flash hole size

[herbert buckland]

i have been noticing acuracy going off in my 56-50 spencer ,i have been doing everything the same except i changed to maginum primers about 6 reloads ago,would flash hole expansion be the cause of this,the pouder in this cartrige has to be conpresed to get proper velocity

[Baron von Trollwhack]

Use your best load formuls. It's not the flash hole. Its leading, a lube problem, work hardening of the case mouth (neck tension), or something similar. Fight off the cowboy urge to DRILL those flash holes. BvT

[herbert buckland]

Use your best load formuls. It's not the flash hole. Its leading, a lube problem, work hardening of the case mouth (neck tension), or something similar. Fight off the cowboy urge to DRILL those flash holes. BvTi have done everything the same as i normly do i was geting 3 inch groups at 100meters now i am geting 12 inch groups there is no lead in the barell the cases have been anealed there is no markes on the crown of barell the cases have been reloaded about 20 times but seem to be in good condition

[Tom4570]

:idea:might want to check overall case length, or possibly loose sights depending on what type of sights you may have. just a couple of thoughts. If this problem started after changing primers try going back to standard primers, some times hotter primers cause a dramitic change in pressure and ingition

[Don McDowell]

,i have been doing everything the same except i changed to maginum primers about 6 reloads ago,

Quit with the stupid magnum primers they're not needed blackpowder loads, and not many smokeless loads. Go back to regular large primers and call it good.

[herbert buckland]

just got finished trying metods to retrive acuracy,same load same boolit diferent primers,large rifle primers acuracy inproved ,large pistol primers acuracy nealy back to normal ,LPP with a peice of cigeret paper between pouder and primer and i have slitly beter acuracy than i had at its best,seems that the book i bought on loading BP cartriges steared me in the wrong derection

[Lead pot]

When your done cleaning the barrel before you oil it run a tight patch through it and if you have any gray on that patch you still have lead in it.
When I get my rifle clean the white patch is just as clean as it went in.

Kurt

[NickSS]

Back 20 years ago all the experts in BPCR said you needed mag rifle primers for black powder. Today a lot of them are going to pistol primers and paper between the primer and powder. I have gotten different rifles to work with different combinations of compression and and primers. I think its an individual thing of what works best with your cartridge, rifle, powder, powder compression, wad and bullet. If something works stick with it. If it doesn't try something else. The 5650 spencer round is really short and I can't see where it needs a lot of power in the primer to set the charge off. I have one too but all I use it for is informal plinking and target shooting. I settled on a load of smokeless as that gave me a load that shot where the sights point. I tried black but it shot low and I did not want to modify the sights. What BP load do you use?

[herbert buckland]

Back 20 years ago all the experts in BPCR said you needed mag rifle primers for black powder. Today a lot of them are going to pistol primers and paper between the primer and powder. I have gotten different rifles to work with different combinations of compression and and primers. I think its an individual thing of what works best with your cartridge, rifle, powder, powder compression, wad and bullet. If something works stick with it. If it doesn't try something else. The 5650 spencer round is really short and I can't see where it needs a lot of power in the primer to set the charge off. I have one too but all I use it for is informal plinking and target shooting. I settled on a load of smokeless as that gave me a load that shot where the sights point. I tried black but it shot low and I did not want to modify the sights. What BP load do you use?I decided to try magnam primers because wen i tryed them in my martini henry 577-450 i got good acuracy at 200meters,i thort because the pouder is compresed so much in the 56-50 it would lite it up beter(I was wrong) I youse Wano PP in my spencer with 2 difrent loads 1 35gr wanp PP boolit rapine 520.375 gr 0.775 long 2 32gr wano pp bullit 520-350gr rapine 0.743 long big lube boolit carbine is a Burncide contract spencer with a 1-34 inch twist which i have been told is faster than the spencer twist rate but i am not sure as i hav not measured original Spencers twist rate,these loads work vert well in the Burncide Spencer and i have no trouble killing pigs out to 100 meters with the heaver load

[northmn]

Today many are using Swiss Powder which is said to be better with a soft primer. The preaching by Matthews and others for hot primers was for GOEX AND large capacity cases. The 38-55, the SPencer and others with small powder charges may not liek hot primers. The 577-450 is a good example of the larger capacity. They used to even drill out primers holes to .090 for accuracy. I wonder if the hot primers were not an attempt to duplicate the duplex loading of smokeless under black? BP cartridge is funny in that they can be very accurate, but little things can really throw them.

Northmn

[Don McDowell]

Goex has never needed a hot primer in the 40 years or so I've been shooting the stuff....

[montana_charlie]

When I first started loading for 45/90 I used CCI magnum primers...because I had them.

I used those while finding loads for the first two bullet designs I had moulds for.
I developed ammunition for both bullets that was right accurate and fairly consistent, but the loads were developed with the magnum primer stuffed in the pocket.

I think you can make good BP ammunition with magnum primers...but I think that primer has to be part of the load as you develop it.
Taking a good 'standard primer' load and switching to a magnum primer doesn't sound like a useful pursuit. So, I guess I won't try it.

One thing is for sure...BP lights easier than smokeless, so you sure don't need magnums.

CM

[NickSS]

I have found that no matter what powder you are using and I have used a lot of different powders including dupont, goex, goex cartridge, curtis and Harvey, Wano, Kix, Swiss, Lido (chinese), and home made. Accuracy is all in the bullet quality and the right powder compression for your primer type. Right now I am finding good loads for a new case of powder I just opened. I am there for the 45-70 and about there for the 40-65.