@@Everythingblackpowder Hey, I have been meaning to ask, is the ramrod you use with your rifle made of fiberglass? It doesn't sound like it is made of wood or steel or anything natural. I am asking because I have a pistol that came with a wooden ramrod that just ends up getting chiseled away as it occasionally scrapes the rifling. Any suggestions to fix that problem? Also, love the background music you used in this video, definitely keep it in future videos. What is it called?
As you can see, My last name is Nerdin, I nerd out on this stuff also. I believe when they, Jake and Company, made the kiln they were in their best Nerd State and really trying to improve their quality. I have learned a whole lot about making black powder and I now want a Colt revolver. :)
Me too. I price them out every time he has his on the channel. If I can make or find one with an interchangeable lock system for stoning or capping "I'm in" no matter the cost.
Keep the science going. Someday you'll need to compile all the notes and make 'em available. I learn something new with every episode and appreciate your effort. Given the limitations I work with, crappy mill and press, I'm thrilled with ANY product that get me 1600+ in my 45 SMR. I'll be improving the equipment slowly but surely. I can live with 75 gr and 1800+ for my shooting for now. Stay on it. Think about compiling the lessons learned and best practices in print. Not at all ready to make my own damned video so keep going!
Thank you Garrett from 11 BangBang! (And of course thank you Jake!!!). I am one of the people who has been asking for cottonwood. I think I may have found my charcoal source. I will gladly take slightly slower velocity for consistency. Especially if the cleanup is no worse.
Would be great to see the same wood species charred at e.g. three different temperatures and compared. A lot of work I guess, but potentially a fun and valuable learning experience?
Yes it’s a fast growing wood but when kiln dried it becomes very hard. I’m a machinist and the guy I work with told me that back in the day thy would get orders from ski slope to machine break pads for the chair lift out of kiln dried cotton wood.
Cottonwood is Nebraska's state tree. It literally grows everywhere like a weed here. You gotta start blending carbon sources! So many more options. Good video guys.
Do you know the Chinese havd invented their own version of percussion cap after the Opium Wars? After the defeat, some Chinese want to get an alternative way to reduce their dependency on buying percussion cap from the Europeans or Americans. So they invented an alternate shock-sensitive explosive for their primitive percussion cap. The way of the Chinese primitive percussion explosive: 1) Grind realgar, saltpeter into powder. 2) Add iron powder and high-percentage wine. 3) Dry it in shade. Hope you find it interesting.❤
I’ve learned a lot about black powder from your videos, and appreciate you sharing your experiments and knowledge. I don’t remember you using sumac, and think It might work well. Sumac is abundant in my area, and should be easy to work with.
That spread was great, makes up for faster powder that is 5 times worse from shot to shot. It would be neat to see if the deviation stayed close to the same as the charge weight increased. Seems like more of a metallic cartridge issue unless you are competitive shooting with the smoke pole. Thanks for the great content.
first came craft beer, now we have small batch craft powder. lol still it seems to have done pretty well. Always nice to have alternatives. Thanks guys
I get the velocity wars, but id really be more interested in seeing accuracy on paper. It's black, so we already know it's dirty, not a huge deal when using water based patch lubes or simply swabbing between shots. If the velocity is close to goex, put it on paper.
The only things affecting accuracy are velocity spread and fouling....both of which are very good with the Cottonwood powder so I'd expect the accuracy to be good.
That seems reasonable, I get comments from folks all the time that are upset that I don’t put things on paper. The reason why is because most of the time the powder isn’t worth the trouble, but if the fouling and velocity are close enough to goex I think putting it on paper would be fair enough.
@recoilrob324 not entirely true. American Pioneer Powder has huge, 150+ fps velocity spreads and it's still an accurate powder. It's probably the most inconsistent powder ever made and has a learning curve to obtain accuracy.
@@buckskinsblackpowder7106 that’s interesting. Ive never used APP but I don’t see how it can be all that accurate with a spread of 150+ fps? That would be like switching from Goex to Swiss from shot to shot my rifle is sighted in with 50gr of 3f Swiss and if I use the same charge of 3F Goex it will hit a good 4 inches low at 50 yards.
Hell, when I first started making the "evil black" though about 45 years ago, I used to make my carbon from the sawdust from my dad's saw ! Actually though, it worked pretty good in my home built match lock we had made. It was enough to get me hooked. I am 59 now and still love it.
