Cost of shooting black powder pistols

[TAKtical]

Not including the pistol, how much should I plan on spending to get into the black powder game? I have always been interested in black powder revolvers but I dont know anyone that has one or has used one. Are components readily available? How much does it cost to load 100 rounds? Thanks for your help. Im making my way through the "essentials" sticky.

 

[eastbank]

caps 3-4 dollars a hundred,bullets 8-10 dollars a hundred,(or cast you own,very cheap) powder 24-26 dollars a pound,useing 30grs you will get about 230 loads per pound, i use home made grease wads for over the powder,so i don,t know what they cost,but a little grease over the bullet will do. you will need a capper for the caps(you don,t need one,but its nice to have) and a small powder measure. you can realy bring the cost down by looking for deals at gun shows and flea markets. eastbank.

 

[TAKtical]

Thanks eastbank. Doesnt sound very expensive at all. Can anyone recommend a good black powder pistol? I would love something in a ruger or colt.

 

[BADUNAME30]

Wow eastbank..$3-$4 a hunnert fer caps They're $10-$11 a hunnert round here.
And...$24-$26 a pound fer powder !!! It's $19-$20 a pound 'round here.

Goes to show how vastly different things can be in different areas.


TAKtical.....If yer so inclined. It's far cheaper to 'roll yer own'.
A LEE double cavity mold is 'bout $20.
Things like used furnaces, dippers and such, as eastbank said, can be bot used at gun shows and such.
Wads, that are 'round $10 a hunnert can be made very cheaply with Duro-Felt.heavy felt purchased on line and a punch purchased at a craft store or even Harbor Frieght.
Powder can even be homegrown by getting the components from hobby chemical companies on line.Brush Hippie has great vids with sources and step by step instruction in the forum here.

All this information and instruction can be found searching the threads here.

If you want a Ruger, the Old Army is yer only choice but the absolute strongest C&B pistol there is.
Don't let yerself get cot up in the high prices on gunbroker tho. There are lots o' great deals and prices on them still out there.
As for the Colt designes. My only experience is a few cheaper '51 Navies i've recently bot. Cabela's has sales and decent prices on thier Pietta Colts. I've yet to even handle a '60.

 

[mykeal]

lots o' great deals and prices on them still out there

Lots? Uh, well, like the man said, things sure are different in different areas.

How about helping us deprived folks out with a list of, say, the top five great deals currently available?

 

[thralldad]

Just got back from Cabela's.
Caps (100) $7.99
.451 ball(100) $12.99
Pyrodex (lb) $19.99

I'll be getting a mold soon.

 

[brushhippie]

The "do it yourself" bug will catch up with you soon enough...I pay a buck a pound for lead and like Jim said the mold is around twenty and after a meager investment (40 bucks) I mix up my own powder at a couple of bucks a pound! Last year I scored and bought an arm load of caps on the wally discount isle for three bucks a tin (after Muzzleloader season closes) Id go with a brass pietta 51 from Cabealas they are cheap and make a good starter!

 

[TAKtical]

Thanks guys.

 

[Crawdad1]

You can go on Auction Arms web site and buy used loading equipment, like powder flasks, cappers. loading measures, spouts and such, good stuff cheap. But, a black powder revolver is a heck of a lot cheaper to shoot then a cartridge revolver becasue you can find deals everywhere. And regardless of the cost just wait until you hunt with one. That feeling in itself is worth whatever the cost!!!
Good luck!!

 

[dickydalton]

It is fun. Cost???? I had 3 rifles, a Pietta 1851 and a ROA years ago and used them ocasionally. About a year ago I started going Hmmmmmm and got bit. 7 revolvers, a pistol, a double barrel shotgun, a flint Hawkin, 7 molds, lead pot, gotta have holsters, shotgun accessories and assorted spare parts later I am still pining for more. Close to $4000 but this afternoon???? Priceless!

 

[robhof]

robhof

dickydalton, I feel your pain, I don't have the shotgun yet, but seem to bring home or high bid on too many revolvers and I have 2 flinter rifles and 2 cap rifles. Started with a ROA and now have from 22 to 45 including the 31 and 36 cal's, but the fun is worth all the agony of casting and cleaning.

 

[arcticap]

Cost per shot equals ~26.5 cents

How much does it cost to load 100 rounds?

The cost for loading 100 rounds using store bought components is about .25 to .30 cents per shot.

About 12 cents per ball or $12 per 100 balls.
About 8.5 cents per powder charge or $8.50 for 100 powder charges (30 grains of powder per shot @ $20 per pound for Pyrodex P)
About 6 cents per percussion cap or $6 per 100 caps.
___________
--> Total cost equals about 26.5 cents per shot or $26.50 per 100 shots.

The cost per shot is very comparable to the cost of shooting 9mm or .40 S&W ammo. As mentioned there are ways to save money by casting your own lead round balls or buying supplies in bulk. But since loading C&B's is a lot slower, not as many shots are fired per hour in a typical range session. So the overall costs of feeding the C&B revolvers seems to work out to be less expensive.

 

[dickydalton]

Arcticap, if you have enough extra cylinders and are a fanantic you can burn a lot of powder in an afternoon. I honestly think i spent more on black powder shooting in the last year than I did with the other bunch of guns in the two years before. I am Truely a Lucky Man!!!