This will be the next to last article written on loading for black powder cartridge rifles. In this article, some of the most important loading techniques for achieving accurate loads will be discussed. Those who have read previous articles I have written for this magazine know that I prefer to convey principles of reloading rather than to explain one particular way to do things. Even though this article will be no exception, I will explain some very basic and generally accepted “rules” for reloading black powder cartridge ammunition in this issue.
I believe those new to reloading black powder cartridge ammunition will be best served by adhering to these basic rules until experience is gained through testing. In my early years of developing loads for my silhouette rifles, I learned that it was possible to do so many things wrong that it was nearly impossible to isolate a problem and proceed to accuracy. With black powder cartridge rifles, some things must be done “right” in order to diagnose and find out what is wrong.
Expanding Cases
It goes without saying that the case expanding step in reloading is not required when cases are fire-formed and then reloaded without sizing. So, for the sake of this article, it is assumed that cases have either been full- length resized or neck sized.
Expanding case necks allows the loader to determine the amount of tension that is exerted on the bullet which is critical aspect of accuracy in black powder loading. Simply stated, expanding case necks is a mathematical relationship between the diameter of the bullet and the inside diameter of the cartridge case. The more the case is expanded the less tension the brass will exert in holding the bullet in the cartridge case. To take this one step further, the amount of neck tension not only correlates to how the case “grips” the bullet, but also to how it “releases” the bullet during powder combustion.
Measuring the diameter of the expander
|
It is a generally accepted rule that the expander should be between .001" and .002" smaller than the sized diameter of the bullet. Therefore, if your sized bullet measures .458", a .456" to .457" diameter expander should be used in expanding cases. My personal preference is to err on the side of less neck tension, so the expander I use is .001" smaller than the sized diameter of the bullet. Often the expander that comes with the reloading dies is undersized. Since most reloading die makers only make one standard size expander for their reloading die sets, it will be necessary to purchase a custom made expander. Buffalo Arms Company sells various size expanders to accommodate the needs of the black powder cartridge competitors.
To take expanding to the next step, it is important to realize that different brands of brass expand differently. If ten cartridge cases of Starline, Winchester, and Remington brass are expanded using the same size expander plug, a noticeable difference in the amount of force required to seat bullets in the three different brands of cases will be clearly evident. This even holds true after the cases are annealed. It has been my experience that Starline brass will generally expand and spring back more than does Remington brass. Therefore, when expanding the three brands of brass using the same diameter expander plug, the Starline brass will exert more neck tension on the bullet than does Winchester or Remington brass. The malleability of Winchester brass falls somewhere between Starline and Remington brass. I make this point not to infer that one brand of brass is superior to another, but rather to point out that different diameter expander plugs may be needed to achieve the same neck tension when changing from one brand of brass to another. Uniform neck tension is important in developing accurate black powder cartridge loads. Minor changes in neck tension can have a profound affect on the way a load performs.
During the past several years, case annealing has become a standard practice used by many of the top competitors in this sport. The reason they anneal is simple and straightforward—it reduces case-to-case variation in neck tension. It is as simple as that. Tips on how to anneal brass have been printed in prior issues of the Black Powder Cartridge News; therefore, this topic will not be discussed at this time.
Priming Cases
With cases cleaned and expanded, the next step will be to prime cases and introduce a powder charge. Primer selection is often an overlooked and a little considered step in developing accurate black powder cartridge loads. For general shooting with smokeless powder, a primer is a primer. When it comes to black powder, however, not just any primer will do. It may sound simplistic, but the right primer for the right load is needed for any given rifle. After years of extensive testing black powder cartridge loads, I have come to three basic conclusions about how primers relate to accuracy.