It is nice to see that Cottonwood has a redeeming property beyond drying up swampy ground.But it is still a bugger to split once it dries out and cures LOL
Ive been working up to my 1st batch since 2020. Tonight is the night. I wanted to report on my Harbor Freight tumbler. I bought it a few years ago and was a little bummed when I saw your report on it. BUT, I forgot that I modified it per an old video I saw. 1-½" caster wheels drilled out and pressed onto the shafts does 2 things... 1 is it brings the ceter of my 4" pvc tumbler up so I can use a test plug as a cap (the wingnut hit the tumbler housing before the casters were installed) . 2 is that I get faster rotation which throws the media. I am delighted since I don't have room for half of a treadmill.
You know now that you have charcoal down and a pyrolizizer it could be interesting to see what different charcoals do with different colors in case hardening. Love the videos I'm always excited to see what you guys are doing next
I am one of the ones who suggested Cottonwood, it is my choice . If you have a .58 cal or a .75, try it in those. It shines in the big bores. My Cohern Mortar loves it too.. fortunately, it grows all over my property. Also, try the smaller trees and branches, not the core wood
Halving your spread in velocity from 70 fps to 36fps is well worth giving up 30ish fps in total velocity IMO, especially if it runs a little cleaner. That said cottonelle > cotton wood and isn't breaking the bank. I look forward to a re-test of a carbon source using the pyrolisizer. I bet that improvement in process is a big part of what's reducing your velocity delta.
I’ve been loving the videos. You’ve inspired me to start my own black powder production. I would be really interested to see a repeat of your 1911 .45 ACP test with some of the different duplex loads you’ve been trying. Since duplex loads produce significantly less fouling my thinking is that you’ll be able to push more of those rounds through an auto loader than black powder alone.
For some reason, I am fascinated with the difference the carbon source makes. I look forward to every new video to see what you are sharing. Thanks! Phil
I'm just curious how different toilet paper brands would compare. I will say I was worried about how toilet paper would hold up to humidity, but we had the 160th Battle of Resaca last weekend. Using your method it worked out amazingly.
It didn't suck, I pressed the like button and I am already subscribed! It seemed like a solid powder and I saw very few sparks flying out of the barrel compared to some of the others. Another great job! Thank you for the effort!
As usual Jake, another great video, always interesting and informative. You are a real pro at producing these excellent videos on the different carbon sources for black powder. Keep up the great work, and thank you!
Once again, great information! The music is good, specifically it doesn't even come close to drowning out the conversation. Maybe a set of buckskins for the beard and hat.
I watch your videos for the scientific content and have enjoyed every one. Thank you for taking time to conduct each of your experiments, showing each shot, without pausing between, and the summary of the results. Please keep up with your great service to the muzzleloading community. 👍🏻
The only thing missing from these videos is the smell of burnt black powder . Have to love the smell of burnt black powder . I have always liked the smell of burnt black powder since the days of my youth going to fourth of July fireworks displays .
I've watched a number of these by now. The results with balsa and Cottonelle have me positing that the more uniform and less dense a carbon source is prior to charring the more speed you can get out of it. I would suggest this has to do with gradient of char throughout a medium. A denser medium will have over charred parts on the exterior and under charred parts in the interior when compared to a less dense material. But what do I know, I've never even shot an antique muzzleloader much less made my own powder.
Science! is science? This is applied Science. What is your idea for a "Gradient" as a DIY char guy most of us Mill the snott out of the char to reduce the size of each particulate while increasing the total surface area. Then "I safely" mill the snott out of two ingredients together(sulfur and char) while saving the H20 soluble KN03 to be safely added in solution for a final wet milling. It's NOT to Late? Next week! you may be one of US? very cheap hobby! or not? Teaches about ALL ARMS and their use. I started in 1976 age 11 with $69 paper rout cash and an 1858 kit I built, blued, timed, and finished on my own, summer after 5th grade. Just scored a few new old still in box 44's and a 36 from my local pawn for about $150 each. NO PAPERWORK on muzzle loaders, just dollars. same as when I was a kid on a Schwinn in the 70's
Cool. One of the trashiest nastiest woods has a useful application. The damn things are dangerous with how they randomly drop limbs on flat calm days with no warning. I almost got hit by a 6" branch that just dropped as I passed under it, right where a group of kids had taken lunch only hours before. They're good for tomahawk/knife targets too, if you're into that.
