FFFg in 45LC info needed..

[RugerBob]

hey all, I have been wanting to try BP in my 45LCs because I like the smoke and all that goes withit. Is it safe to use BP in the 3 45LCs that I have. 1-Puma 45lever action 24" oct barrel. 2-ruger single action w/7 1/2"barrel and 3-Taurus Guacho w/6 1/2" barrel. If its ok to use (FFFg) Goex in these firearms and can anyone recomend a decent load? Usually I shoot 8grs Unique in all of them. Thanks all, I searched a little and could not come up with any thing on this. Bob

 

[Norseman_01]

You should easily be able to load 35gr of FFFg into a case with a 250gr bullet lubed with either SPG or some home made stuff. (be it crisco/bees wax or something more exotic)

I would recommend that for your Puma, you go with the PRS bullet. It has plenty of area for lube and works like a charm.

Also, use a good firm crimp and Winchester brass, if you can. (once fired from the tightest chamber of the 3 will give best results)

 

[JCT]

Yes, if you're guns are handling 8gr Unique, BP will be fine. It's a different sort of power, for lack of a better explanation. Without a Chronograph, I'm unsure, but I think a case full of BP has more power than my 8.5gr Unique loads. More felt recoil anyway.
I started loading 45lc with homemade BP, 30 grains and a 250 grain RNFP lubed. Had to back it down to 27 grains of BP or so. 30gr was some serious recoil in the revolver. A heavy crimp allows the BP to burn up and pressurize properly.
You can't overload the 45 colt with BP, I think the max you can fit is around 40 grains GOEX. My max for homemade, since less dense is 30 grains, which is fine, that's a full case, lots of power, low fouling and highly accurate.
I prefer loading 45 with BP now over smokeless. There's no more mess than Unique makes, and cleanup with soapy water is easy.
I would suggest if you can, use GOEX express, or Swiss, you'll get better performance out of all you guns since the fouling is considerably less.

 

[Starter52]

You should use a flask and spout to fill your cases. Don't put black powder into your powder measure. You can weigh each charge if you want but many shooters just eyeball it. With FFFg a grain or three either way won't hurt.

 

[JCT]

Starter is right.
I just use any old scoop and fill the case full. That gives me about 27 grains. I can press it a bit and make it 30 grains.
Seating the bullet adds some compression to the BP which is good.
You can also use Lee dippers to be more accurate. Loading BP cartridges is about twice as slow as when I load Unique, but It's kinda fun filling each and using a loading block.
I load BP in Nickel casings only. They clean up so much better! Plus it allows me to distinguish the smokeless loads from the BP loads.

 

[RugerBob]

Thanks for the great input guys, I really look forward to trying this soon, Bob

 

[66gt350]

Also, remember that you don't want any air space between the bullet and the powder. You want to get about 1/16 - 1/8 inch of compression of the black powder. If you want to shoot reduced loads...cream of wheat works great as a filler.

Rob

 

[Norseman_01]

Using the Lee or Lyman mold, 250gr bullets will leave enough room for 35gr or so.

Using a drop tube or such with the PRS boolit will yield just barely enough room to fit 35gr under the lead with some fair compression.

Some guys have managed to get a full 40gr of FFFg under a PRS boolit... and that is CRAZY!!! Did this in a model 92 levergun and I could really feel that recoil.

 

[Pulp]

One quick thought, to make the clean up much more pleasant, thoroughly clean you guns to remove all traces of smokeless fouling, then clean them again with a solvent designed for BP, such as Bore Butter, T/C #13, or Ballistol/water mix. Or you can make your own with 1/3 each of Murphy's Oil Soap/hydrogen peroxide/rubbing alcohol. The BP fouling will react with smokeless fouling and produce a very hard to remove mess. When a gun is properly set up for BP, it is actually easier to clean than smokeless. Just a bit messier.
When you're through shooting, do not clean with smokeless solvents. Use the Bore Butter or whatever.