Wambli Ska wrote: ↑Mon Sep 01, 2025 8:59 pm
Jay wrote: ↑Mon Sep 01, 2025 8:18 pm
I’ve thought about loading 405gr bullets with black powder for my Sharps. Just for fun. But not something I’m interested in enough to make the leap and I don’t want to deal with the cleanup afterwards. Those bullets shoot just fine with Trail Boss.
I just shot some test loads of Pyrodex using the original 300gr lead bullet out of my 45-60 centennial. They were a freaking HOOT to shoot!!!!! Cleanup is not that bad. Spay bottle of Ballistol a quick swipe of the bore and an overall wipe down and done.
The "Moose Milk" combo of Ballistol and water in a spray bottle has really opened up some avenues and increased overall peace of mind. The corrosive surplus ammo comes to the range occasionally now, rather than just sitting, awaiting the zombies, and the BP stuff is largely cleaned before leaving the range.
The caveat with black powder is that you still need to know how to get down inside your guns from time to time to access the crud that goes places other than the barrel - more or less complicated depending on the gun - but the Moose Milk is a great way to get the corrosive aspects of the propellant under control.
But as for the barrels themselves, with good fitting bullets carrying a lot of animal/vegetable based lubes like SPG, using base wads, or paper-patching, I think the BP barrels may actually be easier to clean than the high velocity smokeless, with their higher pressures and copper jackets. The carbon flushes out easily and there typically is no leading.