I enjoy all your videos. Thanks for sharing them. I also have a kibbler 45 caliber, with a 36 caliber barrel and A32 caliber barrel. Elove it and I'm really surprised of the bamboo charcoal. Being so clean but the cottonwood aint too bad either.Looking forward to the next video mike from southern illinois.
Thank You! I believe I asked about cottonwood earlier as I have an abundance of it laying on the ground from cottonwood trees cut down. Now I have to research making charcoal. 😎
Great stuff I have been wondering about cottonwood charcoal. With the area where I live having burn bans a lot of the time its a little hard to experiment. Thanks for your work.
Once again the video didnt suck. Great job 👏 Maybe try Quaking aspen its in the willow family. It is the most widely distributed tree in North America. Entire stands of aspen are made up of a genetic clone of one tree so it pretty uniform. Thanks
you're definitely getting your process refined. Those were real nice and consistent speeds! That pyrolysiser is definitely a major step in the right direction. I am curious, i was always taught to never slam the ball with the rod because of deformation causing inaccuracies, and i was wondering if it is just not a big concern atleast for your shooting.
You will never see any target shooters beating their ball up like that but I have to admit that his loading procedure is very consistent from shot to shot. And in this case that's what matters. Accuracy is not really a concern here.
Not to toot my own horn, but I won first place in rifle competition with this same rifle and homemade powder just last week. I’ve heard this story a thousand times that loading like that will ruin your accuracy but it seems to work well enough for me. 🤷♂️
@Everythingblackpowder I've seen your longrange shots and never questioned your accuracy. That was just my own upbringing. I couldn't hit targets that far away with my flintlock, even with my careful, delicate loading procedure. Also, tomorrow, I'm going to be shooting my grandpa's old caplock double barrel shotgun for the first time. Hopefully, it doesn't blow out the nipples(they were stripped, and I repaired them)
@@Everythingblackpowder I got kicked to second place in flintlock offhand back in March by a great shooter who loaded like you do but with a steel range rod and brass muzzle protector. Slammed the rod against the ball twice more after the first solid bounce while holding the muzzle protector in place. He loaded very hot and very tight, wiped after every shot, and beat us all. Farthest target was 100 yards.
77:13:10 by weight 🙂 Another variable you "might" control is the water content of the wood. Meters for determining that are common and relatively inexpenisve. Beginning the char process with already well "seasoned" wood might make for a cleaner burn. Only one way to see...
I actually bought a new paint can, and lid.. and a pack of Cottrell........Its ageing till I get around to it, carbonizing it, and rather then tumble it I think i will use a little alcohol and water wait 10 minutes, shred it though a sieve and let dry. Then screen it for size. ................. BTW Some headcase placed tannerite in a air gun rifle and the video he posted looked pretty dynamic. but I dont think i will try it just to see..... Maybe if you needed a bad idea to play with you could think about it.... .Remember to pile sandbags on it.......I was also given a .45 wallhanger muzzeloader that I need to carefully sort through the basics .of this Jägermeister type rifle .. Its not over 50 years so might be a good shooter, and here in Idaho sabots are not allowed for Deer hunting , only patch and ball. I appreciate the T.P. tip. I had made a medium size drum of hardwood charcoal, made out of sycamore hardwood if you want some .. I had a few steel barrels that nested inside each other, and I went out of control, and we can have big big bonfires here.. I bet you could see it from a sattilte... Its about 30 gallons of charcoal or so..but I prefer Cottrel thanks to you................
Cottonwood used by the Confederatecy? Hmm now id be curious to try some in my Confederate used 1853 Enfield ( As in someone in my family used it at that time, still trying to identify who. ) Love the content you have become one of my favorite channels!
I made some videos on some powder i made using activated charcoal, cocoanut fiber. Worked well enough, a bit dirty tho. Curious as to the velocities, if you happen to be up for making a batch of it. Convenient way to get a lot of already burned and ground up charcoal. Mine is just corned, I imagine your pressed stuff would serve much better.
Man, I’m loving this Jake! You’re doing everything I was planning on doing so I’m just gonna wait until you find the magic carbon source that equals or outperforms swiss besides Alder buckthorn😅.