The first conclusion is that the force of the firing pin strike on the primer has as much to do in determining how a primer will perform as does the intrinsic properties of the primer itself. Different rifles have different firing pin strikes and similar rifles have similar firing pin strikes. As an example, Shiloh rifles are made to such exacting tolerances that firing pin strikes are fairly consistent from one rifle to the next. I have been able to develop extremely accurate loads for my Shiloh rifles when CCI BR2 primers are used in conjunction with Swiss 1½FG powder. With 3FG Swiss, I get the best performance with Remington 2½ primers (large pistol primers). And the same loads will perform equally well in each of the three Shiloh .45-70 silhouette rifles I own. My original .45-70 Winchester Highwall rifle prefers the Remington 2½’s over the CCI’s, however.
A second observation is that magnum primers generally do not work as well as standard or match grade primers with the black powder available to shooters today. When I first began loading and shooting black powder cartridge rifles back in the early ‘90’s magnum primers were pretty much the standard. Today, however, most shooters are using standard or match grade primers for loading. Finally, the right primer can make an accurate load a very accurate load. Primer testing is the last thing I do in load development. I consider this step to be the fine-tuning process of load development.
Newspaper Wads
From recent testing, I have seen fairly convincing evidence that suggests that a newspaper wad placed beneath the powder charge can enhance accuracy as well as lower the standard deviation of a load. For several years now, I have heard of shooters achieving favorable results by placing a newspaper wad between the primer and the powder charge, but I was a silent skeptic. It was David Barnes, a fellow shooter from Texas and a former BPCR Silhouette National Champion who urged me to give this a try. If you know David, you know he consistently shoots well, and he did not achieve this level of success by shooting mediocre ammunition. Being the skeptic I am, I decided to do some testing using paper targets and a chronograph to validate the results I achieved.
Before reporting on the test results, a brief explanation on “under the powder” or “over the primer” newspaper wads is in order. There are essentially two different ways to separate the powder from the primer with a newspaper wad. The first way would be to place a single thickness newspaper wad inside the primed case and then place the powder on top of the newspaper wad. In this scenario, the newspaper wad prevents the powder from entering the flash hole and coming in direct contact with the explosive side of the primer.
Newspaper wads are not difficult to cut if you have the correct tool. I have found that a press mounted wad cutter available from Buffalo Arms Company works very well in cutting wads from strips of newspaper. If you shoot a .45 caliber rifle, I suggest you purchase a .40 caliber wad punch. A .40 caliber newspaper wad will lay perfectly flat in the bottom of a .45 caliber case. Since the inside diameter of the case is smallest at the base, a .45 caliber wad will cup or fold up when placed at the bottom of the case. If the newspaper wad is oversized, the sides of the newspaper wad will fold up and there is a greater chance of introducing powder beneath the wad.
The second scenario of achieving powder and primer separation with a newspaper wad is to place the newspaper wad in the primer pocket. This prevents the powder from coming in direct contact with the explosive side of the primer. It does not, however, prevent the powder from entering the flash hole.
Press mounted wad punch
|
The easiest way to insert a newspaper wad beneath in the primer pocket is to place a narrow strip of newspaper in between the case and the shell holder when seating primers. When the primer is seated, it will cut the newspaper wad at the same time the primer is seated. The most difficult part of this technique is learning to position the strip of newspaper below the cartridge rim while seating the primer. With a little practice, this process is not difficult to master.
Priming cases with a newspaper wad in the primer pocket
|
Prior to testing this theory myself, I questioned several people as to why they adopted this practice. When asked why newspaper wads enhanced accuracy, almost without exception, the standard answer was- “the newspaper wad dampens or diffuses the flash from the primer.” No one could tell me why diffusing or dampening the flash was better, it just was. Until I tested the technique myself, I equated the use of newspaper wads for diffusing primer flash as being the perfect solution to a non-existent problem.
In testing the newspaper wad theory, two different proven loads were tested—one using Swiss 3FG powder and the other using Swiss 1½FG powder. The first load was as follows: a 540- grain Paul Jones Creedmoor bullet cast 25-1 and sized in a Lyman lubri-sizer to a diameter of .458”. Bullets were lubed with SPG lube as they were sized. Starline cases were primed with Remington 2½ primers (large pistol) and charged with 60 grains of Swiss 3FG powder. Sixty-thousandth’s Walter’s Wads were placed over the powder in all loads tested. The overall loaded length of this load is 3.0080 inches.
