Everything you have written runs counter to everything I have learned over more than 50 years of shooting and reloading. Paul Matthews wrote a piece only a couple of years ago- I believe in the Single Shot Exchange about finding that the large diameter primer pocket holes in modern .45-70 casings, together with Large Rifle Primers- the Magnums worse-- were pushing the heavy lead alloy bullets out of the casing, or at least forward in their seating, no matter the crimp used. After much study, including using his chronograph, he focxused on bothissues. He found for instance that the original casings used with Black powder during the Army trials back in the 1870s, had holes that were only .062" in diameter, compared to the .090+" Diameter of modern casings. So, he had a company make him a swaging die to use to reduce the diameter of his modern casing's primer holes.
Then, he learned that the original trials used much weaker primers- equivalent to our modern small pistol primers, altho the original primers were designated for rifle use. Small pistol and small rifle primers are the same diameter, but pistol primers are thinner in profile. Paul had a shop make him some washers to allow modern large rifle primer casings to use small pistol primers.He found that his groups not only reduced in size out at 200 and 300 yards, but that the groups stopped Stringing vertically when the small pistol primers, and the small diameter primer hole was used.
He then concluded that if he had known all these things 20 years earlier, when he was still competing as a shooter, No one could have come near his scores. Mr. Matthews has written many books on the .45-70- is called the " Dean of the .45-70"-- and is in his 80s or 90s, now. He still shoots trapdoors, with iron sights, at long range distances.
Oh, he learned that it was after the adoption of some of the early bulk smokeless powders that the casing pockets were enlarged to handle the larger diameter "Large Rifle" primers, and the holes were enlarged to get more flame into the casing to ignite the poor quality powders. Today, with both modern smokeless powders, and with modern made Black powder, We don't need all that power and fire. Its the long range shooters like Matthews, fighting to get all the accuracy from their rifles, who have learned these lessons. The visual clues have always been there: Vertical stringing of groups on targets, and higher SDVs.
All this "more is better" doctrine that is nothing more than sales "HYPE", and this is true today with black powder loads in whatever form they take. Igniters-- whether we call them caps, or primers--- can create the same problems when used in the wrong guns.
I didn't know any of this when I started shooting and reloading the .45-70 cartridge in the late 1950s. If someone had paid me a dollar for each of the things I have "un-learned" that I thought I knew back then, my bank account would be pretty hefty today.
About a year ago, on these forums, Brown
Bear, who lives part of the year on Kodiak Island, Alaska, first mentioned that he was surprised to find that Fg Goex powder was giving him better patterns in his shotguns, than using FFg powder. He is not one to spend a lot of time patterning loads on paper, but his respect for and use of Fg powder has risen.( If I lived on Kodiak Island, I would spend my shooting time shooting game- not paper, TOO! :grin: :bow: )
From the limited published data I have on Fg powder loads in shotguns, I suspect that the slower burning powder is the reason BB is getting better patterns- enough suspicion that I arranged to buy a couple of pounds of Fg powder a week ago so I can do some paper testing when my back problems are fixed.
IMHO, leave the musket caps for musket nipples, on musket rifles, chambered for the .58 cal. hollow based "Minie" bullet, using 45-60 grains of FFg powder. That was what the gun they were designed for, and seems to have worked well in, down thru the ages.
Of course, none of this is worth anything more than what you paid for it, so do as you please, and keep us posted on your successes. :hatsoff:
Please accept my apology for any offense I gave to you. That was not my intent. Two of my best friends, now both dead, refused to have anything to do with Black Powder because they didn't like the smell! They both shot all kinds of guns, both reloaded, and both were champion level Trap shooters. But, I could not get them to shoot either my BP shotgun or rifle even if I loaded it for them. I was thinking of them when I read your posts here. I thought telling you its ok to not like BP, much less use the stuff. I was only hoping to help you avoid some of the frustration that shooters experience when they have a " Missed shot" that they can't explain. :surrender: :hatsoff:
