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Thoughts on black powder cartridges

The Goose

The Goose

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Recently a fella posted about loading black powder cartridges and it got me to thinking about my own experiences. For quite a while this has been my passion. I love bringing old guns back to life. It probably about 80 - 90% of my shooting these days. I have had to form a lot of brass for some of the obsolete cartridges required. I have cast dozens of different boolits for the purpose. I own well over a hundred different molds and have a raft of loading and sizing dies. Here is a list of the calibers that I can remember. No doubt there are others that I simply forgot.
577 Snider
.577/450
50/90
50/70
45/120
45/90
45/60
40/70 SS,.
43 Spanish .
43 Reformado
.43 Mauser
.43 Beaumont
11mm Rosler
.38/55
.32/40
.476/.455 Webley
.450 Adams
.45 Colt
.44/40
.44 Russian
.44 Webley
.44 Bulldog
.38 S&W
.38 Short & Long
9.4mm Dutch
10.4mm Italian
.32 S&W
11.75mm Gasser
.54 Sharps paper ,
.54 Burnside
.54 Gwynne & Campbell
.54 Merrill
.50 Smith
.50 Maynard
.52 Gallagher
56/50 Spencer
Then there are of the muzzle loaders and cap n ball revolvers, but that is a whole other story. Most of these guns are originals, but some are repros. Some of the old military guns I am happy just to shoot and hit paper. Especially with rough sights and heavy triggers. Others shoot moa even with iron sights and my old eyes. The spray and pray crowd are always amazed at clanging steel it at s few hundred yards. Great hobby. I wish there was a category on NES for the old stuff.
 
Are all of the 43 cartridges similar ? I remember reading somewhere that some were very close and one was rechambered to something similar for another country or a new bullet style or something weird
 
Do you know anyone that makes a 50/140 rifle? ... I didnt know that existed, I thought they went up to 50/120 until recently when I was reading about 50/90 and 50/120.

I am not interested in rifles that can't potentially dislocate my shoulder. [laugh]
 
I don't know of anyone who is commercially making 50/140 rifles currently. Once in a while I see them on Gunbroker. But rarely. I shoot a 50/90 out of a Shiloh Sharps with a 16 lb bull barrel (22 lbs overall). With a bore riding 700 gr bullet I load 115 grs of Swiss 1.5 using a drop tube and compression die. I have to wear a shoulder pad. Cannot even imagine a 140, but would love to try one.
 
Last edited:
The Goose said:
I don't know of anyone who is commercially making 50/140 rifles currently. Once in a while I see them on Gunbroker. But rarely. I shoot a 50/90 out of a Shiloh Sharps with a 16 lb bull barrel (22 lbs overall). With a bore riding 700 gr bullet I load 115 grs of Swiss 1.5 using a drop tube and compression die. I have to wear a shoulder pad. Cannot even imagine a 140, but would love to try one.
Click to expand...
The 50/90, is that the one you bought recently that I held? ... that thing was a beast.
 
I look at the 1874 Bridgeport and think -- " for 2 grand ".

Of course then I'd need brass, at least a couple hundred pieces
That would be another 2 grand :)


Another $100 for a NOE mould and I'd be in business!
That's a 565 grn bullet.
NOE does cut a mould for an 887 grn one.

513-650-LFN-AG2 | NOE Bullet Moulds

noebulletmolds.com noebulletmolds.com

C
 
That's a pretty extensive list Goose.
I've always enjoyed getting an old firearm up and running.
Sorting out the many old 43 caliber rolling blocks can make a mans mind spin :)

These days I concentrate on just a few BPCR calibers.
As I get older I'm trying to thin the herd and simplify things.
A C-Sharps 1885 chambered in 38-55 with a 12 twist barrel.
A #7 Rolling block built by the late Steve Rhoads chambered in 38-50 Remington Hepburn also with a 12 twist barrel.
My Browning's 40-65, 45-70 and 45-90 Creedmoor. I have the complete set.
A Shiloh Sharps 1874 in 45-70 with MVA sights and a MVA 3000 or 4000 series 6X scope. It's an amazingly accurate rifle.
And, my old Trapdoor that GW Bush bought me when he gave me back an extra $600 of my money.