Test load major components
|
|
The second load was similar to the first except for the powder and the primer. It was as follows: 540-grain Paul Jones Creedmoor bullet cast 25-1 and sized in a Lyman lubri-sizer to a diameter of .458''. Bullets were lubed with SPG lube as they were sized. Starline cases were primed with CCI-BR2 primers and charged with 63 grains of Swiss 1½FG powder. As with the previously mentioned load, sixty-thousandth’s thickness Walter’s Wads were used over the powder. The overall loaded length for this load was the same as load number one- 3.0080 inches.
As mentioned previously, each of the two proven loads were compared to loads with a newspaper wad in the case below the powder and a newspaper wad inserted in the primer pocket. For each load tested, 10 rounds were loaded. The first two rounds were shot off target to foul the barrel and the remaining eight rounds were fired across the chronograph on a paper target at 200 meters. The rifle was cleaned and allowed to cool between firing each load.
My exceptionally accurate .45-70 Shiloh Sharps rifle topped with a six-power, 23-inch MVA scope was used exclusively in testing loads.
The results of shooting two different test loads are presented in the accompanying tables. For all practical purposes, the newspaper wad, regardless whether it was placed inside the case or in the primer pocket, had little or no affect on enhancing accuracy with my 3FG Swiss load. Very little if any differences in group sizes, average velocity, or standard deviation were noticed. Before you think it, I agree that the standard deviations for the 3FG load were too high; however, I will address that issue later in the article.
The results obtained with the second load using 1½FG Swiss powder and CCI-BR2 primers were quite different. When comparing the standard load to loads with newspaper wads, I believe it would be a stretch to say anything except there is a slight tendency for newspaper wads to improve accuracy. And the difference in velocity between the three loads is negligible; however, the standard deviation of those loads with a newspaper wad was smaller.
Sharps rifle, MVA scope, and chronograph
|
At this point in testing, I was willing to admit that the newspaper wads certainly did not hurt anything and if anything, they probably showed a tendency toward reducing standard deviations of a load. At least, that was the case with 1½FG Swiss powder and CCI-BR2 primers.
As stated above, the high standard deviations I obtained with the 3FG load were of concern. Since I was using once-annealed Starline brass, I attributed the higher than expected standard deviations to neck tension. So, I decided to duplicate the 3FG test by keeping everything the same except cases. For this round of testing, I would use Remington brass, which would exert less neck tension on the Paul Jones bullets.
Before I get into the data on the next round of testing, I need to add a disclaimer and a personal note to my readers. First of all, those who shoot with me know I struggle with being able to see clear targets and lately my scores have been reflective of my inability to see clearly defined targets. This is precisely why I use an MVA scope in all my load testing; and I will be the first to admit that none of the groups reported thus far would have been achievable with my blurry eyesight and iron sights. Second, I also want my readers to know that I have never, nor will I ever, doctor results of my testing to try to make a point. What you see is what you get and sometimes what you get is actually better than I would like it to be. And this is the case with the 3FG loads and Remington cases. But, for this round of testing, Ernie White, my spotter at Ft. Chadbourne, was a witness to this string of fire.
The data included in the above table is interesting but also a little misleading. My original intent was to try to lower standard deviations achieved with 3FG Swiss powder by changing from Starline brass to Remington brass, and thus have less neck tension on the bullet. Obviously, the opposite was true with the standard load and the load with the newspaper wad in the primer pocket. The standard deviation for the load with the newspaper wad inside the case was very low. An explanation is in order.
It was a hot day when I tested these loads, and both the standard load and the load with a newspaper wad in the primer pocket each had a couple of shots that chronographed right at 1220 feet per second. This represents an increase of 30 fps over the other shots fired and is no doubt what resulted in high standard deviations for these two loads. With these shots deleted, the standard deviations for both of these loads would have been much lower.
