Making black powder at home
- Thread starter Ian
- Start date
L Ross
Well-Known Member
Ah but chert works in a pinch both for fire starting and in a flint lock. I have done it, killed 4 squirrels one day with witnesses using chert in my lock. Not durable, but doable. I am certainly no flint knapper, but with some rock busting and the back of my neck knife I fashioned some that fit in the lock.
I have a .36 flinter looooonnggg rifle, (42" bbl.), a 24 ga. early English Trade gun, and I have a bead on a .54 swamped barrel long rifle I may add to the stable just to keep my options open.
Ian
Notorious member
1-3/8" aluminum round bar.
Ian
Notorious member
Georgetown is actually flint (formed in chalk) and makes nice blades if you get a good nodule for a blade core. Two or three flints can be made from one blade. I particularly like the pink-lavender-beige-bluish-purplish amoebas from the river here, its very glossy and "snap in halfish" to quote Patrick Blank, but self-knaps well as a gunflint (meaning it keeps itself sharp as the edge wears) and sparks quite well.
The best gunflint material I've ever used is heat treated, fine, white Arkansas Novaculite.
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Missionary
Well-Known Member
I like your simplistic approach to a fun past time and thoroughly agree with the purpose.
I remember years ago at the Indi-500 Gunshow the huge BP section where a bag of flints could be bought for a couple dollars.
I remember years ago at the Indi-500 Gunshow the huge BP section where a bag of flints could be bought for a couple dollars.
I hope that wasn’t his last 2 rolls.
Ian
Notorious member
I crunched out the center tube. This charcoal was almost as tough as uncharred paper. Had to grind it with a grain mill to get it broken down enough to fit in my ball mill. Anyway, 16 hours milling wasn't enough though it looked and felt like enough. Usually I run it 12 hours and get great results with black willow. This TP powder was very dirty and low on power, like it wasn't milled enough. I got 1516 fps average from my .45 SMR at 50 grains by weight/52 volume, 3F. I get 1646 from black willow and 1670 from GOEX 3F. Only upside was the fouling didn't produce a hard ring that made ball seating difficult, though the "chamber" area was very dirty, far dirtier than with just about anything else I've used. Consistency was good, SD of 6 fps for five shots. Even if it matched black willow I wouldn't use it, and am not really inclined to try it again with a different brand on account of how hard it was to break down.
Next I may try brown Kraft paper from work, I drown in that stuff because all our suppliers use miles of it to pack their shipments.
Next I may try brown Kraft paper from work, I drown in that stuff because all our suppliers use miles of it to pack their shipments.
No, just think it would be an eggxellent idea.
If it doesn’t work hen the yolk is on me.
Tomme boy
Well-Known Member
I think the TP is really going to depend on where the TP was made. Lots of trees in certain parts of the North America that are used. A lot of the TP is coming from clear cutting operations that send in whatever is not paying well at the regular mills. So it could be anything.