Author Topic: How much time does BP REALLY take? (Read 1536 times)

Big Hext Finnigan · « **on:** August 10, 2003, 11:16:34 AM »

Howdy,

How much MORE time, on average, does a BP shooter take in preparation and cleaning? Assume a smokeless shooter does not clean his guns after each shoot.

Gracias,

ButlerFord45 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 10, 2003, 11:33:16 AM »

I sold my progressive, do everything for ya press, it took all the fun out of reloading and turned it into just another chore. So I'm back to reloading on a single stage press. This is my feeling only and I do not recomend it for anyone else, but I don't believe that a human being and normal reloading equipment can produce a static spark strong enough to ignite blackpowder, so I throw my charges. So the act of reloading takes no more time than smokless. I do pan lube my bullets 500 at a time. probably much quicker than running them through a sizer to lube them. So I don't spend any more time reloading than some one using the same equipment and smokless. I can do an honest cleanup of four guns, leaving them in a condition that if they sat for a year, I wouldn't be concerned about them, in about 30 minutes. About the only chore that I don't enjoy is washing the brass and that isn't a problem, just some thing that's not fun. It takes less than 5 minutes start to finish. Since I clean my guns even if I shoot smokless, the length of time for prep and clean up is about the same. Honestly, cleaning the guns after shooting black powder is actually easier and quicker, it's just a little different.

Singing Bear · « **Reply #2 on:** August 10, 2003, 01:22:56 PM »

Yeh, what ButlerFord said. I only load 50 at a time, which I would also do for my smokeless loads. Helps to make sure all cases are charged. I use a Lee Turret without the indexing feature.

Clean up is as quick as ButlerFord said. Unless I'm taking down my pistols to clean the guts, all four take only 1/2 hour at the most. Here in Hawai'i humidity and heat is as high as other places and I've left my guns for as long as a week without cleaning. My shotgun once went a month. Bore still came out shiny new. I be using Goex. Make sure your guns are already properly lubed. My guns are usually slick with Ballistol before I shoot.

Cleaning brass is simple. Just place your dirty brass in a jar of water and a small squirt of Dawn detergent, at the match. When you get home, just agitate the heck out of them, rinse and lay them out to dry. Tumble like you would any other dirty brass.

BP shotshell loading may be where a little more time is used depending on how you load. Some load just as quick as smokeless. Just depends on what kind of wad set-up you plan to use.

Cuts Crooked · « **Reply #3 on:** August 10, 2003, 07:55:47 PM »

Quote

Assume a smokeless shooter does not clean his guns after each shoot.

Ah! There's the catch! :lol:

Yes I have to clean my guns after each shoot. Throw THAT out of the equation and the answer is none! :-) Cleaning BP is actually easier than a clean up of guns shot wif smokeeeless. I end up making many more passes to get a clean patch out of a gun shot with that nasty new fangled stuff!

Pigeonroost Slim · « **Reply #4 on:** August 11, 2003, 01:13:49 PM »

Loading is jest the same as fer the heathern smokieless. I use a progressive and lube boolits I have pre cast. I do about a thousand re-loads per session or so and the time goes fast enough.

J.W.Neely · « **Reply #5 on:** August 12, 2003, 02:00:54 AM »

Well heck, for me it is a labor of love.
The reloading part doesn't take much more than smokeless, although some.
The extra time is cleanup.
I scrub the inside of the cat-ridges with a bottle brush, after soaking in water and soap overnight, then into the vibrator.
The guns get a hot water bath and Ballistol rub down, the Uberti 66 is the biggest time hog, I always take the action apart and clean, but like I said, it is a labor of love.

LoLo, SASS #25643 · « **Reply #6 on:** August 13, 2003, 01:55:01 PM »

Howdy there Big Hext, I'll tell you, it is the way you look at it. Shooting smokeless as I did with lead or jacketed bullets took time to clean all leading or copper out of my bores, "still does on some of the stuff that I shoot". When I started loading blackpowder it seemed messy to start with but after my guns were broke in to it don't take no more or less time to do. I might have just got use to it but I probably don't spend no more than a half an hour going through through two sixshooters, my rifle and my shotgun to clean.

As far as loading goes, I load my 45's on a stock Dillon 550 with no modifications and my shotgun on a stock Ponsness Warren loader and cast and lube my own bullets with my own homemade lube. The casting is what I dislike as it is a chore for me. But I still enjoy it enough to keep doing it. I love the smoke, BOOM and smell I guess. Much has been said about static and so forth but I take responsibility for my actions only.

If I timed myself from start to finish there would probably not be any difference between smokeless and black. Each has it's own quirck, It's just a matter of getting use to it.

If you want to know more details about how I do it shoot me an e-mail and I will be glad to tell you in detail what I do.

Rifled Slug · « **Reply #7 on:** August 20, 2003, 02:54:49 AM »

Howdy ,
I got to agree with the rest of the folks about it not taking any more or less time . The one thing that I think is importent is when you start shooting black or a sub is the way you get your guns seasoned . The use of a non petroleum cleaner and lube is the secret at least for me . Wet the bores with moose milk . Run a patch to clean . Run a dry patch . Run a lube patch or a swab . Wipe down the rest with a lube rag . Put it away .
A lot of folks will say you only season frying pans and not gun barrels . Well all I can say is as time goes by it has just gotten easier . :grin:

The Shrink · « **Reply #8 on:** October 25, 2003, 03:33:40 AM »

Butlerford and others

Cleaning brass is easy too, get some 2mm ceramic beads from BuffArms and drop them in a vibrator bowl. Add your brass, a little water and a little soap and vibrate for an hour or two. Let them dry and then polish if you want pretty brass. No mess, except dumping the brass/beads into a collander, and no brushes!

I haven't been to a Cowboy shoot, so I don't know if you can do this there, but I take a plastic bottle about half full of water and soap to the range with me, and de-cap and drop the cases in this at the range. After driving home they are somewhat agitated. I drain this, add new water and soap, and dump it into the vibrator. BTW, it's an hour+ drive to and from the range, depending on traffic.

My dad taught me to clean everything after I shoot it, so the parameters of the question don't fit me. Let me say that I often shoot black and smokeless in one trip to the range, and it's noticably easier and less messy to clean the black than the smokeless. The only exception to this is when I get some leading, but that's another issue, and common to both.