I've been reloading 45 Colt with smokeless powder for some time. Very efficient and economical, relatively speaking. I want to try reloading with Black Powder for use in my Uberti SAA. Looking to use about 30-35 grains of GOEX, with the same 250 grain RNFP lead bullet I use with smokeless. I'm getting some non-lubricated .44/.45 felt wads to ensure good compaction. My question is do I need to lube the bullets to minimize fouling in my pistol? And if so, what is the easiest and "cheapest" way to get that done? (Don't want to invest in new equipment if I can avoid it.)
Lubricating Black Powder 45 Colt Reloads
- Thread starter VMass
- Start date
Is that the tube style with the hole down the middle?
J-Bar
Member
You can do the same with a mixture of beeswax and crisco, if you have a source for beeswax. Melt equal volumes of beeswax and crisco, stir completely, pour on a sheet of wax paper on a cookie sheet. Allow it to cool and harden. Break off a piece and rub it across the bullet's lube grooves.
hawg
Member
With 35 grains of powder you won't need the wads. I doubt there's room for a wad anyway.
Yes, that will work just fine. You're going to just pinch some off so the hole is irrelevant.
Bees wax and lambs tallow mix will work but hard to find lambs tallow. Bees wax at hobby store.
LST-1185
Member
Pan lube like I do for maxi balls. I use a BP lube from white label lube melt in a 9" pie pan. After the lube cools and is solid I then use a t/c quick loader to remove the bullets from the pan. If I needed to lube bullets faster than I would look on eBay for a used 450/4500 Lyman sizer and use that.
The single most important thing for successful 45 Colt black powder shooting is a proper and adequate lubricant. My go to since the 1980s (when it was introduced) has always been SPG (thank you Steve Garbe). When I found a source for Big Lube bullets, cast of 1-20 alloy and lubed with SPG, my black powder shooting problems ended. I can go 25-30 rounds without feeling any drag rotating the cylinder. This with 36g of FFFg OE black powder.
YMMV,
Dave
YMMV,
Dave
.38 Special
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BP in the Colt is a great plan! I now use far more BP than smokeless in the cartridge.
Yes, lubing the bullet is a very good idea. I would skip the wads, though: they don't accomplish anything important.
Sadly, "easy" and "cheap" are mutually exclusive. "Easy" is running bullets through a lubrisizer, and honestly, if you're going to do much of this sort of thing it would be a smart purchase. "Cheap" is pan lubing, just as @LST-1185 explains.
SPG is a perfect lube, but it sure is pricey! Unless you don't mind spending the money, you can get the equivalent for less money. Just about any really soft bullet lube will work. I've used Lyman's "Black Powder Gold", "D.G.L.", and even LBT "Soft Blue", which is a smokeless lube. They all work perfectly. Over the past few years I have been using the "historically correct" beeswax/mutton tallow mixture (both items are easily and cheaply available online) for muzzleloaders, percussion revolvers, and BP cartridges, and haven't found anything better. I generally use three parts tallow to one part wax, but the ratio can be adjusted depending upon how hard or soft you want it.
Tl;dr: for a cheap and simple way to get started, I would order some beeswax and mutton tallow, melt it together roughly 50/50, and pan-lube my bullets. Then after I saw how much fun BP is in the .45 Colt, I'd go buy a lubrisizer and really get to work!
Yes, lubing the bullet is a very good idea. I would skip the wads, though: they don't accomplish anything important.
Sadly, "easy" and "cheap" are mutually exclusive. "Easy" is running bullets through a lubrisizer, and honestly, if you're going to do much of this sort of thing it would be a smart purchase. "Cheap" is pan lubing, just as @LST-1185 explains.
SPG is a perfect lube, but it sure is pricey! Unless you don't mind spending the money, you can get the equivalent for less money. Just about any really soft bullet lube will work. I've used Lyman's "Black Powder Gold", "D.G.L.", and even LBT "Soft Blue", which is a smokeless lube. They all work perfectly. Over the past few years I have been using the "historically correct" beeswax/mutton tallow mixture (both items are easily and cheaply available online) for muzzleloaders, percussion revolvers, and BP cartridges, and haven't found anything better. I generally use three parts tallow to one part wax, but the ratio can be adjusted depending upon how hard or soft you want it.
