Old Stumpy
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Reloading for a Conversion Cylinder...
- Thread starter gcleff11
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Dirty Bob
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I'm looking forward to loading .45 Colt for a conversion cylinder, once I finish the Dixie .44 "1851 Navy" kit that just arrived. As you can see, I have some work ahead of me. I'm planning to install the taller front sight that I ordered from Dixie along with the pistol, after cutting it down to 5 1/2 inches. I have a Kirst cylinder waiting to install.
Rather than mess around with that new-fangled smokeless stuff (a passing fad!), I'm planning to stick to Holy Black in the cartridges. I'm trying to avoid excessive pressures in the open-top pistol. I make my own powder, in small batches, and it seems fairly energetic, as the attached photo shows. I would also like to cast my own bullets, but as Kelly Bundy would say: "I'm on the horns of an enema." I'm trying to decide between two Big Lube bullets: either the EPP-UG 150 grain bullet, or the 210 grain J/P Flatnose that was the brainchild of our own Driftwood Johnson and others.
I'm leaning strongly toward the 210 grain as a good all-around bullet for black powder .45 Colt loads, and I'm planning to try some of the Gatofeo #1 lube that I made up last year. It's stored in cat food tins with snap-on plastic lids, in the back of the freezer.
I really like the design of the J/P 210, but perhaps the 150 would be better? This is intended as a fun gun, a possible BBQ gun (a necessary fashion accessory in Texas!), and for occasional duty in concealed carry for my neighborhood walks, and maybe as my always-loaded concealed sidearm when shooting other firearms at a private range. BTW, I generally carry more modern revolvers, and occasionally even bottom feeders, like the Glock 26 that's on my hip right now. I could use BP cartridges in other firearms, but I think this one is the easiest to clean of the choices I own.
Does anyone have experience with either -- or both -- projectiles, especially in .45 open tops?
Thanks in advance! I've learned some useful things in this tread already!
Dirty Bob
The attachment shows a Remington New Model Army, loaded with my powder, touched off with a homemade cap made with my Tap-O-Cap from a disposable roasting pan I got out of the trash at a barbecue and shooting a home-cast round ball with the chamber topped off with a 50/50 mix of beeswax and olive oil (it was hot, so I needed a fairly "stiff" lube). Because the fit of the homemade caps is not as good as commercial caps, I loaded only one chamber for my test. No light was used: the pic is a still capture from an iPad video. My experiment was written up in a 6,000+ word, four part article in Survivalblog.com, that started on Oct. 8, 2019.
Rather than mess around with that new-fangled smokeless stuff (a passing fad!), I'm planning to stick to Holy Black in the cartridges. I'm trying to avoid excessive pressures in the open-top pistol. I make my own powder, in small batches, and it seems fairly energetic, as the attached photo shows. I would also like to cast my own bullets, but as Kelly Bundy would say: "I'm on the horns of an enema." I'm trying to decide between two Big Lube bullets: either the EPP-UG 150 grain bullet, or the 210 grain J/P Flatnose that was the brainchild of our own Driftwood Johnson and others.
I'm leaning strongly toward the 210 grain as a good all-around bullet for black powder .45 Colt loads, and I'm planning to try some of the Gatofeo #1 lube that I made up last year. It's stored in cat food tins with snap-on plastic lids, in the back of the freezer.
I really like the design of the J/P 210, but perhaps the 150 would be better? This is intended as a fun gun, a possible BBQ gun (a necessary fashion accessory in Texas!), and for occasional duty in concealed carry for my neighborhood walks, and maybe as my always-loaded concealed sidearm when shooting other firearms at a private range. BTW, I generally carry more modern revolvers, and occasionally even bottom feeders, like the Glock 26 that's on my hip right now. I could use BP cartridges in other firearms, but I think this one is the easiest to clean of the choices I own.
Does anyone have experience with either -- or both -- projectiles, especially in .45 open tops?
Thanks in advance! I've learned some useful things in this tread already!
Dirty Bob
The attachment shows a Remington New Model Army, loaded with my powder, touched off with a homemade cap made with my Tap-O-Cap from a disposable roasting pan I got out of the trash at a barbecue and shooting a home-cast round ball with the chamber topped off with a 50/50 mix of beeswax and olive oil (it was hot, so I needed a fairly "stiff" lube). Because the fit of the homemade caps is not as good as commercial caps, I loaded only one chamber for my test. No light was used: the pic is a still capture from an iPad video. My experiment was written up in a 6,000+ word, four part article in Survivalblog.com, that started on Oct. 8, 2019.
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DocRock
member
I use the 200 grs J/P Big Lube bullet you speak of almost exclusively in my black powder 45 Colt loads. Have shot approximately 1500 of them in 4 different revolvers, two of them R&S with conversion cylinders. No extra lube cookie needed. Great bullet. I buy mine from Whyte Leatherworks.
when you install the krist converter cylinder you will have to hog out the back part of your revolver to let you load it and unload it. a good sharp round file will work. then 220 then 600 then 1500 grit paper to smooth it out. then blue that part. done it a few time and it always comes out good.
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