Black Powder Cartridge News Summer 2017

In case you haven’t heard, Dan Ashe, appointed by the Obama administration to the office of Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, sent out Director Order No. 219 on the final day of his tenure that stated: “Will require the use of nontoxic ammunition and fishing tackle to the fullest extent practicable for all activities on Service lands, waters and facilities by January 2022, except as needed for law enforcement or health and safety uses, as provided by in this policy.” ...Read More >

The cover on this issue is compliments of contributing writer Tom Oppel. It features a very early Ballard No. 4 Perfection rifle in the extremely rare chambering of .44-75 Ballard Everlasting. Not only is this great, old Ballard in a rare chambering, but it is also in remarkable condition. Truly a “find” for any single-shot rifle collector. You are unlikely to encounter a No. 4 in .44-75 unless you turn to page 18 There you can read all about it. ...Read More >

So maybe you find yourself thinking: This schuetzen stuff looks pretty interesting. Maybe I would like to try it. Or perhaps it’s more along the lines of: Those Pope and Hudson fellows’ scores aren’t that good. I bet I could beat them! Great! Now what? How does one get started in this sport? Hopefully, the following advice will guide those interested in getting started in Schuetzen to a long career in this rewarding and challenging sport. As a relative newcomer to this sport, I can relate to those who are interested and want to get started. ...Read More >

Thousand-yard, long-range, black powder cartridge rifle target shooting is somewhat of an esoteric pursuit. With that in mind, this report is written through the eyes of a competitor, not from the perspective of a reporter. I hope it will encourage others to try their hand at a very fun, traditional American sport that will give the reader some sense of having participated in the event. ...Read More >

Concentric” means to have a common center or a common axis. To obtain a high degree of accuracy, ammunition must be concentric to the rifle’s bore. Concentricity is something to check every time loads are worked up for a rifle match. And, once achieved, concentricity is something that should never be taken for granted even if the dies are never removed from the reloading press. ...Read More >

Although the thrust of this article has to do with handloading a most unusual cartridge, perhaps a brief description of the misunderstood firearm for which it is intended is in order. Invented by Hubert-Joseph Comblain, the Carabine de la Garde Civique Mle 1870 was issued to the Belgian Civil Guard in 1870. ...Read More >

Like this article’s title, I did a double take when I read the ad for a No. 4 Ballard on the Guns International website: A .44-75 . . . What? It must be a misprint. You mean a .44-77? No. You mean a .45-75? No. You mean a .45-70? No. This is what went through my mind as I read the ad content. This had to be somehow confirmed! I checked John Dutcher’s book, Ballard, The Great American Single Shot Rifle, in the section on Ballard cartridges. Sure enough, there it was, a .44-75 Ballard Everlasting and a rather imposing cartridge it appeared to be. I also went to George Layman’s book, A Guide to the Ballard Breechloader, to see if he mentioned it also. ...Read More >

In the Victorian Era (1837-1901), it can be arguably stated that gunsmithing reached its zenith. After all, it was the English, along with the Scots, who really invented quality firearms both in construction and embellishments, as well as big-game hunting in India and Africa. ...Read More >

Rath and Company (represented by Charles Rath, Robert M. Wright and James Langton), Myers and Leonard, and the Cator Brothers filed suit in the U.S. Court of Claims for the recovery of losses they suffered during and after the battle of Adobe Walls. ...Read More >

In cast bullet shooting, as in many other endeavors, techniques come and go. In recent conversations with fellow riflemen, the subject of lubing bullets and how best to do it has often been the topic. I was somewhat surprised to hear that many shooters have dismissed the familiar “lubri-sizer” as being not really the correct tool or method for lubing grease-groove bullets. Pan lubing seems to be the old/new proper technique, and anyone using a lubri-sizer is just not “up to speed.” ...Read More >

Let me step right out and say it; if the old .44 Colt from 1871 had the benefits of Starline Brass plus this bullet from the new Accurate Mold, it would have never died away. That’s actually a very true statement because the .44 Colt is quite alive today, but most of the credit for that must go to the cowboy action shooters. Regardless of who gets the credit for putting the .44 Colt back on the active list, or keeping it there, this new bullet might add to the old cartridge’s popularity. ...Read More >

The Lyman Model 21 receiver peep sight was developed by Lyman for rifles with long bolt travel like the Model 1895 Winchester and Model 1895 Marlin. These specific rifles were hard to fit with a conventional tang-mounted peep sight, as the bolt in its rearward travel would invariably hit the sight. Having the tang sight mounted to the rear interfered with a normal grip on the wrist when shooting the rifle. The Model 21 fixed all those shortcomings admirably. ...Read More >

Jamison Brass is back in the marketplace under the name Captech International. Captech is located in Rapid City, South Dakota, the heart of the Black Hills and the Mount Rushmore National Monument. ...Read More >