It must be more than tradition to choose black over smokeless.

[indian joe]

When I got my 76 I had all the intentions of working up a smokeless load for it - I started out loading black - it took a while but got good results - really couldnt be bothered with the smokeless project from there in - an endless supply of good blackpowder @ $2 a pound makes a difference too .
Three years after the 76 I bought a Chiappa 86, first outing I loaded ten new cases with a duplex load, 4227 under FFFg black, HDPE Wad, 335 grain soft cast boolit - bingo ! no further load development required .....................

Both those rifles are sending a 335 grain boolit out just a touch over 1500FPS - that will do anything I ever need or want. I have a 348 in the rack if the smokeless bug bites real hard.

Outside of this I cant really explain the blackpowder thing - its a bit like riding a harley - If you gotta ask you maybe wouldnt understand.

[Dave T]

My interest in 19th Century cartridge firearms is all based on re-living the experience the people from that era had in shooting these guns. To me that requires black powder and duplicates of factory loads, in terms of bullet weight and velocity.

I want to experience what it was like to go into a gun shop or mercantile store in the 1870s or 1880s and buy a box of "cartridges", then go out and use them. And I want to shoot that BP ammo in either original firearms or the best reproductions I can find.

YMMV,
Dave

[Tom Herman]

There are so many reasons to use BP as a propellant in 19th century rifles or their reproductions.
First off, it's historic, and BP is the fuel that they ran on. You need to shoot it for the full experience.
BP is also a lot of fun! I feel sorry for the modern generation that hides behind their electronics, and hasn't had a chance to experience things like the huge roar that BP weapons have!
I started using a smokeless powder in what was then my only 1868 Springfield: It was fun, but the first time I dropped the hammer on a real BP cartridge, it was an amazing sensory event!
There was this huge cloud of smoke, fire, the wonderful smell of Sulphur in the air, and the report that reverberated off the woods and structures several times before it faded out. Incomparable!

With BP, you're keeping the tradition alive. Also, I don't have 25% unburned kernels of powder in the bore as I do with smokeless.
There's no chance of accidentally loading a full case of powder instead of a 40% equivalent of smokeless by weight, no possibility of a 140,000 PSI+ instantaneous ignition event, problems with fillers, or a ringed chamber.
The rise time of BP ignition is gentle, and this is the kind of respect that nearly 160 year old original weapons deserve, not some modern powder that has a very rapid rise time.
You KNOW you're not going to have excess pressures with BP!
As far as the cases go, I have whipped up a solution that immediately neutralizes BP residue (literally, no mess, no smell!).
I simply shoot, then drop the cases into the solution, and they are instantly preserved (I pop out the primers later, and do a proper stainless steel pin/Lemishine tumble at my leisure).
BP is a hoot, I'm hooked. I shoot both original guns, as well as modern replicas.

-Tom

[HighUintas]

There are so many reasons to use BP as a propellant in 19th century rifles or their reproductions.
First off, it's historic, and BP is the fuel that they ran on. You need to shoot it for the full experience.
BP is also a lot of fun! I feel sorry for the modern generation that hides behind their electronics, and hasn't had a chance to experience things like the huge roar that BP weapons have!
I started using a smokeless powder in what was then my only 1868 Springfield: It was fun, but the first time I dropped the hammer on a real BP cartridge, it was an amazing sensory event!
There was this huge cloud of smoke, fire, the wonderful smell of Sulphur in the air, and the report that reverberated off the woods and structures several times before it faded out. Incomparable!

With BP, you're keeping the tradition alive. Also, I don't have 25% unburned kernels of powder in the bore as I do with smokeless.
There's no chance of accidentally loading a full case of powder instead of a 40% equivalent of smokeless by weight, no possibility of a 140,000 PSI+ instantaneous ignition event, problems with fillers, or a ringed chamber.
The rise time of BP ignition is gentle, and this is the kind of respect that nearly 160 year old original weapons deserve, not some modern powder that has a very rapid rise time.
You KNOW you're not going to have excess pressures with BP!
As far as the cases go, I have whipped up a solution that immediately neutralizes BP residue (literally, no mess, no smell!).
I simply shoot, then drop the cases into the solution, and they are instantly preserved (I pop out the primers later, and do a proper stainless steel pin/Lemishine tumble at my leisure).
BP is a hoot, I'm hooked. I shoot both original guns, as well as modern replicas.

-Tom

What is your secret case cleaning solution? I just use water with dawn soap in it and it seems to work well

[John Boy]

Look at it this way … there a collectors that buy and collect cars, etc of the 50’s and 60’s . Fits the expression … stepping Back Into Time
That’s why I reload 22 rf cases with black powder and shoot them in my pre 1900 rifles

[Lead pot]

That’s why I reload 22 rf cases with black powder and shoot them in my pre 1900 rifles

John,
I don't think that there are to many of us left that still hand load black powder .22 rimfire shells. I can see my end getting close with only a little more than a 1/2 coffee can full of primed rimfire cases left.
Stay well in these times........Kurt

[indian joe]

What is your secret case cleaning solution? I just use water with dawn soap in it and it seems to work well

I have a little ultrasonic jewellery cleaner sitting on the bench - just a few minutes in a citric acid mix - doesnt make em shiny outside but they are clean and every skerrick of residue is gone from inside - primer pockets are like new - cost about $30 off flaebay .

[Froogal]

What is your secret case cleaning solution? I just use water with dawn soap in it and it seems to work well

The water and dish detergent works well for me also. I am currently using lemon Joy but it seems to be no longer available so I will start using DAWN. I have also used 50/50 water and vinegar, which also works well.

