If you have been reading my columns, you know that Cowboy Action
Shooting (CAS) and in particular the black powder category, is
about the most fun a cowboy can have. Over the next couple of
issues of The Shootin Iron, I will describe how I load. Seasoned
black powder cartridge shooters and tenderfoot alike will find the
information of interest. In my experience, almost every black
powder cowboy does things just a little bit different. I will
describe my method for loading, how I choose powders, the special
techniques required in using a progressive press with black powder,
and how I make black powder shotshells. When the Oregon rain
permits, I will include some tests from the range. My focus will
always be on safety. As my partner Tioga has mentioned before,
nothing we write about is EVER to be considered a recommendation
for handloading. Since I have no control over what anyone does with
this information, the skill or knowledge about black powder and
loading they have, or the quality of the components and equipment
they use, I can make no recommendations. So, I will tell you what I
do, why I do it, where I received my information, and how I stay
safe. Any time you handload, you should verify the information you
use with at least one other source, preferably two. You cannot be
too safe. There ain't many 'secrets' to black powder loading, but
we like to make smokeless shooters think there is. The safe loading
of black powder cartridges is not terribly difficult. With a little
study, some practice, and careful attention to detail, I found that
I could make black powder and Pyrodex loads that rivaled anything
in smokeless....only funner! And fun is what CAS is all about. What
follows are some of the things I learned along the way. First thing
I do before I get ready to load is put on some good eye protection.
Everyone should protect their eyes when loading, same as shooting.
Now, let's begin at the beginning. Black powder and black powder
substitutes are NOT the same as smokeless. They do not load the
same, burn the same, shoot the same, or clean the same. Loading is
relatively simple, but there are enough variables involved to keep
even the most inquisitive cowboy busy for years. I have decided to
stay with calibers that were designed for black powder like the
44-40,45 Colt,45-70,etc.,and have found that the method of loading
has served me for a wide variety of rifles and pistols. I am
cautious when I receive new black powder data. Especially if a
writer tells me that I should do this or that when it comes to a
particular load. Always verify what others say. No one can tell you
that a particular weighed charge of black powder is best in any
caliber. That's why loading with black powder is 'method' and not
necessarily duplication like you find in a smokeless loading
manual. When I use the correct method to load, I know that I have
ended up with the proper load for that cartridge. After all, there
is only one correct load for any black powder metallic cartridge;
the correct one. Powder type, bullet, and brass may change, but the
method remains the same. Black powder is loaded by grains-volume.
That means if you take a volumetric black powder measure that reads
'60 grains' for example, it is 60 grains volume, not necessarily 60
grains weight. Thinking volume instead of weight took me a little
getting used to. With black powder and Pyrodex. I had to switch my
focus to proper volume or black powder 'grains'. This is not the
same as weight in grains of powder that you would weigh on your
scales. When loading black or Pyrodex, the only proper measuring
device is a black powder measure. If for example, I find a load
that asks for 35 grains of Pyrodex, I can set my black powder
measure to 35, and what I will get is 35 grains volume. It may or
may not actually weigh 35 grains if weighed. What I am after is the
proper volume. The folks at Pyrodex are emphatic about using the
correct volume. They state that black powder or Pyrodex should
never be weighed, but always measured with a black powder measure.
Good advice. I always pay attention to what manufacturers
recommend, and observe carefully what is going on when I load. I
bought an 1860 Army cap 'n ball reproduction a few years back. The
loading guide that came with it suggested an load of 35 grains
volume of black powder. After two rounds, the barrel was coming
loose from the frame. Time to stop! I backed off on the powder
(more than 10 grains volume), added a felt lube wad between ball
and powder to take up some of the space created, and now I have a
pistol that will shoot into a silver dollar at 25 paces all day
long. I refer to two sources to best explain this method. Frank C.
Barnes excellent book, Cartridges of the World, states, "In loading
black powder, it was difficult to do anything very wrong. The
proper charge filled the case to the base of the bullet so there
was no problem of working up the right load for each caliber or
bullet weight. The only variable was the grain size, and even here
there was considerable latitude." Hodgdon, maker of Pyrodex,
explains Pyrodex and volumetric loading in a single statement,
"Fill the cartridge case with Pyrodex to the level that will
provide light compression when the bullet is seated. The base of
the bullet must compress the powder 1/16th to 1/8th inch. For
reduced loads use card wads between the bullet base and the powder.
