Startup advice please....

[loiner1965]

no need to add....tac summed it up perfectly

[airgunnut]

tac forgot to mention safety glasses and baby/hand wipes (it gits messy )
i tired making some black powder cartridges http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC5mwOJ2Khg they work very well especially if its a bit breezy on the range, i used fag papers and fine semolina as a filler, did not foul as much as normal the capping system is air pipe from a fish tank, a number a black powder shooters have said its the best capping tool they have ever used (and the cheapest)
if im loading without the paper carts i use porridge oats

[tacfoley]

tac forgot to mention safety glasses and baby/hand wipes (it gits messy )
i tired making some black powder cartridges http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC5mwOJ2Khg they work very well especially if its a bit breezy on the range, i used fag papers and fine semolina as a filler, did not foul as much as normal the capping system is air pipe from a fish tank, a number a black powder shooters have said its the best capping tool they have ever used (and the cheapest)
if im loading without the paper carts i use porridge oats

Yeah. Well..... no excuse, really - I guess it's SOOO automatic that I forgot to mention them.

But while we are the subject of range safety and personal safety - do NOT put ANYTHING alongside or in front of the cylinder while shooting. Drape a piece of cloth or paper over the gun and shoot it, and you'll see why this is not a good plan.

Gun video, BTW, agn! I 'liked' it>

tac

[airgunnut]

Out of all the black powder videos ive seen on utube, that is one of the most practical and sensible

[gtpkeeper]

thats a good link,may have a go,

[airgunnut]

i tried it with conical like in the vid, i also had a go with ball, put the ball on the end of the paper tube and add a drop of super glue (it will spread around the ball paper joint) the thing is that some one made the conical's and the balls for me and lubed then with lee alox (lee had an advert of a bullet coated with alox the other side of the bullet was been melted with a blow torch) super glue will stick to alox and the alox really does hang on to the bullet as well as lee says!!

[gtpkeeper]

i tried it with conical like in the vid, i also had a go with ball, put the ball on the end of the paper tube and add a drop of super glue (it will spread around the ball paper joint) the thing is that some one made the conical's and the balls for me and lubed then with lee alox (lee had an advert of a bullet coated with alox the other side of the bullet was been melted with a blow torch) super glue will stick to alox and the alox really does hang on to the bullet as well as lee says!!

did you find any diff from using conical vs ball ?

[robpark]

Thanks, that's a real help ....seems to be a pretty comprehensive description

...a couple of points (I'm sure there will be more!):

1. I've got a powder flask that came with the ROA (though I don't know how much it measures), could you recommend a suitable powder measure (I can't seem to find anything)? (I have got digital scales that I use for reloading, and this looks useful http://www.curtrich.com/BPConversionSheet.htm)

1. Fillers - once you've decided on a powder charge, how do you know how much filler to add to just leave enough room for the ball? (Does the ball compress the powder & filler?)

2. I like the idea of pre-prepared phials for powder charges, found these on e/bay (item no. 121036930043) - is this the right sort of thing? (sorry, but it wouldn't let me use a link)

3. Pyrodex P or Triple Seven, which would be best to start with?

(btw, although I've bought the gun, I've got time to shop as it's still at the dealer while I wait for a variation to come through )

[airgunnut]

in my roger & Spencer 44 i use 20 grains of fine black, then oats to fill the cylinder then ball, when pressed in the ball is a few will below mm the cylinder surface
semolina does not compress that much so its trial and error (your cylinder is a different size to the one in my R & S)
try these http://www.hsconline.co.uk/blue-plastic-box-with-50xS1 they hold about 35 grains i went with glass as plastic tends to go black with the dust from the powder

[Turnup]

1. It is usual to adjust the length of the spout on the flask (cut or file it) to deliver the desired powder charge. Of course you first have to know what the desired charge is. Determine this by weighing charges into vials, and experimenting until you find a charge which works for you. Then you can adjust the spout to deliver it. Actually I don't bother with the flask at all. MLAIC, MLAGB both forbid charging of guns directly from a flask as there is a risk of an ember in the chamber setting it off. (I know a chap who lost the tip of his trigger finger when his tiny priming flask flask blew up while charging the flash pan of a matchlock). So if you are anyway going to use vials, then why not simply weigh up all your charges at home and forget the flask? I use a Lee Perfect powder measure to throw the charge. This said, I see plenty of folk who do charge directly from a flask, and I also see plenty who fill vials from a flask on the range. Whatever works for you.