Tl;dr: for a cheap and simple way to get started, I would order some beeswax and mutton tallow, melt it together roughly 50/50, and pan-lube my bullets. Then after I saw how much fun BP is in the .45 Colt, I'd go buy a lubrisizer and really get to work!
Ethan Verity
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I have pan lubed in the past with SPG (pictures included), all you need is a few cake pans and a stove... However, since I'm also very lazy I will usually just buy my bullets (for a bit more cost) pre-lubed with SPG from the bullet manufacturer (as Bibbyman mentioned above).
SPG is excellent lube for black powder, I will usually put 100 rounds of black powder 45 Colt down range in a single session with no issues.
As mentioned, a 35gr charge won't leave any room for a wad. If you go with 30gr, it will fit. My favorite loading is a 30gr 3Fg charge/ 45 cal dry felt wad / 250gr bullet. The wad seems to cut down on leading a bit, at least in comparison to my wad-free 35gr loadings. Also, I have better accuracy with 30gr in my 1873 clone; the 35gr charge hits too high.
Unfortunately, it does make the gun smoke smell like burnt hair, in addition to the regular fart smell of black powder.
SPG is excellent lube for black powder, I will usually put 100 rounds of black powder 45 Colt down range in a single session with no issues.
As mentioned, a 35gr charge won't leave any room for a wad. If you go with 30gr, it will fit. My favorite loading is a 30gr 3Fg charge/ 45 cal dry felt wad / 250gr bullet. The wad seems to cut down on leading a bit, at least in comparison to my wad-free 35gr loadings. Also, I have better accuracy with 30gr in my 1873 clone; the 35gr charge hits too high.
Unfortunately, it does make the gun smoke smell like burnt hair, in addition to the regular fart smell of black powder.
Last edited:
woodnbow
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Add a 2oz bottle of Stihl Synthetic HP to the SPG and (assuming the leading isn’t caused by undersized throats or something else) leading problems will be a thing of the past. Turns the lube a lovely shade of green but no more burned hair smell anymore!I have pan lubed in the past with SPG (pictures included), all you need is a few cake pans and a stove... However, since I'm also very lazy I will usually just buy my bullets (for a bit more cost) pre-lubed with SPG from the bullet manufacturer (as Bibbyman mentioned above).
SPG is excellent lube for black powder, I will usually put 100 rounds of black powder 45 Colt down range in a single session with no issues.
As mentioned, a 35gr charge won't leave any room for a wad. If you go with 30gr, it will fit. My favorite loading is a 30gr 3Fg charge/ 45 cal dry felt wad / 250gr bullet. The wad seems to cut down on leading a bit, at least in comparison to my wad-free 35gr loadings. Also, I have better accuracy with 30gr in my 1873 clone; the 35gr charge hits too high.
Unfortunately, it does make the gun smoke smell like burnt hair, in addition to the regular fart smell of black powder.
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hawg
Member
I use a beeswax/Crisco mix. I don't really measure anything I just mix until it feels right but approx. 50/50. I have used this mix in a 44-40 with a 20 inch barrel with smokeless bullets and they worked well. The barrel didn't foul up but they did not leave a lube star at the muzzle. I don't think they would work well with a 24 inch barrel. If you have a 24 inch barrel you're going to need bullets with wider lube grooves.
doubleh
Member
That is what I do with my one BP cartridge rifle but have never used BP in a cartridge revolver. Has anyone tried powder coated bullets? That cured any leading problems I had with handguns and smokeless powder.
hawg
Member
I haven't tried it but from what I found the answer is no.
Either pan lube or spring for a lubrisizer and lube them that way. I see used Lyman lubrisizers all the time at local gun shows for $40 or so, and then just buy a sizing die the same size as the bullets so it wont size them smaller, and just run them through to lube them.
I use my lubrisizer more often to just lube than I do to actually size bullets down.
