.38 Special with FFFg Goex....

[Palladan44]

The corrosiveness of blackpowder is overstated. As long as the fouling is mixed with oil or grease it is essentially harmless.

The .38 was originally loaded with blackpowder.

Devils advocate here. If he's willing to clean after each range session when firing them then, then fine.
I know the 64 is stainless which helps. But black powder residue (even when mixed with oil or grease) is still highly gritty, abrasive. Like dumping oiled pumice into your action.

Taking the sideplate off of any of my DA to clean out aerosoled Sulphur sounds like a really bad time. I wouldn't be risking any of my vintage Smith's on this venture.

 

[.38 Special]

Devils advocate here. If he's willing to clean after each range session when firing them then, then fine.
I know the 64 is stainless which helps. But black powder residue (even when mixed with oil or grease) is still highly gritty, abrasive. Like dumping oiled pumice into your action.

Taking the sideplate off of any of my DA to clean out aerosoled Sulphur sounds like a really bad time. I wouldn't be risking any of my vintage Smith's on this venture.

I find that removing BP fouling is generally easier than removing smokeless fouling. I also haven't found BP residue to be particularly abrasive. The current technique for competitive percussion revolver shooters is to pack their guns with synthetic grease and just allow it to mix in with the fouling. Once a year they clean out all the old grease and replace it with new, which apparently works just fine. (I haven't been doing it long enough to say for myself.)

I occasionally shoot valuable old S&W revolvers with BP. I have no issue removing the side plate to flush out the workings. I wouldn't want to do it on a regular basis, though, as that's not a part that's meant to be taken off every week. If I really wanted to make a habit of it I think I would buy a modern "classic" S&W for the purpose, and consider packing it with grease.

As it is, I much prefer single action guns for BP, and have several stainless ones dedicated to it. These get cleaned by dunking in hot Ballistol and water, swished around a bit, and then wiped off and blown out with compressed air. It's actually easier than cleaning a smokeless gun.

 

[mdi]

Has anyone a documented instance of a conventual powder igniting black powder? I have hear that warning but never a real situation. It never mattered to me because I used a powder flask and dippers for my black powder pistol loading. Jes wonderin'...

 

[.38 Special]

Has anyone a documented instance of a conventual powder igniting black powder? I have hear that warning but never a real situation. It never mattered to me because I used a powder flask and dippers for my black powder pistol loading. Jes wonderin'...

Conventional powder measure? I haven't. Only third-hand accounts. Comparing my Lyman BP measure with my standard Lyman smokeless measure, the only apparent difference is the plastic hopper. Supposedly this can build up a static charge. Considering all my blackpowder now comes in plastic containers, I'm not sure how much an issue any of it is.

 

[FROGO207]

Those plastic containers black powder come in now are conductive to stop static electricity.
When I am done shooting my BP revolvers I remove the grips and submerge them in a pot of boiling water. Let them sit in there for 10 minutes and fish out with a wire. Change the water and repeat two more times. Inbetween I use an old tooth brush and plastic bore brush to scrub things well. After boiling, all the water has completly evaporated after removing the gun due to it being so hot. After last wash and cool to the touch I spray lube inside and out with PB Blaster then wipe down. Never had any rust issues to date. YMMV