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Thread: Homemade black powder

  1. #21
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Jul 2014
    Location
    Arizona
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    4,609
    I use .75 balls cast out of Monotype.
    I also have used .60 Monotype balls as well as .54 cal balls cast out of harder lead , even Wheel Weights.
    Years ago I was able to ball powder with .50 cal balls.
    So basically any size you use works.

  2. #22
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
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    Florida Panhandle
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    278
    PM sent

  3. #23
    Boolit Buddy FrankJD's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2022
    Location
    NJ via TX
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    309
    I've just entered the black powder making "sport" and from what I've gleaned off the Huge black powder thread in the muzzleloading board, it's the charcoal that matters most.

    KNO3 (potassium nitrate) is the oxygen for the fuel (charcoal), and sulfur is an "igniter".

    Since charcoal is the fuel, it needs to be of the right wood and char value. Hardwoods are typically unacceptable for making Good BP. Here's an online vendor that sells BP sporting BP powder quality charcoal - https://www.fireworkcharcoal.com/collections/all

    All 3 ingredients need to be separately ground to "air float" quality - meaning each ingredient powder is so fine that slightly disturbing it makes it "smoke".

    I use #2 alloy cast balls - .440, .530, .600 - in the HF rock tumbler. The longer the tumble, the better the results.

    Good BP for muzzleloaders can be made by just screening the meal powder as it comes out of the tumbler and with enuf water added to make it clay-like. The right screens are required to sift out to 2F and 3F. The results will be 20-25% less potent (less dense) than the commercial powders and require that much more for a gun load - if 70 grains of GOEX was used, perhaps 85 grains of homemade will be required.

    The best BP can be made via compressing the slightly damp meal powder. This ups the BP making to a new and more expensive level, but the results may render commercial quality BP for a fraction of their cost in materials.

    The .45-70 is the only government I trust.

  4. #24
    Boolit Master Hannibal's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    East of KCMO
    Posts
    2,184
    Quote Originally Posted by FrankJD View Post
    I've just entered the black powder making "sport" and from what I've gleaned off the Huge black powder thread in the muzzleloading board, it's the charcoal that matters most.

    KNO3 (potassium nitrate) is the oxygen for the fuel (charcoal), and sulfur is an "igniter".

    Since charcoal is the fuel, it needs to be of the right wood and char value. Hardwoods are typically unacceptable for making Good BP. Here's an online vendor that sells BP sporting BP powder quality charcoal - https://www.fireworkcharcoal.com/collections/all

    All 3 ingredients need to be separately ground to "air float" quality - meaning each ingredient powder is so fine that slightly disturbing it makes it "smoke".

    I use #2 alloy cast balls - .440, .530, .600 - in the HF rock tumbler. The longer the tumble, the better the results.

    Good BP for muzzleloaders can be made by just screening the meal powder as it comes out of the tumbler and with enuf water added to make it clay-like. The right screens are required to sift out to 2F and 3F. The results will be 20-25% less potent (less dense) than the commercial powders and require that much more for a gun load - if 70 grains of GOEX was used, perhaps 85 grains of homemade will be required.

    The best BP can be made via compressing the slightly damp meal powder. This ups the BP making to a new and more expensive level, but the results may render commercial quality BP for a fraction of their cost in materials.

    Given my position in the learning curve, I think this is an excellent summary.

    I thank you all for your input. I'll be putting this information to use very soon.

    Thanks again!

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check