I use my lubrisizer more often to just lube than I do to actually size bullets down.
Jackrabbit1957
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I've used powder coated bullets in my ROAs. No leading that I recall but getting the coating out of the barrel was fun.
Ugly Sauce
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I just hate the way the powder coated bullets look. It's un-natural. They look really weird.
woodnbow
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Don’t taste right either when you’re chewing them to fit those oddball calibers…
Ugly Sauce
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Yes. Leaves a bitter taste in one's mouth. Turns one's lips those silly colors too.
Reeferman
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I have. Both in my trapdoor and 45 Colt. You still need to lube with bp lube. I never had issues with leading with the handguns but with the trapdoor. I need a .463 diameter to minimize leading. With a thin powder coat leading is no more and accuracy is really good. It works for me and that’s all I care about. I only cast bullets with big lube grooves for trapdoor and still able to have enough lube to put star on muzzle.
Ugly Sauce
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A .46-70!!!
armoredman
Member
Whaddya mean...weird...
I was told at castboolits that while powder coating is the bees knees for smokeless, it is worse than useless for black, as black powder lube is for softening the fouling for easier removal. So I used SPG.
the Black Spot
Member
Didn’t read all the posts, but the cheapest Lube I’ve used is 50/50 beeswax/olive oil
Driftwood Johnson
Member
Howdy
Here is some of what I have learned in over 20 years of loading Black Powder into 45 Colt, 45 Schofield, 44-40, 44 Russian, and 38-40.
The correct amount of powder in your loads will be that amount which is compressed between 1/16" and 1/8" when the bullet is seated. This will of course depend on how deep your bullet is seated.
Here is one way to determine that. Make a little ruler like this. Line up the tip of the ruler with the crimp groove and make a mark at the base of the bullet.
The correct amount of powder will be around 1/16" to 1/8" over the base of the little ruler.
Here is another way. Measure the distance from the crimp groove to the base of the bullet with a caliper.
Make a scratch on the case with the caliper representing the base of the bullet. Fill the case to 1/16" to 1/8" above the line. You can eyeball it.
Note: Not all Black Powder weighs the same, so saying 30-35 grains is kind of misleading. Contrary to what many think, yes, you can weigh out your charge. As I said, the correct charge will depend on how deep your particular bullet seats. Yes, contrary to popular belief, compressing the powder with the base of the bullet is not a problem, I have been doing it for years.
Here is a chart I made up many years ago showing my favorite loads with various powders. Note they do not all weigh the same. Not all of them are still available. The 2.2CC charge is what I use in both 45 Colt and 44-44 with the Big Lube bullets pictured above. These days I pretty much stick to Schuetzen FFg. As you can see, my 45 Colt and 44-40 charge is about 33.3 grains of Schuetzen FFg.
Here is one way to get your powder into your cases. That is a dipper from the Lee dipper set.
Or, you can go big time like I do, loading my Black powder cartridges on my Hornady Lock & Load AP progressive press, with a Lyman Black Powder measure mounted on it.
Forget about adding wads inside the cartridge.
The purpose of lubing your bullets is to keep the fouling in the bore soft. With regular modern bullet lube the fouling turns into a hard, difficult to remove crust that quickly destroys accuracy.
Black Powder compatible bullet lube is 'soft and gooey'. As each bullet runs down the bore it wipes away the fouling left behind by the previous bullet, and leaves behind a coating of soft lube. the process then gets repeated with each shot.
The Big Lube 250 grain bullet pictured above carries a huge amount of soft, gooey Black Powder compatible bullet lube.
I used to pan lube my bullets for years before I discovered the Big Lube bullets. My experience was that the skimpy lube groove in modern bullets carried enough BP compatible lube to keep the bore of a revolver lubed OK, but in a rifle the bullets 'ran out' of lube about six inches from the muzzle. I had to swab out my rifle barrels frequently to keep good accuracy. This problem went away when I discovered Big Lube bullets.
I used to pan lube my bullets with a mixture of about 50/50 beeswax and Crisco.
