work.
The .475 should also work. I have been tempted but to know how I hate to clean must be understood.
I was also told to keep at 30,000 PSI in the 45-70 but they make it in .450 too, maybe just brass strength.
BP should really work. keep us posted.

[reed1911]

Other than the show it puts on, why? I doubt that accuracy would increase and certainly more cleaning involved. Just for fun? You don't need a reason, just not something I would not consider I guess.

[Whiterabbit]

No, never did and talked to Magnum Research about the 45-70 BFR and they told me "No black powder." Confusing of course. Maybe cleaning is involved but it sure should work.
The .475 should also work. I have been tempted but to know how I hate to clean must be understood.
I was also told to keep at 30,000 PSI in the 45-70 but they make it in .450 too, maybe just brass strength.
BP should really work. keep us posted.

They also do not recommend handloading for your BFR. We can all guess why that is.

As for BP, My understanding is BP based revolvers have larger BC gaps. I don't believe MR builds their BFR's with a BC gap tolerance for BP.

That's just my guess. Just as likely, it's related to the handloading bit above.

I asked about this a year ago for my 460S&W BFR. still haven't tried it. maybe one day I will, but for now there has been no need.

[Cornbread]

Other than the show it puts on, why? I doubt that accuracy would increase and certainly more cleaning involved. Just for fun? You don't need a reason, just not something I would not consider I guess.

Because at one point during the powder shortage, BP was all I could find that would work in a 45-70. My stock of 3031 was enough to get me through until more was available so I never tried it.

[44man]

Many makers say no hand loading but in the end the best will honor your gun. Since there are no factory loads for many BFR's , do you go to Wall mart for loads? Yeah , sure, run to the store and ask for .475's or JRH loads. You get a stare. Bet no gun store in the country stocks the .475 LB. .500 JRH, get real. They know we load for the guns.
Fly to Alaska with your gun and go to a gun shop for loads. Go back home! you have one choice, bring your loads

[reed1911]

Because at one point during the powder shortage, BP was all I could find that would work in a 45-70. My stock of 3031 was enough to get me through until more was available so I never tried it.

Good enough reason I suppose. Certainly no reason is a bad one, I just did not understand the reason for undertaking the project. Being able to make your own blackpowder or white powder and having done the research ahead of time certainly allows for a last resort option. I have enough guns to shoot that even when stuff gets scarce I just move to a different project, like most here I always have too many irons in the fire. The .22LR shortage and cost gave me a great reason to break out the old .32S&W Longs and recall why I love them so much; $0.015 in lead, a $0.02 primer, and a pinch of powder makes them less costly than .22 and about the same recoil. Keeps me current in my bullseye shooting.

[Rifle 57]

Whiterabbit brings up a good point about the BC gaps. I did not think of that it might we wise to forget the BP it was just a thought anyway.

[44man]

Whiterabbit brings up a good point about the BC gaps. I did not think of that it might we wise to forget the BP it was just a thought anyway.
Not enough to worry about. GO FOR it and keep us in the loop.

[Rifle 57]

I might give it a try sometime. I have shot some black powder in a 45 colt a time or two and I really liked it but like you said 44man I don't like the clean up all that much because you have to do it soon after a shooting session or you have real problems.
I some times like to put off a gun cleaning job until later and that just wont cut as you all know. I do use BP in all my 1874's though.

[44man]

BP is a hoot and better then many think But you need to clean and even brass needs washed. I like to shoot and put the gun back in the safe for years. Call me lazy and you found it.

[Ramjet-SS]

I am really intrigued by this thread but BP should have no pressure issues at all. I would suggest a compressed load and as everyone else has indicated you will need to clean the weapon really well. I suggest buying some Ballistol it is the GOTO for cleaning and neutralizing the acids from BP. I have used it for many years. I have Encore barrel coming I may try this in that barrel just for the hoots. If I do I will report on my findings and results.

[44man]

It does no harm to dunk your gun. Remove the cylinder and grips and stick the gun into the laundry tub (Mine is plastic) with soap and water. Scrub and flush all. Then rinse with very hot water and dry it. Put a Ballistol patch down the barrel and spray the insides with Barricade. DO NOT USE WD-40.
Oil pins again. Use STP on the cylinder pin and ratchet.
It is easier to clean a revolver after BP then cleaning a flinter.
I like Barricade spray cans, displaces moisture and lubricates. WD-40 will dry and harden to even lock up the firing pin and will promote rust on a blue gun. Worst stuff on earth, seen it lock up firing pins on rifles and nothing will dissolve it, must be removed mechanically.
Farmers in PA buy WD-40 in 55 gal drums to spray farm equipment and it rusts away so they have to fix all the time. They spray their deer rifles with it. I made a lot of money off them.