Do not allow air/space between the powder and bullet as this may
cause damage to the firearm or injury or death to the shooter or
bystanders." So there it is, the method, volumetric loading, for
black powder and Pyrodex. Think about it. What could be simpler.
Each case holds the correct volume of powder for itself. That
volume is whatever it takes to allow the bullet to compress the
powder slightly when seated as just stated. Everyone needs to find
their own correct volume for their brand of cases, their bullet
design, their type of powder, and their sizing dies. When I load, I
know my loads are right and are safe to use, but I would never tell
a friend to load just like I did. Find your own 'correct' volume
for the caliber, bullet, and cartridge cases you use. I always
double check my loads against at least one or two other sources of
loading data. I have read of recommended loads for black
powder,tried them, only to find that when poured into my case, with
my methods, I had either too much or too little volume of powder. I
always watch what is going on when I load and look for the proper
volume for MY cartridges. Black powder and Pyrodex cartridges are
surprisingly consistent and accurate. My tests show the two neck
and neck when it comes to consistency within a string of rounds
fired. The Pyrodex clearly produces higher velocities for the
equivalent load of black powder. One thing that helps me get
consistent loads is the use of a drop tube. Every round I shoot,
rifle, pistol, or shotshell is poured through a drop tube. The drop
tube gives me great uniformity of my loads, similar amounts of
compression for each round, and thus great consistency. When I am
ready to charge my cases, the black powder or Pyrodex is poured
through a 30 inch copper drop tube. But perhaps I'm jumping ahead a
step. I've got to charge the case first. My friend Coyote Jim likes
to dip his powder. He pours a small amount in a glass salsa jar (he
uses glass to minimize static), and dips with a .308 case cut down
to the proper volume, to which he has affixed a handle. He scoops,
levels the powder in the scoop, and pours the charge down his drop
tube with one hand, while holding a case below the tube with the
other hand. The method works well. Did it, been there, hate it.
Dipping is like fishing. You got to have a lot of time and patience
for any results. I have read time and time again that one should
never use a smokeless powder measure, or any plastic in loading
black or Pyrodex. The powders are sensitive to static electricity,
and do not like to be crushed as can happen in a smokeless powder
measure. So, I finally settled on an Uncle Mikes brass powder
flask. This critter is made for throwing black powder charges
cleanly, fast, and accurate. It is a round brass flask into which
the powder is stored. It releases powder into a hollow spout which
I cover with my thumb when I press the powder release plunger. The
spout is available in 50, 75, and 100 grains (volume) sizes, and I
trim them with a plumbers pipe cutter to the correct size for each
desired load. I must have a 7 or 8 spouts, each custom sized/cut to
deliver a specific volume of powder for a specific load/caliber.
Once the powder is in the spout, I pour it from spout to the
aluminum powder pan that came with my scales. The wide mouth pan
allows me to pour the powder easier and at a steady rate into my
drop tube. After 50 cases are charged, I inspect them for
uniformity, and take them back to my press to seat the bullets. I
hope this helps to explain the 'method' of black powder cartridge
loading for cowboy action shooting that I use. Learn all that you
can about black powder and Pyrodex before you load. If you contact
Hodgdon at (913) 362-9455, they will send you one of their Pyrodex
loading guides and new Cowboy Loading Guide if you ask them. The
Hodgdon Cowboy Action Data guide is the first of its kind, and is
complete with smokeless and Pyrodex loads for rifle, pistol, and
shotgun. The Gun Digest Black Powder Loading Manual by Sam Fadala
is an absolute must for your gun book library. Always double check
your loading data and methods. Load safe.....shoot safe. And have
fun! Next month, I will discuss the powders I use, black and
Pyrodex, what they do, and why I use them. Until then, Hi-yo
Silver, away!
Off-Road Videos - Check out over ten years of extreme 4x4 action, product testing and the Off Road Nation at play. Baja racing to rock crawling, ATVs in the sand to motorcycles in the dirt, it's all here. Rate them, share them and upload your own.
ATV Reviews - Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha, Polaris, Kawasaki, Can-Am. First rides to long-term tests, check out the latest in ATVs, UTVs and Side-by-Side vehicles of every make and model. Read expert opinions and follow custom project vehicles.
Axxxtion Sports..... Axxxtion Sports is heating things up with their 2010 Winter Heat snowmobile calendar! Simply Sexy!
