Thanks to Scrat for bringing these loads to our attention in March of '09, but I think it might be time to re-visit this particular load for those like myself who just discovered it. There have been numerous recent posts regarding BP cartridge loads so this hopefully will interest a few here.
I broke out my Peacemaker this summer and decided to load it the way Colt's originally intended, 40gr and a 235 to 250 lead bullet. For those of you who have never fired this load, it's an attention getter to say the least. 40gr in a Dragoon or a Walker is mild, but a Peacemaker doesn't have the weight of those two so it's a whole 'nother experience shall we say.
The problem that I ran into was that with a cartridge gun, it's too easy to eat through 50 rounds in short order, which translates into considerable expense in powder when you consider that you are only going to get 175 cartridges out of a pound of powder with that load, not to mention that if you don't cast your own bullets they too are expensive. Other factors include the fact that 40gr of 3f repeatedly fired gets the gun extremely hot and dirty.
In steps the "Gallery Load".
I think I've found my "Pet Load" regarding these and it seems to be perfect for my particular gun, your mileage may vary.
All measurements are by weight, not volume and the brass remains unsized to reduce blow-back.
20 gr 3f Swiss, 15gr corn meal, veggie wad, compress using a compression plug from T.O.T.W., then 5 gr cornmeal to act as a seat for the round base of the ball to rest on. My opinion on this, is that it helps prevent the wad from wrapping around the ball and aids in the separation of the wad from the ball once out of the barrel. Before I add the last 5gr of corn meal I scrape some SPG Lube from a stick around the inside of the case mouth, about as much as you would find in a medium lube groove. Homemade lube pills would do just fine as the corn meal and veggie wad would insulate the powder from contamination.
The ball seats just above the half way point and I use just a light crimp from the ball seating die (Lee). I also rub some SPG on the exposed ball before I box them.
What a Great Round!! Accuracy at 20-25 yards is superb and there is more than enough smoke to satisfy your needs. Even though my marksmanship is more suited to shotguns than revolvers, I managed to hit a quarter with my second round at 20 feet with one of these, I'm sold.
I haven't chronographed them yet but I'm guessing 700-800 fps should be about right.
The next step will be 44 Russian in the Schofield that is waiting for me to pick up in Arizona in a couple of weeks. Then who knows, how about 44 mag/special in an 1895 Marlin??
If you've got a "Pet Gallery Load", let's hear about it. Chrony results would be cool too.
Please understand, I would never forsake my percussion pistols. What better way to use the time spent letting the 45 cool down than to load CB's?
I broke out my Peacemaker this summer and decided to load it the way Colt's originally intended, 40gr and a 235 to 250 lead bullet. For those of you who have never fired this load, it's an attention getter to say the least. 40gr in a Dragoon or a Walker is mild, but a Peacemaker doesn't have the weight of those two so it's a whole 'nother experience shall we say.
The problem that I ran into was that with a cartridge gun, it's too easy to eat through 50 rounds in short order, which translates into considerable expense in powder when you consider that you are only going to get 175 cartridges out of a pound of powder with that load, not to mention that if you don't cast your own bullets they too are expensive. Other factors include the fact that 40gr of 3f repeatedly fired gets the gun extremely hot and dirty.
In steps the "Gallery Load".
I think I've found my "Pet Load" regarding these and it seems to be perfect for my particular gun, your mileage may vary.
All measurements are by weight, not volume and the brass remains unsized to reduce blow-back.
20 gr 3f Swiss, 15gr corn meal, veggie wad, compress using a compression plug from T.O.T.W., then 5 gr cornmeal to act as a seat for the round base of the ball to rest on. My opinion on this, is that it helps prevent the wad from wrapping around the ball and aids in the separation of the wad from the ball once out of the barrel. Before I add the last 5gr of corn meal I scrape some SPG Lube from a stick around the inside of the case mouth, about as much as you would find in a medium lube groove. Homemade lube pills would do just fine as the corn meal and veggie wad would insulate the powder from contamination.
The ball seats just above the half way point and I use just a light crimp from the ball seating die (Lee). I also rub some SPG on the exposed ball before I box them.
What a Great Round!! Accuracy at 20-25 yards is superb and there is more than enough smoke to satisfy your needs. Even though my marksmanship is more suited to shotguns than revolvers, I managed to hit a quarter with my second round at 20 feet with one of these, I'm sold.
I haven't chronographed them yet but I'm guessing 700-800 fps should be about right.
The next step will be 44 Russian in the Schofield that is waiting for me to pick up in Arizona in a couple of weeks. Then who knows, how about 44 mag/special in an 1895 Marlin??
If you've got a "Pet Gallery Load", let's hear about it. Chrony results would be cool too.
Please understand, I would never forsake my percussion pistols. What better way to use the time spent letting the 45 cool down than to load CB's?