Yes, SPG is one of the best BP lubes on the market. If pan lubing you can melt the standard lube out of the bullets in a warm oven. Lay the bullets on their sides on a cookie sheet covered with paper towels. Set the heat for the lowest level. After about 20 minutes the lube will be mostly wicked out of the lube grooves, if a little bit is left it does not matter.
By the way, notice in the photos above how little lube is in the lube groove of the pan lubed bullets, as opposed to the lube in my Big Lube bullets.
By the way, there is nothing economical about shooting Black Powder in cartridges. If you put 35 grains of powder into a case, you will only get 200 rounds our of a pound of powder. Compare that to my typical Smokeless load of 7.5 grains of Unique. You can do the math at today's prices.
Here is some of what I have learned in over 20 years of loading Black Powder into 45 Colt, 45 Schofield, 44-40, 44 Russian, and 38-40.
The correct amount of powder in your loads will be that amount which is compressed between 1/16" and 1/8" when the bullet is seated. This will of course depend on how deep your bullet is seated.
Here is one way to determine that. Make a little ruler like this. Line up the tip of the ruler with the crimp groove and make a mark at the base of the bullet.
The correct amount of powder will be around 1/16" to 1/8" over the base of the little ruler.
Here is another way. Measure the distance from the crimp groove to the base of the bullet with a caliper.
Make a scratch on the case with the caliper representing the base of the bullet. Fill the case to 1/16" to 1/8" above the line. You can eyeball it.
Note: Not all Black Powder weighs the same, so saying 30-35 grains is kind of misleading. Contrary to what many think, yes, you can weigh out your charge. As I said, the correct charge will depend on how deep your particular bullet seats. Yes, contrary to popular belief, compressing the powder with the base of the bullet is not a problem, I have been doing it for years.
Here is a chart I made up many years ago showing my favorite loads with various powders. Note they do not all weigh the same. Not all of them are still available. The 2.2CC charge is what I use in both 45 Colt and 44-44 with the Big Lube bullets pictured above. These days I pretty much stick to Schuetzen FFg. As you can see, my 45 Colt and 44-40 charge is about 33.3 grains of Schuetzen FFg.
Here is one way to get your powder into your cases. That is a dipper from the Lee dipper set.
Or, you can go big time like I do, loading my Black powder cartridges on my Hornady Lock & Load AP progressive press, with a Lyman Black Powder measure mounted on it.
Forget about adding wads inside the cartridge.
The purpose of lubing your bullets is to keep the fouling in the bore soft. With regular modern bullet lube the fouling turns into a hard, difficult to remove crust that quickly destroys accuracy.
Black Powder compatible bullet lube is 'soft and gooey'. As each bullet runs down the bore it wipes away the fouling left behind by the previous bullet, and leaves behind a coating of soft lube. the process then gets repeated with each shot.
The Big Lube 250 grain bullet pictured above carries a huge amount of soft, gooey Black Powder compatible bullet lube.
I used to pan lube my bullets for years before I discovered the Big Lube bullets. My experience was that the skimpy lube groove in modern bullets carried enough BP compatible lube to keep the bore of a revolver lubed OK, but in a rifle the bullets 'ran out' of lube about six inches from the muzzle. I had to swab out my rifle barrels frequently to keep good accuracy. This problem went away when I discovered Big Lube bullets.
I used to pan lube my bullets with a mixture of about 50/50 beeswax and Crisco.
Yes, SPG is one of the best BP lubes on the market. If pan lubing you can melt the standard lube out of the bullets in a warm oven. Lay the bullets on their sides on a cookie sheet covered with paper towels. Set the heat for the lowest level. After about 20 minutes the lube will be mostly wicked out of the lube grooves, if a little bit is left it does not matter.
By the way, notice in the photos above how little lube is in the lube groove of the pan lubed bullets, as opposed to the lube in my Big Lube bullets.
By the way, there is nothing economical about shooting Black Powder in cartridges. If you put 35 grains of powder into a case, you will only get 200 rounds our of a pound of powder. Compare that to my typical Smokeless load of 7.5 grains of Unique. You can do the math at today's prices.
