# Black Powder manufacture+black powder weapons



## Guest (Jun 12, 2014)

I want to get a couple black powder rifles because they are more economical in a long term survival situation for hunting. You can manufacture your own black powder which cuts down on cost. I won't go in to how to make the powder because I don't want to be responsible for anyone's demise here. One thing that sparks my interest is a potential shortage of cartridge bullets in post shtf. another thing that jumps out to me is the likely hood that the government could take my modern guns away if new laws are passed in the future. The black powder rifle would most likely not pose a threat to them in any case, and i could keep it for hunting purposes and protection if i had too. I have a modern handgun for protection but for hunting i think i will go black powder


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## keith9365 (Apr 23, 2014)

Black powder guns are like crack, once you try it you are hooked. All I've hunted with for years now is my flintlock pennsylvania long rifle in .50 caliber. I've killed deer out to about 75-80 yards with it. Once you learn the little tricks of the flintlock they are fast firing deadly weapons. Spend the extra money and get a custom made gun. They are a few hundred dollars more than a Italian import but sooooo much better made. I only shoot goex 3f with a .490 patched round ball. It has blown through EVERY deer I have hit with it. I love my .40 caliber flintlock for squirrel. Squirrel hunting with a flinter is the most fun you will have in the woods.


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## Oddcaliber (Feb 17, 2014)

Try this,Dixie Gun Works muzzleloading, blackpowder and rare antique gun supplies.


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## keith9365 (Apr 23, 2014)

Track of the wolf, The Contemporary Longrifle Association, Tennessee Valley Manufacturing, and Roy Strough are a few places you can look for custom guns.


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## oldmurph58 (Feb 8, 2014)

keith is right, very addictive, got 3 .50 cals now and plan on grabbing some remington type .44 revolvers


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## catfisherman (Jun 9, 2014)

Black powder rifles are awesome and a great preppers tool , you can shoot rocks , gravel , nails , pretty much anything out of a black powder shotgun . Marbles are a great ammo also .

Been years since I owned a black powder rifle , I use to have a 50 cal. and a double barrel shotgun along with a 50 cal pistol and a 44 cap and ball revolver . I traded or sold them and sure wish I hadn't .

I was shocked at the prices that old double barrel is up to . 

I am planning to get a 50 cal kentucky long rifle soon as possible .


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2014)

one concern for me is the amount of wear inside the barrel would be after years of corrosion. is this a problem u guys run into? maybe getting an extra barrel or 2 would be a good idea.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

How many of you have ever made black powder? In a post SHTF world where will you get sulfur, saltpeter, or high grade charcoal?

Forget about using charcoal briquets - they won't work. You need a willow tree that you can harvest branches that are about two years old to make your charcoal.
Sulfur is the tough one. Where will you get it and how are you going to powder it? (it is a rock you know).
Saltpeter in the right grade and in quantities to be useful is another tough one. Do you know how to extract it from its natural state?

Once you mix the ingredients in the proper ratios how are you going to grade it? Can you make two batches that are close to the same?

I have done this stuff - with the exception of the sulfur. There is no natural sulfur deposits near enough to me to access it. You can make black powder without sulfur but it doesn't ignite as fast or as easily as it does with the sulfur in the mix. It is time consuming and difficult to make in large batches (not to mention dangerous). I never got two subsequent batches that were close enough in burn rate to grade it properly. I carefully weighed the components, ground them individually and together in solution with alcohol (that makes it safer) and then ran it through a sizer and dried it. Some of it was very good and some was almost not black powder. I did find that I could make the slow burning powder faster by wetting it and then letting it dry. 

If this is something you are going to learn to do I recommend a good organic chemistry class at your local community college. You will at least learn some of the safety precautions and the dangers to be avoided.
Do not make black powder in batches larger than one pound and to start with I would recommend a couple of ounces at first. 

Note: Black powder is a primary explosive - it can be ignited with heat or pressure. Do NOT do this at home after watching a video or two on U-tube. Black powder can burn, blind and even kill you if you are not properly prepared to work with it. I had one accident - it burned my hand and it was more painful than I ever want to experience again. The burning powder leaves bits of ash and unburnt powder under and embedded in the skin. It takes a very long time to heal. I was lucky. My burn was small in size and healed in about two weeks leaving no scarring.


