Black powder loading

[Scott Tschirhart]

I’m kinda toying with how this bullet would work with a case full of black?

Maybe fill the base with crisco and put a cardboard and wax paper wad under the bullet???? Hmm?

[Griff]

My completely "tongue-in-cheek" answer is that a "case full" would be too much powder. I've had folks tell me that having a card wad next to the base of the bullet can affect flight. I haven't had that experience with either the 45 Colt or 40-90SBN I've loaded in that fashion. My preference where the grease groove isn't deep enough to carry sufficient lube is to use a lubed felt wad under the bullet, with a waxed card (I cut my from milk cartons) under the wad. I haven't had to add lube to my 45 Colt loads in the 24" 1873 rifle, but do have melt a little extra lube into the .40-90SBN lighter bullets that have a slightly fewer grease groove, due to the 30" barrel and still maintain a "star" on the muzzle. One thing I will note, is that I take care not to have any grease get between the base of the bullet and any card wad, as that can keep the card on the base after leaving the muzzle. Another is that if you do use a lube cookie, don't use the bullet to compress your charge, greater chance of forcing lube out from between the over powder card and into the charge. Good luck. Oh, BTW, in pistols, I've never found that I've NEEDED extra lube on pretty much any bullet with a grease groove, even the one 2nd from left.


Edited to add: I haven't played with any hollow base bullets, except for Adirondak Jack's little 125 grain "Barnstormer" bullet and that was just with smokeless.