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HolliferADollar · May 21, 2012, 06:35 AM

I just crossed over to the dark side & can give you some newbie insight. I also have a pair of Hombres like yours.

To get started, all I had on hand was Pyrodex RS & 200 grain LRNFP bullets. I measured the length of the flat area of the bullet, then made a mark that distance from the case mouth on the inside of a sized empty case. I bought a set of Lee dippers & found the dipper that put enough Pyrodex in the case to come up to that mark. I then seated & crimped the cases as normal. First time around, I made up 5 test rounds & shot them in the back yard. BIG boom, BIG cloud of smoke, fire out the barrel, in other words, YEE HAW! Recoil was very manageable, comparable to what you get with factory ammo. I also use the Cowboy 45 Special cases, so I did up 5 test rounds with them, using the same process & a different powder dipper. Nice bang, big cloud of smoke, recoil about like a heavy 38 round.

I had a match in Tallahassee this past Saturday, so I decided to shoot BP rounds there. I loaded up 40 of the Cowboy Special rounds & 20 of the long Colt rounds. I shot the CS rounds on the first 4 stages & checked the cylinders. Big ring of carbon in each so I cleaned the guns quickly using moose milk. Very easy cleanup. I then used the 20 long rounds on the last 2 stages. Satisfying results, but the primers backed out a little so the action was more difficult to work. I didn't have enough empty brass to make rifle ammo, so I shot smokeless stuff there.

After the match, cleanup was very easy. Soaked the barrel & cylinder with moose milk, let them sit for a few minutes, then it took 3-4 patches through each cylinder & the barrel to get them all nice & clean. There was a lot of gummy fouling in the barrel because I had used smokeless-lubed bullets but nothing overly difficult to remove.

The primers backing out of the cases was most likely caused by the lighter bullets (200 gn). I have some 250s on the way for use in rifle rounds.

I spent yesterday de-lubing & re-lubing 100 bullets with beeswax. That should take care of the really gummy fouling in the barrel. I have also bought a can of Goex FFG. The next trial will be with APP, which is supposed to be compatible with smokeless bullet lube. That will make things a lot easier.

All in all, BP is a lot easier to work with & to clean up than I thought it would be. It is also fun!

HAD

May 21, 2012, 06:35 AM	#9
HolliferADollar Junior Member Join Date: May 21, 2012 Location: Florida Panhandle Posts: 1	45 Colt loads for Hombre I just crossed over to the dark side & can give you some newbie insight. I also have a pair of Hombres like yours. To get started, all I had on hand was Pyrodex RS & 200 grain LRNFP bullets. I measured the length of the flat area of the bullet, then made a mark that distance from the case mouth on the inside of a sized empty case. I bought a set of Lee dippers & found the dipper that put enough Pyrodex in the case to come up to that mark. I then seated & crimped the cases as normal. First time around, I made up 5 test rounds & shot them in the back yard. BIG boom, BIG cloud of smoke, fire out the barrel, in other words, YEE HAW! Recoil was very manageable, comparable to what you get with factory ammo. I also use the Cowboy 45 Special cases, so I did up 5 test rounds with them, using the same process & a different powder dipper. Nice bang, big cloud of smoke, recoil about like a heavy 38 round. I had a match in Tallahassee this past Saturday, so I decided to shoot BP rounds there. I loaded up 40 of the Cowboy Special rounds & 20 of the long Colt rounds. I shot the CS rounds on the first 4 stages & checked the cylinders. Big ring of carbon in each so I cleaned the guns quickly using moose milk. Very easy cleanup. I then used the 20 long rounds on the last 2 stages. Satisfying results, but the primers backed out a little so the action was more difficult to work. I didn't have enough empty brass to make rifle ammo, so I shot smokeless stuff there. After the match, cleanup was very easy. Soaked the barrel & cylinder with moose milk, let them sit for a few minutes, then it took 3-4 patches through each cylinder & the barrel to get them all nice & clean. There was a lot of gummy fouling in the barrel because I had used smokeless-lubed bullets but nothing overly difficult to remove. The primers backing out of the cases was most likely caused by the lighter bullets (200 gn). I have some 250s on the way for use in rifle rounds. I spent yesterday de-lubing & re-lubing 100 bullets with beeswax. That should take care of the really gummy fouling in the barrel. I have also bought a can of Goex FFG. The next trial will be with APP, which is supposed to be compatible with smokeless bullet lube. That will make things a lot easier. All in all, BP is a lot easier to work with & to clean up than I thought it would be. It is also fun! HAD