rclark

You never leave airspace with BP. So basically you find a load of black powder (or substitute) that is slightly compressed by the bullet you are going to use. Very simple. I use Triple-7 as I can use my normal powder measure.


I have done mine every time after a session down to the trigger parts and clean each part up and reassemble. Really not that difficult. Now, I have heard of others that just start with it well oiled, so you end up with a 'sludge' in there that needs to be cleaned out after several sessions rather than every time..... Of course the external is cleaned up after every session.

Dale53

When I competed with BPCR Silhouette they often had side pistol matches. The requirements were black powder (or legal substitute like Pyrodex) and fixed sights.

I bought a Ruger Bisley Vaquero. I also got Mike Venturino's book on shooting the single action Colt. It has lots of loading data including a complete section using black powder cartridge revolvers.

I merely loaded a case full of black powder so that it would be compressed about 1/16" when the bullet was seated. I used my own cast bullets (Lyman's 452664 - 250 gr RF) of 30/1 bullet alloy. My favorite powder was Swiss 3F but the recoil is pretty stiff. Pyrodex Pistol works well, too. I am a black powder fan but won several pounds of Pyrodex in the matches so tried it too. Pyrodex works very well, also.

After shooting, while still at the range, I cleaned the gun using Friendship Speed Juice as home mix of equal parts of Murhpy's Oil Soap, Rubbing Alcohol, and Hydrogen Peroxide. I then ran wet patches of Ed's Red through the gun as a preservative. My gun still looks like new:



Revolvers differ when using black powder but I could get about 70 shots with excellent accuracy (2" at 25 yards) before the action became sluggish. A ten minute clean up and I was ready for another 70 shots...

I gained a great deal of respect for the .45 Colt cartridge with black powder. That is a REAL cartridge, by George!

Dale53

larry8

I use the 30 gr. pellets of subsitute propellant (Pyrodex), a wad, then the ball in my SS Old Army. Works well and no grease mess. Clean up is a snap with soapy water, blow dry and lightly oil.

leroy

Hammer hit the nail on the head in his post above RE: 45 colt black powder loads. We shoot this same load of 35 grain FFg. We always used an over powder wad (...a thin one -- 0.030 --- i think...; buffalo arms has them...) and compressed the load a bit; using a soft cast 255 grain bullet. Lots of folks dont use an overpowder wad; but i seem to remember reading that the "target loads" used them. Thats why we tried them. They are great shooters with plenty of power. Very accurate; with a teriffic "kaboom" and cloud of white smoke. I would much rather use real black powder for these loads (...we've used both black powder and the "substitutes"...); as the black powder subsitiutes have the same problem with corrosion and rust (...they are hygroscopic too...); and they have a terrible odor after shooting.

We use his same recommended "homemade" cleaner mix. After cleaning the fouling; I always use straight ballistoil to wipe down the bore and cylinder; then go over everything with a moisture displacing lube (...protectant...) like clp (...or whatever wuz on sale...). Remember; keep any petroleum based lubes out of the barrel and cylinder. We like ballistol because it is evidently a vegetable based lube.

We have loaded some black powder in 357 cases too. The trick (...as others have said...) is to fill the case up to the bullet base (...which takes a bit of "trial and error"...), then seat the overpowder wad and bullet. I like to compress the powder a bit. It makes for a cleaner burn with the black powder. We always compress about 1/16 to 3/32 (... 0.010...). We loaded these loads with soft cast 158 grain bullets. I think (...cant remember for sure...) the "old 38 special load for black powder was 17 grains of ff or fff with the 158 grain load.

Hope this gives a bit more info. Black powder pistol loads are a great thing.

