More info including wad sizes can be found here: http://www.circlefly.com/

You can do a lot with BP shot loads, little more powder than a 50/50 load will tend to give you a more open pattern, little less with tighten it up.....at least in most cases anyway. The options are almost limitless, you can use wasp nest or TP wadding for special purposes, and so forth. Just be sure that you build safe ammo!

 

I usually load some of these once or twice a year. I sometimes slip ome of them into my shooting buddies pouches when they aren't looking. Surprisingly enough, they still break the birds, usually laugh in spite of the smoke cloud around them.

 

I also might add to this.......buckshot loads. They are just a simple to make as shot loads. Let's say you have settled on a standard load line for 12 gauge that is 3 3/4 dr-1 1/4 oz. of shot weight. You can load 1 1/4 oz of whatever buckshot you want to hunt with. You might have to play with various wad heights to get a good crimp.....rolled or folded. Using 1/4" filler wads instead of 1/2" helps adjust the crimp index.
Another trick is to cut dime paper tubes used to roll coins in half lengthwise and use them (opened) as a paper shot protector.
The best buckshot we have tested for loaded ammo, smokeless or black, is from Ballistic Products Inc......by far the hardest and most uniform!
Although I did not cover it much.....there are blackpowder substitutes one can use. The best I have found is Black Mag 3. Pyrodex is also used, but I have seen some barrels ruined by not cleaning. We do not suggest 777 as the pressures are a little high by volume.
All these are nice when you can't find a dealer stocking black. If you use Goex, it helps remove lots of powder dust if you "sock" it. Take an old boot sock, pore he powder in, holding each end of the sock, and raise one end after the other. This removes most of the dust.
Some excellent reading of BP shotshells is WW Greener's The Gun and Its Development.
Just some thoughts......James

 

Buffer in Blackpowder Shotshells?

James:

Would you load modern buffer in blackpowder buckshot loads with the dime roll shot protector? This is assuming a 2 3/4" paper hull in a chamber of the same length with a short forcing cone to minimize any blow by gas around the card and felt wads.

Ralph

 

Ralph......As always, you are right on top of something! What many shooters don't realize is a short forcing cone is best when using cut wads in a load, whether black or smokless powder. Contrary to what some have seemed to find, I have had no trouble with plastic over powder wads, like the BPI X12X, when using black. For shot protectors, I have used paper dime roll paper, teflon wrappers, and the fine old Alcan "Kwik-Serts".
I have also found that a .200" nitro card (when you can find them) are as good as the X12X.
As for buffer.....Greener used bone dust and helped large shot patterns a great deal. What I have found is the spherical buffer from Precison Reloading is much better than the poly buffer from BPI.......it does not "pack" (but flows) and it does not raise pressure as much. I never use any buffer in fixed ammo until I go to #4's and larger. Buffer, plus good hard shot, will deliver better patterns, whether using black, a subsitute, or smokless. I know various outfits make cut wads today, but the best I have found are the Alcan Feltan-Bluestreak or pure cork. Many shooters do not think the blackpowder guns will produce very fine patterns! Not so.....some of the best patterns ever produced (and recorded) were with chamber-less blackpowder guns and thin brass hulls.
The other thing I see (and laugh at) is the trend of American shooters over looking some of the very fine American double guns, thinking everything the Brits are better. My favorite is a hammer gun made by Ansley Fox's father and sold special oreder at Abercrombie & Fitch in New York in 1900. It weighs 10 pounds, has heavy "Star" Damascus barrels, double under lugs, doll's head, and reinforced frame.......and was made for 3" brass hulls (rare today). I looked a long time for a gun like it! It was built as a waterfowl gun and can be seen in the Tech Note section of Dixie Slugs. Its 32" full & full barrels will throw patterns with #4's, #3's, and BB's that few modern loaded factory shells will match. The gun was set up for 4 drams black and 1 1/2 oz of shot.
So....What I am trying to say is blackpowder guns are a pleasure to use! Even buying a modern single barrel like a NEF and using black! What's nice about doubles ans singles is the barrels pop off for cleaning.
The other problem is finding blackpowder now days! We even have a few special customers that we load 2 1/2" 12 gauge blackpowder shells for, but they are expensive!
Regards, James

 

IF anyone here knows BP shotshells, it's Mr. Gates.