@@Everythingblackpowder Ya what I really wanted/ meant to say is a carbon source from something directly from the earth. As good as that stuff is, just hard to be a black powder purist of sorts and tell people your power is made from toilet paper.😁
Love these videos!!!!! The music in the background is a nice touch. Wondering if you're considering different hardwood options for future experiments, such as elm (interlocking grain structure), hickory, or even osage. Would also love to see a Ruger Old Army videos from you.
@Everythingblackpowder Oh booy!!!!! You are missing out my fellow black powder friend. You need one ASAP. I am fortunate enough to own a "Holy grail" Old Army, one built for me by the now retired Dave Clement when I was still in the Army. It is a .50 cal conversion in a matte black finish that is meant for deer hunting. Yet have to take anything with it though. If you need osage I can send you some scraps I have from my bow building projects.
Love it how these "lower velocities " are just...meh...meanwhile anything getting hit by these blackpowder loads would be just destroyed. Would love to see something with a Whitworth rifle if you could get your hands on it!
Video didn’t suck. Picture behind you of some artillery piece. Have you fired those? Wife was silent when I mentioned buying a Civil War mortar. I think that means "yes".
You aren't truly addicted until you start picking up every piece of flint/chert you can find to knap your own flints, make powder, shop every fabric store within 100 miles for the right thickness and weave of patches, make your own horns, bags, and measures, and make your own longrifles from boards and sheet metal. There is still hope for you....
You are the man...I watch all of your videos with great interest. I certainly am not in your league but have made lots of black powder from many wood sources. If you have time.....try mimosa.....and thanks and God Speed.
I found it interesting when you mentioned that you always strip the bark off before pyrolyzing. I have to wonder what bark only powder would shoot like. Possibly do a batch of pine bark, birch bark and cottonwood (since you have it)?
The background music is nice and sets a good mood. If you could get Clint Eastwood to show up, that would be great. For those who would use the paint-can rather than build a Pyrolicizer, do you think there would be just more variability in the velocities? Also - I'm impressed with the accuracy of your rifle - thanks!
Another excellent video and congratulations on approaching 100K subscribers. When you first start a batch, how much of each ingredient are you using? I know the ratio - is it 77-13-10 grams or some other measure? Thanks for the great content.
Another really useful data set. What folks can expect out of carbon sources they have available is much appreciated. The slight differences in velocity, extreme spread, and cleanliness between this and Goex makes me curious as to whether you’ve noticed any correlation between cleanliness and extreme spread and standard deviation?
👍👍 ever try soft maple(silver maple/norwegion maple)? I have willow, cotton wood and soft maple on my property. The soft maple is the lightest when dried, of the bunch.
50% charge increase for a 15.5% velocity increase. So now test by single grain increases to see where efficient drops off and establish that as the maximum load. Would also like to see tests with 4F granulation. They may even be better in a flinter😊
Have you ever tried Madrone, or even know what it is? I made a batch out of Madrone that slightly out performed Goex. I have no chronograph but was testing penetration through a 2X10 and then a number of 3/4" sheets of plywood. I was shooting a New Model Remington Navy .36 cal. After my first batch, I have not been able to duplicate those results. At the time I was comparing Triple 7 with Goex and my homemade Madrone. Of course Triple 7 won, but my Madrone and Goex was basically a draw, with Madrone doing slightly better. I enjoy your videos on making BP, they are the most informative and the best on RU-vid!
Seems like you guys are zeroing in on the best carbon sources now. Now that you have the custom pyrolizer perhaps you guys could do a few time/ temperature experiments to see if there's anything there to be gained either in terms of charge strength or easier production.
The way this video went, I would think you might have mixed the powders with the hemp😂. Music is nice and chill. Finally a good use for cottonwood. Now that you have the best recipe down, what’s the largest batch you think you could make in bulk? One more thing, I bet if you screened factory Goex the way you do yours, I bet it would make it better.
That’s blasphemous. Use the quran though as it’s the oldest known cult to try and steal legitimacy from the church and the Temple. Just think, would the Heaven’s Gate cult have ever gotten off the ground we’re all the mind control research not done and published by a 7th century Arab cave dweller?
7:40 The thing about "taking the fun out of it" is usually that only has to be done once or twice (ok, a series but this is experimentation after all), and from there you know exactly what gets great results and you can just... do, instead of try.
