Idiots guide to black powder?

[ClaudeH]

I've wondered if those bottles where somehow mad conductive to avoid sparks?

Then again I've bought commercial single loaders that were plastic - one capped end for powder and the other for patched ball or bullet.

[jon_norstog]

Guam,

Two ways to shoot BP: cartridge or front-loader. Pick your poison first, then pick your weapon. If you're shooting a rifle FG or 2FG is the s**T. Pistols use 3 or 4FG. Best bullets are the ones you make, 20 to 30 parts lead to 1 part tin. Most commercial cast are too hard. You can measure BP by volume without affecting accuracy or blowing up your gun. Clean the bore with hot soapy water soon as you are done shooting, and ditto the brass if you are shooting cartridges. A lot of BP cartridge guns like it if you fire a fouling shot before you start a target string.

That's about it. Good luck!

jn

[k arga]

go to americanlongrifles or traditional muzzel loading .com ,there you can find anything you need to know

[Bill H]

I believe you do measure BP by weight,, then measure the modern substitutes by equivalent volume.

[JBinIll]

Anyone know of a good source of info on using blackpowder firearms. Something catering to a person who has never fired one and wants to but has no resources for info?

Things like how to measure powder, determine powder load, selecting projectiles...etc on a very basic level.

Buy the Lyman book,learn the basics,adapt what you can use forget the rest.The muzzle loading forums,just like here,multiple suggestions of what to do based on personal preferences,pretty soon the newcomer is so confused he just says the hell with it too complicated and it's not.

[dave]

Well, the charges are given in GRAINs a unit of wieght! BP measure devises are set at grain markings, a dipper for instance, All BP substitutes that I know of are measured by eqivilant BP volume. In other words if the load is 50 gr. BP you use the same volume as the BP, but it will not be 50 gr. weight.
Lyman, New England and other makers print booklets that give basic instuctions and loads. These are free usually, do a google search. Also DB books has a very complete BP instruction book. Consider using AmericanPowder (Shockleys) substitute. Clean burning, no fouling, but still corrisive. I have not used BP in years.
And anyone who thinks you can not blow up a BP gun is living in dreamland! BP burns VERY fast, grain size controlls burn rate to some extent.

[macPA]

google JS publications He is a cas shooter and has good information
I am shooting BP in cas using 1858 Remingtons in .44 cap and ball (Uberti made)
45 colt rifle (44-40 would be better)
and 12 ga shot for shot gun

[dogtag]

I haven't seen BP in plastic (pyrodex yes) but then I haven't bought any in a year.

Personally, I'd never buy BP in a plastic bottle.

Then you're not going to be buying it in the future.
KIK now comes in plastic. Other brands will follow.
The metal cans are a thing of the past for smokeless,
Black and nearly everything else.
Plus I use the Lee plastic dippers for BP.

[DocCasualty]

Guam,

If you're shooting a rifle FG or 2FG is the s**T. Pistols use 3 or 4FG.

Classic recommendations are Fg-musket, FFg -rifle, FFFg-pistol, FFFFg-flintlock flashpan. As you get used to using them, you do find that you have some leeway there. For instance, I use FFg in my Brown Bess and don't see a lot of difference between it and the Fg, though might be a little more reliable touch off. All of my experience is with flintlocks, so take that FWIW. Smaller caliber rifles are better suited to FFFg than FFg. The only thing I might be more cautious about was using FFFFg as a main load. I'm not saying you can't, especially with a small caliber pistol, though you could easily end up with a much higher pressure load than you might have intended, so proceed with caution.

[k arga]

start off charge will be as a rule one and a half the caliber, 45 cal about 60 gr 3f,