Author Topic: Jacketed bullets with blackpowder (Read 582 times)

gazz · « **on:** February 09, 2006, 04:16:43 PM »

Hi,
I am thinking of using my 25-20 in a B.P. shoot.
I haven't had much luck with cast projectiles, but the jacketed ones shoot very well.
I have always associated B.P. with lubed cast bullets, but I have read that the original load for the .303 British cartridge was a cupronickel jacketed bullet over B.P.
I am just a bit worried that an un lubed bullet would allow worse fouling and maybe jack up the pressure.
Would anyone care to comment on this please?
Thanks,
gazz.

Quanah Parker · « **Reply #1 on:** February 09, 2006, 04:39:26 PM »

I had a go at it. Quite accurate for 2 to 3 rounds and then fouled out with a really hard fouling. I couldn't recomend the experience.

w30wcf · « **Reply #2 on:** February 10, 2006, 03:02:37 PM »

Actually, around the turn of the 19th century, Winchester and U.M.C. offered b.p. cartridges loaded with "Metal Patched" (as jacketed bullets were called back then) bullets.

BIG DIFFERENCE, though, between the b.p.'s used back then (moist burning with minimal residium) and b.p. made in the US today. Swiss b.p. is the closest b.p. we have to the highly refined b.p.'s of 100+ years ago.

I have used Swiss in the .44 W.C.F. with jacketed bullets and it worked A okay. Might have a different result in the smaller .25-20, but it is worth a try.

w30wcf

sharps4590 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 11, 2006, 01:48:48 AM »

I've used jacketed bullets over black powder with some success, however, the bullets were Hawk and they are annealed dead soft for copper, about 25 BHN I believe, which is just a little harder than linotype. Best results have been with a lightly duplexed load altho straight black was satisfactory.

My belief is that the jacketed bullets from the big bullet manufacturers is entirely too hard. Hawk manufactures bullets with two different jacket thicknesses and as stated above, annealed dead soft, and are the only bullets I've used or would recommend with black powder.

Reason for their use was a badly pitted bore in an original rifle from which cast bullets wouldn't stay in a 5 gal bucket at 50 yards.

It's interesting that your rifle, such a small bore, is more accurate with jacketed bullets. Just more proof that each rifle is an entity unto itself an a person ought to try something before condemning it.

Vic