He is right about black powder being harder to find today for a varitety of reasons, so some of us have tried the substitute powders.Pyrodex is probably the easiest to swich to as it's volume and burning charteristics are closest to BP...but the fouling seems especially aggressive. I clan well and promptly, then check the barrels every day for a few days after shooting. Black Mag. seems a good choice, but I've not worked with it as much as Mr. gates. Some results in small cases (and old 44//40XL) make me also believe 777 is a bit too fast burning / low volume to use in "real" shotguns.

Have had some good results with Fg in heavy 12ga. and 10ga. loadings, but generally use FFg and load a bit on the lighter side.

Load for evenly distrubuted patterns rather than for power.

 

Thanks and you are correct on both Pyrodex and 777. I really like 777 in the C&B revolvers, although it is hotter per volume than black.......no real problem with the smaller volume load and shorter barrels in the revolvers. When first testing it in a TC Grey Hawk with my 90 grain standard load (and a conical) by volume, it blew the hammer back to half cock!
Black Mag 3 is great, but I have been told the company making it is closing down. Maybe someone else will pick it up? It does like to be compressed some to reduce the EV's. Remington's lab tested it and said it gave 20% more velocity with 20% less pressure.....as reported by Bob Anderson with Black Mag 3. Now we know that in order to do that the burn rate must be very long. Not a bad deal on BP shotguns. I did notice that patterns were more even with Black Mag 3 than the equal volume of Elephant or Goex FFg.....all components the same. I have not tested Swiss, but hear fine reports on it due to the fine grade of charcoal! Also Elephant produced a little less velocity than Goex, but cleaner than Goex.
There has been some writing about using reduced smokless powder loads that gave the needed 7,500 psi. It not this presssure that is bad, but where that smokeless powder pressue peak occurs! It is not like black where the pressure peak occurs, back near the thicker walled chamber area, but rather out near the forearm (and fingers) are located. Many of the fine doubles have quite thin barrels at that location!
Of course, what you do is up to you.
Regards, James

 

Hard vs. Soft plastic overpowder wads

James:

"Contrary to what some have seemed to find, I have had no trouble with plastic over powder wads, like the BPI X12X, when using black."

I suspect your experience has been with the harder plastic overpowder wads. I found the now discontinued WW12R wad left a great deal plastic buildup. Cleaning with a 10 bore brush brought out strands of plastic spagetti!

Are there any other plastic ovepowder wads besides the BPI X12X that worked well for you using blackpowder or pyrodex?

Ralph

 

Hello Ralph and All.....Most of my use has been with the BPI X12X.....for two reasons. One is the wad is oversize and seals well in longer forcing cones and barrels. Many of the one piece wads are somewhat undersize. Second, is the BPI X12X seems to be a harder (tougher?) plastic.
I have shot some wads designed for steel shot like the BPI Multi-Metal (same wad used in our Tri-Ball II) and had little plastic fouling using black. What I failed to mentioned is that it appears to help on all wads, and dime rolls, if they are dusted in Motor Mica (as are the wads in our Tri-Ball II loads).
Plastic fouling (from wads or sabots) can ruin patterns and groups. Many barrels, both with smokeless and black, are eaten up with it! The best we have found to quickly remove it is a takeoff of Ed's Red.....equal parts auto tranmisson fluid, acetone, and mineral spirits applied with a barrel mop, followed by a brush, following by a large dry patch. This mix also worked extra good with black powder substitutes, but will not clean out black powder residue.
Regards, James