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2014)

i read that you can find sulfur around volcanoes in deposits in the the rock. also sulfur is found where crude oil and natural gas are found.


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2014)

you are in a great area for volcanoes pauls


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Not around the volcanoes in the western US. Oil is found hundreds if not thousands of feet underground - you prepared to dig that far?


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## bigdogbuc (Mar 23, 2012)

I don't think they use the term Saltpeter anymore. It's Charcoal, SUlfur and Potassium Nitrate. All of which can be found on E-Bay. It's not expensive, doesn't go bad and is easily stored. A guy on YouTube named Brushhippie has a couple of really good vid's on making it. Even test's it. The most expensive part is buying a ball mill/rock polisher.


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## Infidel (Dec 22, 2012)

I love the idea of blackpowder guns but honestly my only blackpowder is an in-line that I use a substitute in (triple 7). If I were going to go with a blackpowder for SHTF I would seriously consider a flintlock so that I wouldn't have to concern myself with percussion caps. I wouldn't consider making my own blackpowder although I know it can be done. Personally for me since I reload I'm better off sinking money into components so I can have a ready supply of ammo at anytime, casting my own bullets helps also.

-Infidel


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

After the SHTF there won't be anyone selling on ebay.
I used to buy saltpeter (saltpetre) at the local pharmacy in quart jars.... can't do that anymore.

The last time I bought any I had to show ID - proof of age - and sign a form.


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2014)

PaulS said:


> Not around the volcanoes in the western US. Oil is found hundreds if not thousands of feet underground - you prepared to dig that far?


maybe you are around hot springs try locating them. ill research it later tonight


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Our hotsprings are from glacial run-off and no sulfur around. The volcanoes in Washington state do not produce sulfur - there is too much silica in the lava and it turns to ash. - remember Mt. Saint Hellens?


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## keith9365 (Apr 23, 2014)

nightshade said:


> one concern for me is the amount of wear inside the barrel would be after years of corrosion. is this a problem u guys run into? maybe getting an extra barrel or 2 would be a good idea.


I only shoot a patched ball in my guns. Call me a traditionalist. With a patched round ball, the ball itself does not come into contact with the rifling, only the cloth patch does so there really is no wear. In the muzzleloading era, hand forged iron barrels did wear out and were rebored and rifled or made into smoothbores but with modern steel barrels this is not a concern. Clean the gun with hot water only. Thoroughly dry then oil the bore and it will outlast your grandchildren.


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2014)

keith9365 said:


> I only shoot a patched ball in my guns. Call me a traditionalist. With a patched round ball, the ball itself does not come into contact with the rifling, only the cloth patch does so there really is no wear. In the muzzleloading era, hand forged iron barrels did wear out and were rebored and rifled or made into smoothbores but with modern steel barrels this is not a concern. Clean the gun with hot water only. Thoroughly dry then oil the bore and it will outlast your grandchildren.


excellent I'll be sure to purchase one once i can afford it. i imagine it builds patience up reloading and practicing hitting targets with Black powder guns. also hunting large game u gotta be a crack shot or u go hungry.


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## bigdogbuc (Mar 23, 2012)

PaulS said:


> After the SHTF there won't be anyone selling on ebay.
> I used to buy saltpeter (saltpetre) at the local pharmacy in quart jars.... can't do that anymore.
> 
> The last time I bought any I had to show ID - proof of age - and sign a form.


That's why you stock up. It's part of the prepping. Have stuff you need before you need it.


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## Guest (Jun 13, 2014)

ok after some searching i found this link from the university of washington. it concerns mt saint helens.

Crystal and sulfur deposits at mouth :: Mt St Helens Post-Eruption Chemistry Database

currently looking at hot springs for evidence of mineral sulfur deposits.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

I was amazed until I saw that it was crystallized from the gasses. I have been up and down the cascades and a lot of hotsprings - most are privately owned now - and never have found even traces of sulfur. Now all I have to do is climb the active volcano, find one of these vents and hold my breath while I collect sulfur. Hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide are dangerous to breathe. It is kind of cool though that there is crystalline sulfur at the vents. I will put that into my database so I have the information when I need it.

