I had my first black powder (flintlock) shooting experience this winter. Although I'm very impressed with the people I went with, in their coon hats and historical knowledge. I must say that it just seemed like more of a lifestyle then a shooting sport. I'm not knocking the sport or should I say hobby/sport. Far from it. It may be in my future however I think for the time being I would like to explore the black powder cartridge rifles more. Can anyone out there give me a place to look on the net or some type of lead on info about the cartridges and rifle available to the modern black powder cartridge reloader? As an example, where can I buy a rifle or brass for a 45-120. Can I reload a 45-70 with black powder and shoot it out of a modern gun?

Help would be appreciated

Bellhender

bellhender:

Three good places to start are the SPG web site at www.blackpowderspg.com, the Buffalo Arms web site at www.buffaloarms.com, and the Black Powder cartridge rifle web site at www.bpcr.net. Lots of references to guns, accessories, publications, and other relavent information.

Dave

You'll also want to read some of the books & articles by Steve Garbe & Mike Venturino (look up the SPG website) and/or Paul Matthews. As for loading BP in a modern .45-70 rifle, you certainly can do it. Just make sure you clean the brass ASAP after firing and the rifle too for that matter. E.g., I am able to load 70gr. (by weight) of FFFg black powder (with compression and a drop tube) for my Marlin 1895. Accuracy, with a 4x 'scope is 2 m.o.a. with 400gr. home-cast bullets. ...Maven

If you are looking to keep cost down some, go the 45-70 route. Brass runs around $165.00 for 500, 45-120 brass will run you about $3.00 apiece. Cabela's has the Pedersoli "Quigley" Sharps for $1699.00 now days. That's US price. They are a fine shooting rifle and you can get them in 45-70 or 45-120. Get a nice globe front sight and a vernier rear while you're at it.

A good board for people stricken with the disease : http://www.shilohrifle.com/forums/index.php,

and they make a fine rifle too - check out their home page :

http://www.shilohrifle.com/.



You can load a .45-70 with bp and shoot it out of anything. But it will never be quite so fun as when shot out of a Sharps, or Highwall, or a Hepburn, or a Ballard, or a Rem roller, or.....



See ya 'round,

Brent



BTW, you will look and feel your best, if your bullets look like these.... http://www.iastate.edu/~codi/PPB/PPB.html

You will find that a Sharps replica to have very different rifling forms and twists to a modern 45/70. Deeper and wider rifling to grip p/p and soft lead bullets. I got 'the bug' about 7 years ago and can't shoot them enough.

Top to bottom; 45/70, 50/70 & 40/65


With proper loads, black powder cartridges are very accurate; this target shot at 100yds with 45/70 and aperature sights (7 consecutive shots 495gn bullet)

Sir: I reccommend you go to a shoot and see and handle the rifles and talk to the shooters. They will be happy to help as will almost anyone associated with the links given. There are a couple of other thoughts also. Sharps rifles with civil war carbine buttstocks (Quigley) kick ferociously in 45-120. Note the pictures of BAW's shotgun buttstocks. Pistol grips offer a little better control too. And lastly, if you got wrapped up with stinky, creatively talking mountain men (old hoss, this chile, kind of speech) you just might have missed where the emphasis of their game was was. Flintlocks ruled for 300 years, B P cartridges for 50 at best. The guns were never even perfected before their time had passed. Good shooting, ned

You can try to load a 45/70 with 75 grains of FFg, but if you figure out how to get more than 62 grains in a modern case, let me know.

A lot of the old guys at the range play with Blackpowder cartridge rifles, some are cobbled together from all sorts of bits and pieces and some are custom Sharps with all the goodies. Don't let anyone talk you into "traditional" crescent steel buttplates. Go right ahead and install a good pad instead.

I'd recommend starting with a 45-70. It's like starting with a 30-06 for a big game rifle. Once you get into the game you can branch out to all sorts of esoteric cartridges.

If you're a real glutton for punishment you can get a 50-140. The 45-120 is also a thumper, but if you're looking for a serious beating the 50-140 is the way to.

Have fun clouding up the range.

As mentioned above, the 45-70 is the best way to dip your toes into the BPCR waters. Components cost less and are more widely available.

The writings suggested are excellent, and I might add Venturino's new book, "Shooting Buffalo Rifles of the Old West" to that list. Get that, Garbe & Venturino's Black Powder Primer, and a couple of Matthew's books and you are set for some great reading.

BPCR is great fun and the most challenging shooting I have done. There is nothing like the perfume of the Holy Black being touched off!