Hello from one ready to enter the world of black powder.

[44 Dave]

To much powder in the pan will lengthen the delay.

 

[mmb617]

I'm using 3 grains which keeps the level well below the touch hole. The delay isn't what I'd call long, it's just that I'm used to the instant response when the trigger is pulled on modern firearms. Compared to that there is a perceptible delay. Everything about this shooting is different from what I'm used to, but that's part of the challenge and the fun of it.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

I put just enough powder in to coat the bottom of the pan one granule deep, I don't carry separate priming powder so what's in the horn is used to prime with. I have played with this for some time and found by experimenting that I get better ignition with a lot less powder, the less the better, to a point. Any 4f powder I get now is dedicated to use in revolvers.

 

[Captain*kirk]

Welcome to the sickness!

 

[kell]

Welcome to the forums!! please keep in mind that the revolvers being produced today need some attention in most cases right out of the box. Uberti Colt open tops will need the arbor corrected, especially the big dragoon type pistols. Pietta more or less fixed their stuff a while back but still may have timing issues. Like the Outlawkid asked what are you going to shoot?

Could you explain what you mean about arbor correcting on the Colts?

 

[PeterInAZ]

Went to the range yesterday afternoon to break my black powder cherry. I have to admit I was a bit nervous before pulling the trigger on that first shot even though I'd double checked everything I did in the loading process. Finally I settled in, set the sights on the target and let it fly. There was a loud boom, lots of smoke, and a hole appeared just left and a tad high of the bull. Man that felt good! The next shot was also to the left and since I hadn't brought a screwdriver small enough to adjust the sights I used a little "Kentucky windage" for the next three shots which were much more centered.

Here's my target from my first five shots ever using a muzzleloader.


View attachment 997850


I was only at 25 yards but I was happy with those results as it's going to take a little to get used to the delay between pulling the trigger and the boom. So I set a target at 50 yards and at least was able to get all my shots on the target at that range.

I can tell already that I'm going to like this type of shooting. I imagine I'm back in revolutionary war days loading up to fight the redcoats. I enjoy the entire process of loading, and really like the excitement, smoke and sound. I'm so used to the sharp crack of modern rifle fire that this deeper sounding boom really catches my fancy.

Like you I recently got into this too. It’s slow, filthy, smelly and about a zillion times more fun than conventional metallic cartridge shooting! Well, maybe not ‘a zillion,’ but it is a ton of fun!

That’s some pretty good shooting! Well done!

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

That big pin the cylinder runs on should seat fully into the bottom of the barrel lug, Pietta more or less fixed it, Uberti refuses to. On the big horse pistols this can be a problem with the frame stretching, causes barrel to cylinder gap to open, and eventually the wedge becomes so loose it won't hold the gun together. 45 Dragoon says it causes a harmonic to run through both pieces causing damage to both. Works for me. On the smaller pistols when the arbor is short you don't get the same barrel to cylinder gap each time you put the gun back together and since it's not consistent accuracy also suffers. Hope this helps.

 

[Rockrivr1]

Next thing you know you'll be wanting something like a Fowler, Kentucky Long Rifle or a Brown Bess! Yes you will. Take my word for it.

 

[arcticap]

Could you explain what you mean about arbor correcting on the Colts?

The fixes can be simple or complex but it mostly pertains to Uberti and older Pietta guns.
It can be as simple as dropping thin shims or washers into the arbor hole.
But the first thing to determine is if the arbor is too short.
There's a lot of threads about it, some posts describe the problem and fixes better than others.

1. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/arbor-shimming.797488/

2. https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/correcting-uberti-short-arbors.123285/

3. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...pocket-navy-with-tight-and-long-arbor.842827/

4. https://blackpowdersmoke.com/colt/index.php?topic=3194.0

 

[mmb617]

I made my second trip to the range with my new gun yesterday. I tried 8 shots at 25 yards then 8 shots at 50 yards. I putzed around there for 4 hours just enjoying the fresh air and sunshine, playing with powders and flints and taking a few videos. Now that's conserving ammo. I could easily shoot 16 rounds through my 9mm in 40 seconds rather than 4 hours.

Since I had both 3F and 2F powders I experimented with both and couldn't see any noticeable difference. I did use only 4F in the pan all day. I had a few misfires as I'm still learning about proper positioning and sharpness on the flints, but I'm sure that will come with time.

It was a very enjoyable day as I had the entire range to myself so I was able to take my time with everything.

 

[kell]

The fixes can be simple or complex but it mostly pertains to Uberti and older Pietta guns.
It can be as simple as dropping thin shims or washers into the arbor hole.
But the first thing to determine is if the arbor is too short.
There's a lot of threads about it, some posts describe the problem and fixes better than others.

1. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/arbor-shimming.797488/

2. https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/correcting-uberti-short-arbors.123285/

3. https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...pocket-navy-with-tight-and-long-arbor.842827/

4. https://blackpowdersmoke.com/colt/index.php?topic=3194.0

Does a short arbor cause the gun to shoot high?

 

[Big Bore 44]

Does a short arbor cause the gun to shoot high?

It very easily can. The barrel will pivot upwards as the wedge is seated. Fix the arbor first, then readjust the barrel- cylinder gap and the arbor as necessary.

 

[Jackrabbit1957]

Its been my experience that most of these revolvers shoot high to begin with, even after correcting the arbor. You can deepen the the sight notch in the hammer or add a taller front sight.

 

[44 Dave]

On open tops the Italian clones full cock notch may have something to do with things. I cut the "V" in the hammer deeper, on others the front sight taller.