load for my new to me flintlock

[mickey44]

I just got a Spanish made (don't know who made it)
45 cal flintlock pistol with a 6" barrel
that I want to shoot at paper targets at 25 yard
but Im new to black powder and don't know how much powder to load , I have been told everything from 15 to 50 grains
does a shorter barrel mean to use less powder ? :shake:

 

[FishDFly]

I just got a Spanish made (don't know who made it)
45 cal flintlock pistol with a 6" barrel
that I want to shoot at paper targets at 25 yard
but Im new to black powder and don't know how much powder to load , I have been told everything from 15 to 50 grains
does a shorter barrel mean to use less powder ? :shake:

Start at 15 grains and increase from there "slowly" to see what is the most accurate load. Forget 50 grains.

 

[Millermpls]

Good advice. 50 might be dangerous with a pistol of uncertain origin, and more than needed in any case. 15 is a solid start, with 25-30 likely a maximum. Per previous, work up slowly.

 

[biliff]

For paper punching, somewhere around 20gr of FFFg is about right.

Make sure it's real BP and not a substitute powder.

 

[mickey44]

I will be buying the powder from the local (in Springfield,Or) black powder store

will also get him to check if it really is a 45 cal and that it works properly
I was hoping 15 20 grains would be good because thats a lot of shots per pound :thumbsup:

 

[Billnpatti]

For an estimation of just how much powder a barrel will burn efficiently, let me refer you to the Davenport Formula. It is only an approximation but it has proven to be not too shabby in giving a good approximation of how much black powder the barrel will burn efficiently.

According to Davenport, a barrel will efficiently burn 11.5 grains of black powder for each cubic inch of volume in the barrel. Your 6 inch .45 caliber barrel will have a volume of 0.95 cubic inches. If you multiply that by 11.5, you get about 11 grains. Actually, that seems a bit light for a powder charge for your pistol but that is what the equation gives. I think I might use around 15 grains to maybe 20 grains. Any more and you will not gain much in the performance of your pistol.

 

[cynthialee]

The way I approach a pistol is 1/2 of caliber in grains of 3F BP. +/-5 or so grains

So your .45 comes out to a starting load of:

45*.5-5= 17.5

{and a Max load of

45*.5+5= 27.5}

I would ditch the .5 and go with 17 grains and work the loads up by 2 grains until you find the sweet spot. Once you find the group, adjust sights to match the group. Soon enough you will be hitting center of the plate all the time.

 

[Alden]

Start at 15 grains and increase from there "slowly" to see what is the most accurate load. Forget 50 grains.

The muzzleloader's rule of thumb for pistols is always fewer grains than the bore even in a steel gun. That indicates 40 grains of pistol powder is the maximum limit. Personally...

...I don't see you shooting much more or less than 20 grains of FFFg ultimately.

 

[mooman76]

My CVA manual says 40gr 3f max. The CVAs were made is Spain probably by the same company. Does yours say Jukar Spain on it. Anyway like others have stated that would be a waist of powder going that high anyway unless you just want to do it for giggles. 15-20gr will probably get you what you want. You could even go lower if you wanted.

 

[mickey44]

no just Spain

 

[azmntman]

Start at 10 grains and work up a few grains at a time. keep records, find the most accurate charge and use that. Simple? Weather its 10 grains or 40, I would shoot the most accurate charge and be happy? :idunno:

 

[biliff]

I will be buying the powder from the local (in Springfield,Or) black powder store

will also get him to check if it really is a 45 cal and that it works properly
I was hoping 15 20 grains would be good because thats a lot of shots per pound :thumbsup:

Assume you're going to The Gunworks. Joe and Suzy are good people and will take good care of you.

 

[mickey44]

Im new to bp and just got a 45 cal with a 6 " barrel , I don't know the twist of the rifling yet I need to bring it to the gun store to check that
would real bullets work any better than rb
from what I read you don't have to clean the barrel between shoots with them and no patching needed
will the 45 cal fit in a 45 cal bore ?

 

[coloradoclyde]

what kind of gun are you talking about?

 

[F.G. Ford]

Hi,
Your BP pistol will work much better with patched round ball.
If you can tell us who/what company made your gun, someone here will give you a good ball/patch/lube/ and powder combination.
Is it percussion? Or flint?
When loading, be careful, not to put any pressure on the pistol grip, as you may snap( break ) it off.
If it is percussion, you can get away with powders like Triple7.
I don't like Pyrodex as it has a short shelf life.
Real black powder is the best way to go.
For pistol FFF is the best.
I hope this helps.

Fred

 

[coloradoclyde]

If you are talking about the spanish flintlock that you have posted about before, I would definetly stick with a patched round ball.

When it comes to fouling build up a PRB is way more forgiving than a R.E.A.L.bullet.
If you get a real bullet stuck half way down a fouled bore on a pistol, you'll wish you hadn't.

 

[cynthialee]

I wouldn't put a conical in a single-shot pistol designed for a PRB.
Also, conicals leave lead fouling and PRB does not. That alone was the main selling point for me when I started shooting BP rifles and single shot pistols. {prior to that it was all BP revolver shooting}

 

[mickey44]

my local black powder store says he thinks it is a cva pistol but not 100% shore and he says I will probably use 20 grains of 3f
I got everything I need to shoot it except a flask
even got a nice leather bag to carry it in

 

[Alden]

Mickey;
Spain used to have a large and good arms industry that largely withered away. They also made some junk. Jukars do, in fact, come to mind though better than nothing.

Don't worry about the twist, but, if it's rifled and you're curious...

...just put a just-tight-enough cleaning jag in to lock into the rifling and see how much it turns when you pull it out a known distance or how many inches it comes out when you pull it and it turns a known number of degrees -- from that you can obviously calculate the twist. Example: mark the cleaning rod or use one that's a fixed t-handle or loop, and when it's turned 45-degrees measure how many inches it has come out (harder to do this in short pistol-length barrels), multiply by eight, and that's the 1-turn-in-x-inches rate of twist.

 

[AZbpBurner]

Hi,
Your BP pistol will work much better with patched round ball.
If you can tell us who/what company made your gun, someone here will give you a good ball/patch/lube/ and powder combination.
Is it percussion? Or flint?
When loading, be careful, not to put any pressure on the pistol grip, as you may snap( break ) it off.
If it is percussion, you can get away with powders like Triple7.
I don't like Pyrodex as it has a short shelf life.
Real black powder is the best way to go.
For pistol FFF is the best.
I hope this helps.

Fred

Sure, real BP is always the best way to go, but the 40 year old can of Pyrodex I finished up shooting last fall worked just fine.

There are, however numerous published reports on Triple 7 critical of its' shelf life once a can is opened.