As far as storing black powder there is a legal limit and if you have more than that or store it improperly you can be arrested. If you have a fire and your insurance company finds out you have black powder stored they will refuse coverage. The fine print mentions the stored explosives as a deal breaker - just like civil unrest or acts of war. Smokeless powder is not an explosive - it is a flammable solid. Even then you can't store more than 50 pounds and that has to be in a fire resistant powder magazine with a 30 minute burn resistance. Mine exceeds that by 200%.


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## oldmurph58 (Feb 8, 2014)

50 pound is a lot of shots probably more than i'd ever need.


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## csi-tech (Apr 13, 2013)

The way I manufacture my powder is go to Wal Mart and buy a big box of Pyrodex Pellets. Once my NEF Sidekick is on it tends to stay that way. It is accurate out to 155 yards. That is where I let the air out of this one.


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## Notsoyoung (Dec 2, 2013)

A friend and I made gun powder and a matchlock pistol when I was in high school years ago, and I am ALLOT of years ago. On a side note, the weather is beautiful outside and we have started doing allot of outside work. I have a stump that I need to take and was thinking about getting some of that stump removal powder. Anyone know what's in it? While I am at it I think I will go ahead and get some sulfur for plant food for our roses. 

I have a Pedersoli Rocky Mountain Hawkins in .54 caliber. The thing is a real nail driver. I liked it so much that I bought a Sharps from the same company in 45-70 caliber. Dixie Gun Works and Track of the Wolf are both excellent sites to go to for parts, accessories, and firearms if you are interested in Black Powder shooting. I usually use Goex 2F but following Paul S's advice I think that I will try 3F and see how it works for me.


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## Doc Holliday (Dec 22, 2012)

Where I live in Southern Hellifornia, there is an abundance of sulfur to be had... I live down the road from sulfur mountain (stinks to high heaven) but if I was going to even think of making my own.. I would probably get commercially made stuff and store it at my BOL.


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## StarPD45 (Nov 13, 2012)

Funny thing is those of us who are a "little older" learned how to make black powder in grade school. :-D


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## keith9365 (Apr 23, 2014)

oldmurph58 said:


> 50 pound is a lot of shots probably more than i'd ever need.


50 pounds sounds like a lot but think of it this way. A pound of black powder is 7000 grains. I shoot 65 grains as the main charge in my rifle with about 5 grains to prime the flintlock pan. That is 70 grains which equals 100 shots per pound. Your milage may vary.


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 25, 2014)

A few thoughts on Black powder:

A friend of mine has made quite a bit, and he says to use urine for the mixing stage. The extra salt enhances the saltpeter or some such thing, and wet mixing keeps you from blowing yourself up. 

You are legally limited to 20 lbs of BP I believe is the right number. You could end up in gitmo if you hoard too much. I believe that includes pyrodex, but check local laws. Getting caught with too much could get you into gitmo.

50 & 54 caliber are the most common calibers---nowadays--- So if you stay with these calibers then you should be able to find lotsa stuff. I play hell and pay extra for bullets for my 58 double rifle. I even get less bullets in the box than a box of 50 or 54. But I can kill anything on the continent, in or out of a zoo, with my kodiak 58 caliber double.

The barrel corrossion mostly comes from the corrosive effects of black powder. Pyrodex is slightly less corrossive, and fouls less. I clean my barrels in the tub with soapy water, then lightly oil them with 3in1. My BP friends all claim windshield washer fluid is the best for Black Powder. 

I have made the charcoal by gassifying wood. Take a tin can, put a piece of wood inside, close the lid and leave just a little hole. Put it in the fire and you will see smoke come out of the hole. when the smoke stops, the wood is gassified. Lotta survivalists carry a little chunk of gassified wood as tinder for fires. 

you can shoot mini balls and still be authentic. But if you cast your own, you have to resize the bullets, but not the ball. Not hard to resize, but you have to have another piece of equipment (and a good resizer will also have a hot lube attachment). You can cast a ball, let it cool for a couple minutes, and go shoot it. 

Ok, I think that addressed all the other statements previous.


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