2. It's a matter of experimentation to find the amount of filler. What you are trying to achieve is to get the ball just below the mouth of the chamber when the charge is light-to-medium compressed. Having worked out how much by trial and error for one particular BP charge, you can quickly work out how much to adjust the filler for different BP charges. I weigh out filler into vials as well - it makes loading on the range faster and simpler, but it is acceptable (in fact more common as well) to dispense filler from a flask directly into the chamber. Suggest that you start with too little filler and work up to it. Too much means that the ball will be proud of the chamber mouth and then you can't rotate the cylinder - and it is a struggle to remove it.

By weighing out both BP and filler into (separate) vials, it is easy to take a variety of loads with you to test in a single session.

3. "121036930043" These look a bit expensive to me, but that is the king of thing. Kranks do a kit. There are other styles of vial on the bay.

4. Don't like Pyrodex - I had problematic ignition with light charges (hang fires). Never tried 777. Once you try BP you will not want to use substitutes.

[airgunnut]

If you use some filler other than oats, you could use a cut down cartrige case (at your club there might be some one with a cartrige gun with some old or split cases you could have,) find the amount of filler you need then cut the case to size
With regards to flasks a friend uses a tube flask, he drilled holes in the base (filling) cap and covered the holes with duct tape so if some how an ember or spark did get in and ignite the powder, it would blow through the weakest point (the tape) and hopefully prevent the flask from becoming a hand granade

[tacfoley]

(btw, although I've bought the gun, I've got time to shop as it's still at the dealer while I wait for a variation to come through )

A bit like in the Republic of Ireland. Hope it works out for you.

tac

[Zero58]

tac forgot to mention safety glasses and baby/hand wipes (it gits messy )
i tired making some black powder cartridges http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC5mwOJ2Khg they work very well especially if its a bit breezy on the range, i used fag papers and fine semolina as a filler, did not foul as much as normal the capping system is air pipe from a fish tank, a number a black powder shooters have said its the best capping tool they have ever used (and the cheapest)
if im loading without the paper carts i use porridge oats

Hi pardon me (a novice) sir but how does your capping system work ? Can't fathom how they move down tube and do you squash them on to nipple.Please explain. At the moment I use a brass long thing very fiddly to fill and only holds 20 caps thanks from Frank

[airgunnut]

Hi pardon me (a novice) sir but how does your capping system work ? Can't fathom how they move down tube and do you squash them on to nipple.Please explain. At the moment I use a brass long thing very fiddly to fill and only holds 20 caps thanks from Frank

It's a bit of air pipe between 1-2 inch long with just 2 caps, one in each end (closed end in the pipe) push cap on to nipple and pinch the pipe behind the cap to insure it pops out then just make sure it's seated (you have a dozen or so ready in a box) it costs a £1 or so for a few feet of this air pipe
If you watch the vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC5mwOJ2Khg towards the end you see the maker of the vid use the pipes to recap

[tacfoley]

It's a bit of air pipe between 1-2 inch long with just 2 caps, one in each end (closed end in the pipe) push cap on to nipple and pinch the pipe behind the cap to insure it pops out then just make sure it's seated (you have a dozen or so ready in a box) it costs a £1 or so for a few feet of this air pipe
If you watch the vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pC5mwOJ2Khg towards the end you see the maker of the vid use the pipes to recap

Great idea! I like it. However, it's not HC for some folks...me I'll use anything that makes all the fiddly bits easier.

tac