# Blackpowder and the .45 Colt



## Bob Wright (May 10, 2006)

I had never had any experience with blackpowder until a few years ago. I decided to load some .45 Colt cartridges for a Ruger Bisley I had then. 

I knew from its reputation that blackpowder was easily ignited, so primers were no problem. I knew the original UMC load was 40grs of FFFg, or 3Fg, and new cases weren't supposed to hold that. By a little checking, I found I could load 35grs and still seat a bullet, a 255gr cast SWC. After loading a few hundred rounds, off to the range.

I got to the range early on a still, damp morning. A heavy dew lay on the grass. I put a target down range at a hundred yards, then picked a clump of grass on the bank to shoot at for ranging. I figured I'd observe the dirt kicked up by my bullet to get my range. Shouldn't have bothered.

My first shot rolled out a screen of gray smoke that obscured everything down range. When the smoke cleared some, I fired a second shot. The muzzle flash was like lightning in the clouds. Smoke curled from the wet grass. How can you get so much smoke in such a small case?

I moved my target up to fifty yards and shot for where the bullseye appeared. My first group was pretty close to where the gun was sighted. But then, my groups climbed getting very close to going off paper. Powder fouling was starting to affect my accuracy. I had shot about fifty rounds and that was enough for the day. I fired some JHP stuff and my groups slowly came back down to the black.

One more surprise came. As I was standing talking to a friend, I leaned slightly and supported myself by placing my hand on the dew-dampened trunk lid of a car. My hand slid across that metal like it was greased! This from powder fouling.

That was interesting, glad I did it, won't do it again.

Bob Wright


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## 2400 (Feb 4, 2006)

Bob Wright said:


> Powder fouling was starting to affect my accuracy. I had shot about fifty rounds and that was enough for the day. I fired some JHP stuff and my groups slowly came back down to the black.
> 
> Bob Wright


Didn't you worry about pressure problems shooting jacked bullets through a severly fouled barrel?


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## Bob Wright (May 10, 2006)

No, I was shooting a Ruger Bisley. There was still enough room for a cast bullet to get down the bore. Any elevated pressures would be vented at the barrel/cylinder gap.

Bob Wright


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## 2400 (Feb 4, 2006)

Glad you were betting your gun on that and not mine.


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## Bob Wright (May 10, 2006)

*Not a Gamble ~ observation*

Black powder fouling does not pose a bore "obstruction" so much as a restriction. Bullets, even jacketed, swage down enough to pass through such restrictions. And pressure does vent rapidly.

While at Ft. Ord, California, I examined a blown M1917 Smith & Wesson, .45 ACP. The first round had been a squib load, lodging near the muzzle, back maybe an inch or so. A second round was fired with no apparent harm, then the third. Not until the fourth round was fired did the barrel bulge and split from the obstructions.

True, these were .45 ACP rounds, not magnum in pressures, but the fact is that the pressures were vented through the barrel/cylinder gap so the action was far different than had it been a solid barrel. With similar obstructions a solid barrel usually lets go in the area just forward of the chamber.

Rifle barrels, on the other hand, split or rupture nearest the obstruction. I have seen M1 rifle barrels split and peel back at the muzzle when rifle grenades were fired with ball ammunition. This splits the front ring around the barrel of the gas cylinder. M1903 rifles split far enough back to splinter the front handguard.

As heavy as rifle barrels are at the breech, the will let go in the chamber area from faulty ammunition creating a "bomb" from the wrong powder being used.

So, as I said, I was shooting a Ruger Bisley, which would vent any excess pressure at the gap.

Bob Wright


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## 2400 (Feb 4, 2006)

Bob Wright said:


> *Black powder fouling does not pose a bore "obstruction" so much as a restriction.* Bullets, even jacketed, swage down enough to pass through such restrictions. And pressure does vent rapidly.
> I loaded some .45 Colt with 3Fg and tried to chronograph but the smoke kept tripping my timers so I got erratic results. *It was a one-time only thing with me, blackpowder, so I didn't go to any extremes to test it further.*
> Bob Wright


Glad to see that you have a vast amount of experience to rely on. Have you ever swaged jacketed bullets? It takes a lot more force than a restricted barrel to swage them. I'm pointing this out because I'd hate to see someone get hurt following your advice.


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## jwkimber45 (May 6, 2006)




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## Bob Wright (May 10, 2006)

I'll even go you one more than that - I shoot jacketed bullets after a heavy session of cast bullets to clean LEAD out of my bore. Its a common practice in my area.

And I certainly wouldn't recommend a practice if I weren't confident that it would not harm anyone's firearm.

I sure don't mean to be butting heads with you, but shooting blackpowder fouling out has been a practice as long as I can remember.

Bob Wright


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