Test target for 3FG Swiss load, Remington brass,
and newspaper wad inside case, 7 shots at 200 yards
|
Those of you who have shot much 3FG Swiss powder in a .45-70 understand that fouling and barrel heat can be an issue, especially if you shoot in the warmer and drier regions of the country. So, I am not so sure if these higher standard deviations might not just point to “potential problems’ with this load. For the most part, my 3FG loads have served me well, except when shooting on an uncovered firing line on a hot day.
The interesting part of this round of testing with Remington cases was the phenomenal accuracy and the low standard deviation that was achieved when the newspaper wad was placed inside the case beneath the powder. A standard deviation of 2.8 and a group size of 1½” x 1¼” is phenomenal, even when shooting with a scope. Based on these tests, I have concluded that when using the right combination of components and loading techniques, a newspaper wad placed inside the cartridge case beneath the powder charge can indeed lower standard deviations and enhance accuracy.
The load with the Remington brass included only seven shots. When I adjusted my scope after the previous group was shot, I did not move the scope far enough. My first shot in the eight-shot string mentioned above was too close to the previous group, so I moved the scope again and shot the remainder of the shots for group.
Over the Powder Wads
While we are so heavily enthralled in a discussion on newspaper wads, now would be a good time to discuss the “over the powder” wads. Using a high quality and firm wad between the powder charge and the base of the bullet is absolutely imperative with black powder cartridge ammunition. The purpose of an over powder wad is to buffer the base of the bullet from the heat during powder combustion. A tight fitting and dense wad will protect the bullets base and minimize the potential for barrel leading.
Plastic wad sticks to my finger
|
Shooters today basically fall into two different wad preference categories- plastic or vegetable fiber. Pre-punched plastic or vegetable fiber wads are available commercially or you can punch out the wads yourself from the material you choose. I have tried plastic wads made from old plastic coffee can lids, poly plastic wads, wads that were punched out of milk cartons or tablet backing, and Walter’s vegetable fiber wads. The only wad I have a bias against are the plastic wads. I have personally witnessed problems with plastic wads in heated barrels. A fellow shooter and I once worked for over an hour trying to remove strings of plastic that were deposited in his barrel after shooting a couple of relays using plastic wads. I would take a double dose of lead in my barrel anytime as compared to long imbedded strings of plastic. You cannot shoot the plastic out of the barrel either; it takes methodical cleaning with bore solvents similar to carburetor cleaning compounds like Gun Scrubber to rid the barrel of the plastic fouling. If you imbed strings of plastic in the rifling of your barrel, you will notice an immediate and drastic drop in accuracy.
I know top competitors who use plastic wads and who do quite well with them. Many of these people shoot in cooler areas of the country and this may be the reason they have not experienced problems with plastic being deposited in barrel. I prefer Walter’s .060” vegetable fiber wads, so I never have to worry about them breaking down in the barrel. Barrel leading has never been observed in my Shiloh-barreled rifles, my Badger-barreled rifles, or my 1:16” twist Krieger-barreled High Wall when using Walter’s Wads. I simply do not want to take a chance on plastic wads. Walter’s Wads were used in the group in the photo above.
Before closing, the use of a newspaper wad under the bullet needs to be briefly addressed. Some competitors use a newspaper wad between the bullet and the wad. Presumably this is done to keep the wad from sticking to the bullet when it exits the barrel. With the vegetable fiber wads, I see no need to use a newspaper wad because if you wipe off the bullet’s base before it is seated in the cartridge case, it is highly unlikely that the porous nature of the vegetable fiber wad will stick to the bullets base, even under the force of combustion of the powder. With plastic wads, however, a newspaper wad may be needed to prevent the wad from sticking to the bullets base. In the photo above, I have pressed one finger to a vegetable fiber wad and one to a plastic wad. As you can see, the plastic wad sticks to my finger, whereas, the vegetable fiber wad does not.
In the next issue, we will conclude the four-part series on loading black powder cartridge ammunition. |
