Which modern calibers can be loaded with black powder?

[RamRoddoc]

Making blackpower though a simple formula... is not all that easy from scratch...

3 parts potassium nitrate, 1 part sulfur, 1 part charcoal = Black powder. I use to make it as an 11 year old. What little money I could make or get would buy the salt peter (potassium nitrate) and sulfur at Hooks drug store. The charcoal I grabbed from the garage.

It's dirty as hell and I only used it for rockets and pest control (that's a story).

 

[Chuckdog]

Before I post anything, a disclaimer of sorts: I know many fans of traditional BP and this ain't a BP bashing post. It's just one old guys perception of powder types in my home.

Buying 8lb lots of a couple of versatile smokeless powders is my solution to shortages when they occur. I try to place a good order before any presidential election.

If properly stored, smokeless powder has an excellent shelf life.

H4895, Varget, etc for many rifle apps. Universal, Unique, etc for many straight walled calibers.

These may not be perfect for any particular caliber, but they're examples of common powders that are quite adaptable.

Black powder has way too many negatives for me to want much of it in the house. Like many folks I know, it can become unstable over time, sensitive, and downright unsafe when compared with smokeless.

I know, many have BP that's as old as I am. But not me.

If smokeless is outlawed, then the components for making BP can't be far behind.

Just my two cents on supply, demand, and surviving shortages.

 

[vernon.45]

That's what I was wondering about, given the lower pressures. Vernon.45, have you checked velocity with any of your rounds? Wondering if you can still get decent hunting velocity with a BP load? I guess the larger cases will have an advantage at that point.

Best i can remember, i believe in the 30-30 i was getting around 1,150-1,200 fps with a cast and checked 150 grain bullet. And in the 7.62x54R i got about 50 fps more. accuracy was surprising at short range, 75 yards. i was getting 2-2 1/2 inch groups. but that fell off ofter 6 or 8 shots due to fouling in the barrel.

 

[vernon.45]

After conferring, all of them can be used with BP.

Except automatic pistol cartridges. Not enough case capacity to hold enough Black powder to even launch the bullet out of the barrel in a lot of cases.

 

[cullen1780]

Except automatic pistol cartridges. Not enough case capacity to hold enough Black powder to even launch the bullet out of the barrel in a lot of cases.

Works best with shotgun shells in a SB or SXS. Most forgiving and most versatile.