OK to use Goex FFg BP in pistols?

[the count]

Just curious if somebody here has tried using the more coarse FFg instead of FFFg in something like 45 Colt?
I would assume if anything that you get less pressure but I might be wrong....

 

[swathdiver]

Not in a SAA but in our cap and ball sixguns. It does create less pressure and thereby reduced velocity and recoil compared to the same charge as 3F. How much, I don't know and reckon it's not that big of a deal in real world applications inside of 25 yards or so.

We shoot 2F in our ASM Colt Walker to tame the recoil, there's a noticeable difference between 3F and 2F.

 

[Fingers McGee]

I shoot both depending on what is cheapest at the time. Some CAS competitors use ffg exclusively in rifle/pistol/shotgun. You probably will not see any difference short of using a chronograph.

 

[J-Bar]

Some CAS competitors use ffg exclusively in rifle/pistol/shotgun.

Guilty... .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .45 Colt, 12 gauge shotshells, .36 and .44 percussion revolvers...

 

[medic15al]

I shoot 3FG until I'm out and then going to try 2FG in my .45 Colt Cimarron. A 40 grn charge of 3FG Olde Eynsford out of the 5 1/2 in barrel averaged 1027 FPS with 250 grn Big Lube.

 

[rodwha]

Those are some stout loads there getting over 1000 fps with a 250 grn boolit!

 

[midland man]

has anyone used 3f goex in 45 colt and whats the charge amount used under a 250gr lead bullet?

 

[medic15al]

Those are some stout loads there getting over 1000 fps with a 250 grn boolit!

Trust me I feel them too!

 

[medic15al]

has anyone used 3f goex in 45 colt and whats the charge amount used under a 250gr lead bullet?

35-40 grains by volume. If you have the Lee powder dippers it is the 2.2cc for 35grns and 2.5 for 40 grns. Black powder MUST be compressed!

 

[midland man]

thanks do you use any wads or something under the bullet or just straight on top of the powder?

 

[medic15al]

thanks do you use any wads or something under the bullet or just straight on top of the powder?

No, just straight on the powder. The 35 grain load in modern cases will compress about a sixteenth of an inch generally with a 250 grain lead bullet. 40 grains just under an eighth of an inch.

Be sure to use a bullet lubed by an black powder lube such as SPG. The smokeless waxy lube can tar up with the residue and be a big pain to clear out. Whytes Leather sells cast and lubed with SPG bullets premade.

http://www.whyteleatherworks.com/BigLube.html

 

[midland man]

thanks for your help as I have never tried bp in my 45 colt but plan on trying this out! am wondering how accuracy will be compared to smokless powder??

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

I used to use FFFg in 45 Colt and 44-40 and FFg in 12 gauge shotgun.

I got tired of keeping two different granulations of powder around so I changed over to FFg for everything. 45 Colt, 45 Schofield, 44-40, 44 Russian, 38-40, 45-70 and 12 gauge.

Generally speaking, you will see an increase of 60 100 fps going from FFg to FFFg, all other things remaining equal.

Strictly speaking, the actual grain weight of powder that you fit under the bullet will depend in a large part on what brand it is. They do not weigh all the same. It also depends on how much of your bullet extends into the case.

The easiest thing to do is take a measurement of how far your bullet sits in the case when it is seated. Then add enough powder to a case so the powder will be compressed between 1/16" and 1/8" when the bullet is seated. Pour out that amount of powder and weight it. That will be your charge with that bullet and that brand of powder. If you want you can make up a custom dipper from a cut down shell casing.

The Lee dipper set is great. I use a 2.2CC dipper full of powder for the 250 grain Big Lube bullet in 45 Colt. Scrape the powder off level with the top of the dipper, do not use a 'heaping' dipper.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

has anyone used 3f goex in 45 colt and whats the charge amount used under a 250gr lead bullet?

Use the method I described above.

As long as you use a bullet that carries enough Black Powder compatible bullet lube, accuracy will be fine.

 

[medic15al]

Very close in accuracy. BP is more consistent than most realize. Also, Do not use regular gun oil to clean or lube, as the petroleum products well adhere to the charcoal ash and make a hard tar. I found Ballistol mixed with water ala "Moose Milk" to be the easiest to clean with. Water is the best cleaner to wash out the hygroscopic residue and when the water dries, it leaves an layer of mineral like oil to protect and oil the gun. Non toxic but smells like bad foot odor......

 

[medic15al]

Howdy

I used to use FFFg in 45 Colt and 44-40 and FFg in 12 gauge shotgun.

I got tired of keeping two different granulations of powder around so I changed over to FFg for everything. 45 Colt, 45 Schofield, 44-40, 44 Russian, 38-40, 45-70 and 12 gauge.

Generally speaking, you will see an increase of 60 100 fps going from FFg to FFFg, all other things remaining equal.

Strictly speaking, the actual grain weight of powder that you fit under the bullet will depend in a large part on what brand it is. They do not weigh all the same. It also depends on how much of your bullet extends into the case.

The easiest thing to do is take a measurement of how far your bullet sits in the case when it is seated. Then add enough powder to a case so the powder will be compressed between 1/16" and 1/8" when the bullet is seated. Pour out that amount of powder and weight it. That will be your charge with that bullet and that brand of powder. If you want you can make up a custom dipper from a cut down shell casing.

The Lee dipper set is great. I use a 2.2CC dipper full of powder for the 250 grain Big Lube bullet in 45 Colt. Scrape the powder off level with the top of the dipper, do not use a 'heaping' dipper.

Listen to ol' Driftwood, He has forgotten more on BP than I'll ever learn and is a solid source of info!

 

[medic15al]

Driftwood, I am interested in the Schofeld caliber, can it be resized and seated with a 45 Colt die with adjustment (like a .357 die with .38 spl) or better if I get a new set of dies?

 

[midland man]

okay thanks guys this I have been writing down in my notes and look forward to shooting bp in my revolvers and rifles I have in 45 colt!

 

[medic15al]

Happy to help in any way!

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Driftwood, I am interested in the Schofeld caliber, can it be resized and seated with a 45 Colt die with adjustment (like a .357 die with .38 spl) or better if I get a new set of dies?

Yes.

But I keep a separate set of 45 Colt dies set up specifically for 45 Schofield. I find it easier to keep dies set up for each caliber rather than going through the bother of resetting the dies every time I change calibers.

I use a set of 44Mag/44 Special dies to load 44 Russian. I had to grind the sizing/decap die down a bit for the much shorter 44 Russian case, but it works. So I don't have to reset my dies from 44 Special to 44 Russian.

 

[medic15al]

Yes. But I keep a separate set of 45 Colt dies set up specifically for 45 Schofield.

Thanks sir!

 

[midland man]

wonderful forum and sure appreciate it, great place to be!

 

[PainlessWolf]

Good morning,
I use FFG in the shotgun barrel on the LeMat.

 

[4v50 Gary]

I would do it. I think our powder is finer grains than those of ye olde days.

 

[rodwha]

Civil War paper cartridges made by the Hazards Powder company for the .44 cal were found to contain 4F and when tested it proved to be as powerful as Swiss powder.

A museum curator disassembled many original BP cartridges to put on display and none of them, despite several being larger calibers, contained anything coarser than 4F with a couple being even finer than that.

If you look at older Swiss powder containers you'll note that the one intended for use in pistols is 4F:

http://i68.tinypic.com/33xxc7l.jpg