Folks have many misconceptions when it comes to using BP.
I read constantly about cleaning, loading and accuracy issues associated with it.
I feel most of it was written by folks who never took the time to learn how to shoot it.

My BPCR rifles clean far easier than any of my long range smokeless rifles.
They don't lead, or rust, or "blow up" :)
Granted they're not as accurate as the latest 6.5mm love child, but they do shoot quite respectably.

My home range here in NH is limited to 500 yds.
That's why during the summer, I travel south to PA where I can stretch things out a bit.
1000 yd ranges are common there.

It's funny to shoot that far with BP.
You sight in, pull the trigger, lay your rifle on the cross sticks, eat a samich, and then the bullet impacts.

C
 
The Goose said:
Recently a fella posted about loading black powder cartridges and it got me to thinking about my own experiences. For quite a while this has been my passion. I love bringing old guns back to life. It probably about 80 - 90% of my shooting these days. I have had to form a lot of brass for some of the obsolete cartridges required. I have cast dozens of different boolits for the purpose. I own well over a hundred different molds and have a raft of loading and sizing dies. Here is a list of the calibers that I can remember. No doubt there are others that I simply forgot.
577 Snider
.577/450
50/90
50/70
45/120
45/90
45/60
40/70 SS,.
43 Spanish .
43 Reformado
.43 Mauser
.43 Beaumont
11mm Rosler
.38/55
.32/40
.476/.455 Webley
.450 Adams
.45 Colt
.44/40
.44 Russian
.44 Webley
.44 Bulldog
.38 S&W
.38 Short & Long
9.4mm Dutch
10.4mm Italian
.32 S&W
11.75mm Gasser
.54 Sharps paper ,
.54 Burnside
.54 Gwynne & Campbell
.54 Merrill
.50 Smith
.50 Maynard
.52 Gallagher
56/50 Spencer
Then there are of the muzzle loaders and cap n ball revolvers, but that is a whole other story. Most of these guns are originals, but some are repros. Some of the old military guns I am happy just to shoot and hit paper. Especially with rough sights and heavy triggers. Others shoot moa even with iron sights and my old eyes. The spray and pray crowd are always amazed at clanging steel it at s few hundred yards. Great hobby. I wish there was a category on NES for the old stuff.
Click to expand...
 
As I get older I'm trying to thin the herd and simplify things.
Click to expand...

Me as well, down to just two: a CPA Stevens 44 1/2 in .38-55 and a custom hi-wall in .40-65 Win Ron Long built around an original Winchester receiver.

40-65_Win_Ron_Lyman_Mold_410663.jpg
 
Seeing this thread again got me searching and found a book that aparently has duplex loads.

Book by Paul Matthews. I ordered it from Track of the Wolf.

I have been wanting to try that for a while but never found reliable data. The only reason I want to try it is because I get tired of wiping after every shot. Even if I still have to, I want it to be quick, maybe with a dry patch.
 
45BPCR said:
My BPCR rifles clean far easier than any of my long range smokeless rifles.
They don't lead, or rust, or "blow up" :)
Click to expand...

It is almost impossible to blow up a BPCR rifle, as long as there isn't an obstruction in the barrel, that brass can be loaded with as much BP as you can put in there.

For the 45/70, I loaded 75 grains and compressed the f*ck out of it, the bullet was barely sitting in the case. I gave up on that load, it wasn't very accurate. My rifle seems to like loads under 70 grains.
 
CPA Stevens makes incredible rifles.
Click to expand...

Agree, and Paul and Gail are wonderful people. I haven't been to their shop in a few years, so I'm not sure if Paul has retired or not. He showed me how to use a breach seating plug, but I haven't tried it yet as I'm not sure how to load the cartridge for breach seating.
 

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