Black Powder

[230gr]

Not sure if I posted this in the right forum. I went to take the muzzle loaders out to the range and found my last 1/2 lb of 4F powder was hardened. I've had the stuff for over 10 yrs. but must have not closed the container tightly the last time I used it. Where can I get real black powder in the FFFF or FFF grain size for my flintlock? Any old school black powder shooters out there that might know?

 

[AK shooter]

Dixie gun works.

 

[230gr]

Thanks AK, I was hoping to find it in the area, before paying the hazmat fee for just one pound of powder.

 

[DBMJR1]

I haven't had any luck finding BP locally.

I've resorted to making my own, which actually works very well surprisingly.

 

[NORSEWOLF]

Care to share the recipe?

 

[DBMJR1]

Care to share the recipe?

OK, but do this at your own risk.

By weight 75% Potassium Nitrate, 15% Charcoal, and 10% Sulfur.

For potassium nitrate, I buy Stump Rot at Home Depot.

For Charcoal, making your own from Willow is said to work best. I use Commercially available lump charcoal, not briquettes.

For sulfur, go to the garden center. It's commonly used for soil that is too acidic.

Buy three coffee grinders, some 1/4" hardware cloth (chicken wire), and a mortar pestal.

Grind all three ingredients separately, in individual coffee grinders. Doing otherwise is positively suicidal.

The rest of the steps should be done outside to avoid explosions

Mix the ingredients into a mortar pestal. Grind until you are satisfied that they are thoroughly mixed.

You have now made Black Powder Meal.

Mix with water until it's the consistency of a thick putty.

Grind in the Mortar Pestal again. A lot.

Force the mixture through 1/4" hardware cloth, onto paper towels. We'll call this 'corning'.

Allow to dry until hard.

You now basically have Cannon Grade BP.

The finer you grind this product, the finer the grade.

I find this product works VERY well in my BP cannon.



That took a while to recall and type.

 

[DBMJR1]

I use coffee grinders. These can be found for around ten bucks. Pros use a device called a Ball Mill. You can make a Ball mill, Google it. For me, the coffee grinders work fine, but I'm shooting my powder out of a cannon, not a pistol. Ball mills are probably safer.

 

[Ellis1958]

In Louisiana we have a grand total of one licensed black powder dealer.

Fire up your ride and road trip to Marksville to see the Honorable Judge Angelo J. Piazza III. When I picked up my black powder we spent the better part of an hour discussing Civil War history and how my Brown Bess replica fit in to that conflict. Truly interesting individual worth spending some time with.

http://www.jackspowderkeg.com/