[Larry Gibson]

While i do use BP in my Trapdoors occasionally the use of smokeless better suits my needs. The easier cleaning of both the rifle and the cases is, in fact, easier with smokeless if we consider "easier" as meaning less messy and quicker with less steps involved. Regardless of that my real preference for smokeless loads is because, compared to BP loads, they are smokeless. Most of my shooting of such is not on a range using a paper target or even steel gongs where one can see the results, after the smoke clears, through a spotting scope. I like to do a lot of walking about out in the places where I am free to wander and shoot. The area around where I live affords a lot of that. In my walk abouts I am forced to fend off hostile attacks [rocks, ant hills, sticks, cow pies, etc.] with my TDs and SAs and sometimes my Winchester '73 (Uberti). Please allow me my hallucinations......

The ability to see the hit or miss greatly adds to the enjoyment. With BP, especially the service replicant M1873 45-70 load, the cloud of smoke most often obscures that. With smokeless it does not. Hence, my real preference for smokeless loads in such firearms.

[tmanbuckhunter]

I can't really explain why I like it so much, or prefer it because logically, no one should. I just do, and I am what I am.

[HWooldridge]

FWIW, I use straight white vinegar to clean cases - submerge and let it work until the bubbling stops. I then rinse well in hot water and let dry before tumbling in walnut hulls. They almost look brand new.

The only disadvantage is this method stinks of rotten eggs so best to do the initial vinegar rinse outside.

[Froogal]

I can't really explain why I like it so much, or prefer it because logically, no one should. I just do, and I am what I am.

YEP!! A whole lot of smoke. A whole lot of fire, and a whole lot of BOOM that you can feel as well as hear.

[DAVIDMAGNUM]

Cleaning my 1873 and 1894 Winchesters is much easier than cleaning a muzzle loader. The 44WCF (44-40) and 38-55 seal the chamber very well. I just put the rifle in the MTM cleaning cradle with the action open facing down. I then clean the rifle with Ballistol instead of Ed's Red. Cleaning the brass is also easy. I carry a plastic mayonnaise jar to the range. I put the fired cases in the jar with enough Moose Milk to cover the cases. ( Moose Milk is 10-1 water and Ballistol). The next day or so I rinse the cases in hot water, let dry and tumble in walnut media.
Now, WHY ? In my 1894 Winchester 38-55 it is accurate, powerful enough to knock over 200 meter rams and soft shooting. In my 1873 Winchester 44WCF it is hands down THE most accurate load I have shot in that rifle. With Swiss Black powder and DGL lube I have shot over 125 rounds in a day of my son and I shooting silhouette . At the end of the day the bore looked like a fouling shot has been fired. No cleaning or wiping the entire day . It just doesn't get any better than this.

[.22-10-45]

More than tradition...I purchased a cast actioned Ballard in .25-25Stevens. I knew I would be using real black for safety. I was worried about using black in such a small bore..but it really isn't all that bad. At first I tried duplex loads with smokeless against primer. Tried various powders with PB working the best..3gr. would leave bore looking like a load of 4227 was shot..just a few tiny powder specks..but no accuracy. gave up on this. with straight black, using blow tube I can keep them in a 1" or slightly less group at 50yds. Running 1 barely damp patch thru after each shot..leaving bore damp groups in 3/8" to 1/2". I finally did try a few smokeless loads...but something was missing besides any accuracy...that cloud of white smoke obliterating your view of the target followed by that big hollow boom out of all proportion to bore size..smokeless just wasn't any fun!

[Castaway]

I like the boom, the smoke, and the smell. I think what I like best is sitting on a bench next to a young, and sometimes not so young guy and they’re shooting with a black semi-automatic or 6.5 Creedmoor in bolt action with a 20 power scope. Here I am with a home cast bullet, a rifle model that’s 148 years old, iron sights, loaded with smokey, smelly stuff, a bullet moving less than 1,200 f/s, 69 year-old eyes, and shoot smaller groups than they do.

[indian joe]

back to the original question
I like handling my blackpowder firearms - enjoy it - so the "extra care" is a plus

brass ? not really a big deal -
I bought a LEE decapping die - push the primers out (gotta do that whether white or black) drop the cases in a coke bottle of water, 20 second shake, drain em, into the ultrasonic cleaner (that happens while I do something else) rinse and dry and they ready to go - there is no crud in the primer pocket - zero - no crud inside - zero. They are clean on the outside but not shiny - Its not really a lot of extra work - if ya want shiny to impress the guys at the range then thats extra but its cosmetic .

The crunch comes when the shooter comes in sick of it - shoves the dirty gun back in the rack and drops the fired brass in the "ron bin" = lateron
that you can do with smokeless - cant do with black ....................but guys the cleanup is not a big chore !!!!! really its not.

[Colton]

Nothing any better than the smell of black powder smoke!

[downzero]

For me it's cool to see the smoke at the cowboy matches. I don't shoot black myself, but if I did, that'd be why.

[fayettefatts]

So when shooting black powder, how do you address cleaning the inside of the action? Only BP I've shot thus far has been a flintlock. Pretty easy to take that action out and clean. Wouldn't want to do it with a model 92 every time!

[Don McDowell]

So when shooting black powder, how do you address cleaning the inside of the action? Only BP I've shot thus far has been a flintlock. Pretty easy to take that action out and clean. Wouldn't want to do it with a model 92 every time!

Unless you're doing something really weird, probably won't need to take the action apart for cleaning except for maybe once a year.