leroy

NorEaster

It depends on how often you plan on shooting
I totally disassemble my ROAs a couple times a year
The rest of the time I carefully clean them.
I do not shoot true BP out of my ROAs.
I use American Pioneer Powder
When cleaning, I use very hot water and either simple green or murphys oil soap
I remove the grips, rammer\cylinder pin assembly, cylinders, remove the nipples from the cylinders
Using a plastic mop bucket, I stand my ROAs muzzle down in the bucket. They will lean at an angle.
The cylinders get placed in the bottom of the bucket as well
I fill the bucket with the very hot water\soap mixture until it just covers the breach end of the barrels.
In a small bowl, I place the nipples. They get some of the hot soapy water too.
Using an old toothbrush, I scrub the nipples.
When clean, lay them out on a towel.
By now the ROAs have been sitting in the very hot water and it has heated up the metal.
That's a good thing. One at a time I pull them from the water and scrub the barrels with the bore brush and returning to the water to rinse. Then holding each ROA inverted, I scrub the cylinder frames with an old toothbrush. I hold them inverted so that it minimizes any soapy water getting into the frame where the hand and cylinder bolt protrude. As each is scrubbed clean, they ger wiped down and set on the towel.
For me, I feel the hot water is key here. Hot water heats the metal and that in turn helps the moisture to better evaporate from the surface of the metal.
While they are still warm, I add a dab of Bore Butter to the bolt and hand openings. Again that heat in turn melts the bore butter and allows it to flow into the innards of the ROA.
Lastly I go to cleaning the cylinders. I scrub them up well and wipe them down and let them dry. I use TC Gorilla Grease on the nipples as an anti seize and re-install them.
I wipe down all the externals with a flannel rag that I have saturated with TC Bore Butter. I make sure to leave the insides of the cylinder chambers dry. Dob a blob of bore butter on the cylinder pin hole of the cylinder and put the ROAs all back together.
It took me a lot longer to type my process as it does to actually do it.
As far as a full disassembly goes, if you don't have an ROA manual you can download a PDF version from Ruger. It has an exploded diagram in it. You can use that as a guide as to what goes where. There really aren't that many parts to worry about. Lay them out in groups as you remove them and the more you do it the easier it will get for you.

firescout

Well, not exactly. It does contain oleic acid, which can be derived from vegetable or animal fats. The main component of Ballistol is a high grade of white mineral oil, which is derived from byproducts of crude oil refining. So, Ballistol, even though it emulsifies in water, is petroleum based.

Seacanoeist

It has been along time since I shot anything using Black Powder.

n8dawg6

it is water-based. basically just detergent water. it is, however, very good for cleaning real BP. just make sure you dry it all up and use a good penetrating oil to wipe the gun down after cleaning.

n8dawg6

I see now that this thread is ancient. I've turned into one of those old farts who only likes to shoot real BP. it has better shelf life than the subs, and I've found you have to clean Pyrodex or 777 right away after shooting anyway, so why not use the real stuff. real BP is consistent and it smells right, and it just feels right to shoot. I use 30-35 g Goex 3F and a wonder wad with my Old Army.

The good stuff for cleaning is what has already been mentioned here, 1/3 murphy's, 1/3 hydrogen peroxide, 1/3 70% ethyl alcohol. who knows, isopropyl alcohol might work equally well, I just do what I'm told. this concoction will get the gun "surgically" clean. the peroxide will also take the finish off of wood and rust the heck out of your metal. so be careful with it and follow up with a good oil (I use eezox or break free). some people just use murphy's and alcohol. At the end of the day, it's the Murphy's part of the concoction that cleans ... it is the detergent.

I used to use the "non-petroleum" cleaners and wonder lube, but since gave up on the regimen because in my experience it doesn't offer an advantage. YMMV, and I certainly wouldn't fault anyone for going that route if it works for them.

the key to really good BP cleaner, I think, is nothing more than detergent and water to carry it. Most blackpowder fouling is just charcoal gunked up with sulfur, and the same soap that cleans dirty hands works well to remove this charcoal.

rclark

That's easy... I can never find the real stuff here, but no problem finding 777 . Still get a could cloud of smoke too. Bonus is with 777 I can use my standard powder measure as well.

n8dawg6

777 is great powder, no doubt about it. It's just a matter of personal preference. I can't get BP around here either ... honestly think that there are precious few stores in the entire state of MS that have it. But, it's always available from Powder Inc. I just get 10 lbs at a time. doesn't cost any more than 777 at its normal price, although you can usually get some good clearance deals on 777 at Walmart during january.

rclark

Thanks for the heads up!!! Never knew Powder Inc. existed! Now I will have to get some 'real' BP for fun! Looks like phone/snail mail order only.... which is fine.

MrWizard

Nice to know about Powder Inc.
Fortunately I have a LGS that stocks BP so I can shift between 35gn of BP to 5.8gr of Titegroup for economy or fun.

I love to put 2 regular rounds in followed by a BP and watch everyone play prairie dog to locate the canon. ;-)