[Cornbread]

I use hot soapy water for BP cleanup where the soap is 409 cleaner. Works amazing! When I first was given a BP Hawken by a friend's father many years ago I had no clue how to shoot or clean one etc. I went down to a place that all they did was muzzle loader stuff and there was an old geezer behind the counter with a ZZ top beard. I went up to him and asked him to show me everything I would need to shoot my new gun and how to do it. He told me smokeless powder was just a pop craze and he bet everybody would go back to shooting BP eventually. LOL! I don't know about that but he showed me the 409 trick where you put the back of the barrel of your smoke pole in the hot water and use the brush/fluffy cleaning attachment deal to suck that hot 409 water up and down it like a pump. That stuff removes the worst BP fouling I have ever had in my muzzle loader in very short time. You do need to dry and re-oil everything when you are done but that stuff will get BP fouling out clean as a whistle. He also showed me a cool trick with a hanky for how to safely pull a bullet with your ram rod and bullet pulling attachment. Works like a charm. That old fella was a veritable fount of BP knowledge. I wish he still lived nearby.

[Certaindeaf]

Lol. I used to shoot my Mohawk Model 600 in .243 with black powder. Factory jacketed.
I'd have to clean the thing after two shots in order to chamber another round.. other than that, it worked just fine!

[Certaindeaf]

Because at one point during the powder shortage, BP was all I could find that would work in a 45-70. My stock of 3031 was enough to get me through until more was available so I never tried it.
I think Red Dot will work in anything.

[Cornbread]

I think Red Dot will work in anything.

Kind of a side trail but....finding powders for shotgun anywhere near me has been nearly impossible. I traded for 1lb of Unique over a year ago and have been using that 1lb for heavy 45 ACP revolver loads ever since at 5.5grn per load it will last me a while. I would kill to be able to get good shotgun powders variety reliably again like Unique, Longshot, or any of the Dots. The only shotgun powder that seems to come in fairly regularly around here has been Titegroup. I'd like to start reloading for shotgun but with the serious lack of powder choice or powder at all over the last few years I am hesitant to start. What I really need would be loads for grouse in heavy timber & brush, and regular loads for pheasant for both 12ga and 20ga. My brother offered to give me his 12 and 20 gauge presses, charge bars etc. because he no longer uses them. I just haven't started trying to do it do to lack of powder options.

[Whiterabbit]

I think Red Dot will work in anything.

Not if you read my 45 colt thread. Apparently works in 35ksi 357 mag but not 20ksi 45 colt (but ok for 15ksi 45 colt....)

That's if you believe popular opinion.

[snowwolfe]

Cool concept using BP in the large revolver rounds. Could mean the difference between shooting or not shooting if components became even more scarce than they were the last couple of years.
Look forward to any reports of your experiences.

[Lloyd Smale]

maybe in a beat up old ruger but not in my precision made 2000 plus dollar linebaughs

[Cornbread]

maybe in a beat up old ruger but not in my precision made 2000 plus dollar linebaughs

Do the Linebaugh conversions have about the same cylinder gap as a Freedom Arms? If they do I would think it would bind up real quick with black powder, maybe even before all five rounds were fired. I was going to try it in a BFR, I think the Freedom Arms cylinder gap is too tight for me to try it in them.

[Ramjet-SS]

Amen to that Lloyd !!!

Thats why I may try few rounds in my Encore barrel it can be easily cleaned.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup they vary a bit gun to gun but are very tightly build guns. I had to acutally have one of my linebaughs opened up a bit because the chambers were so tight loading ammo for it was a pain and 512 bullets were impossible to chamber.
Do the Linebaugh conversions have about the same cylinder gap as a Freedom Arms? If they do I would think it would bind up real quick with black powder, maybe even before all five rounds were fired. I was going to try it in a BFR, I think the Freedom Arms cylinder gap is too tight for me to try it in them.

[Lloyd Smale]

Yup to me cleaning any revolver with black is a pain. I once bought a pair of old armys and played with them for a summer and that was enough for me. I like my smokeless shooting. I can shoot 500 rounds stick the gun in the safe if I don't have time to clean it and if I want I can take it out and shoot 500 more. I like to shoot, I HATE to clean guns.
Amen to that Lloyd !!!

Thats why I may try few rounds in my Encore barrel it can be easily cleaned.

[44man]

I did not think of the tight fits and fouling, good point. A good BP lube might help.

[crash87]

With a tight B/C gap your revolver will bind up with the fouling BP produces quicker for sure. Take a spray botlle of 50/50 windex/water and give a spray at the chamber mouth when shootin, it works.
Why use BP in a revolver? 1st off because you can and want to. If one doesnt, its there choice not to, not to question those that do.
I like and like to do, alot of shooting, but my 2000+ dollar customs dont get neglected or stuck back into a safe without some primary care and cleaning. Just my opinion. If you want to load BP, you must know going in, cleaning is part of it, and immediately. If you dont like to clean dont shoot BP, simple as that.
FYI, Hodgdon sells this stuff call Trail Boss, accurate sells some stuff called 5744, that is close but not quite the same, for those " dont like to clean my high dollar gun crowd".
Have a happy 4th and, yes, load up some black and go do some shooting and make some smoke, it was all over the place back in the late 1700"s the real reason we can celebrate independence. Current administration excluded of course.
Crash87