The Black Powder Cartridge News Spring 2022

In the last issue, I commented on the letter sent to us by black-powder competitor Cody Smith. Mr. Smith raised the question that if the NRA appears to have lost interest in promoting the black-powder shooting sports, it might be time for a new organization to be formed that would seriously address the interest amongst shooters that still exists. It seemed a reasonable observation at the time and one that we received some comment on, mostly “pro” and very little “con.” ...Read More >

This issue’s cover is compliments of Sheryll Garbe and is one of the many great wildlife photos she has taken; a new buffalo calf, born in pretty frosty spring conditions taken in the Sandhills of Nebraska, and being guarded by a group of very protective cows. ...Read More >

“There are some who bring a light so great to the world that even after they have gone the light remains.” ...Read More >

Doing a bit of gunsmithing from time to time, I had heard of the Wheeler F.A.T. Torque Wrench screwdriver, but had procrastinated about buying one. I guess I was still thinking, like many of us do, that “tight was tight” when it came to tightening up scope block screws, action screws and the like. However, if you have ever snapped off a scope block mounting screw and had to drill it out, you know that sometimes “tight” is too tight. So, I finally broke down and purchased one of these torque screwdrivers and I’m really glad that I took the plunge. ...Read More >

“Twenty odd years ago, the doings of the long-range rifle shooters of America filled a large share of attention and newspaper space.” ...Read More >

What a match! We had a full house of top-notch shooters, decent conditions, fantastic facilities and super food! I don’t think it could have gotten any better. This is actually the first match where we have had to turn competitors away, as we cannot accommodate more than 30 shooters. I hated having to turn folks away, but we can only do what we can do. I hope everyone that couldn’t get entered in the match understands why. ...Read More >

Many of us have owned a Springfield Trapdoor rifle that just flat wouldn’t shoot worth a darn. We’ve tried a variety of loads and accuracy was disappointing, even though the bore looked great. In this article, we are going to get to the bottom of this enigma with 25 years’ worth of data on Trapdoor groove diameters. We will answer the question, “Just how good were the barrel makers at Springfield Armory?” ...Read More >

The late Gary Lucas of Goodland, Kansas, introduced me to the .35-40 Maynard cartridge. He was also the individual that started me on the .38-50 Remington Hepburn path, which also turned out to be a great discovery. The following article describes the Maynard cartridge and a Highwall chambered in .35-40, including brass, powder, bullets and recommended loading methods. Included in this article are some of my most recent accuracy tests with a recent lot of 2Fg Swiss powder. ...Read More >

Shooting a muzzleloader in international competition at long range – 900 and 1,000 yards – allows the use of a wrist rest; while at midrange, a shooter must shoot with a sling only. There are many devices that can be used ranging from a three-point adjustable rest to a sand bag, scissors jack, benchrest, etc. However, a shooter can only use the back of their wrist to rest on, whatever you choose to use. Shown here are examples of several rest options and MLAIC International rules: ...Read More >

While shooting my C. Sharps Arms Model 1874 Hartford chambered for the .44-70 cartridge, several questions surfaced, which I tried to answer. Sometimes those questions simply lead to more questions and often the answers were simply wrong. My search in quest of “that perfect load” was nothing more than a pathway through several trials and errors, but a very good loading was finally found. ...Read More >

Oscar Brackett was well-known to practically every ranchman and homesteader up and down the valleys of the Yellowstone, Fallon, Sandstone, Pennell, Whitney, Powder and Beaver. He was considered a genial and cheerful optimist, quiet and unassuming. ...Read More >

We’ve all been there; a beautiful rifle sits on the shelf in a dark corner of our local gun shop and it just has “that look” to it, the one we can’t ignore. The man behind the counter has a gleam in his eye as he hands it to you because he knows it is as good as sold. You turn it over in your hands, looking at it, trying to keep your poker face while you inspect it. You glance for chamber markings and find none, you look at the tag... “unknown chambering.” Well, you knew you were going to buy it anyway. Now you have a little work to do before you can feed your new rifle. Your mind wanders as you fill out the paperwork and count out your hard-earned money. “You know,” you say to yourself, “this seems to happen to me often enough, I should start casting my own chambers.” ...Read More >

Back in the late 1980s, a heap of rifles and shotguns made their way into Texas from Mexico as a result of that country enacting Draconian gun laws. I bought a few Remington Rolling Blocks as well as several shotguns from Deep River Armory in Houston. One day, while looking over new offerings, I came upon a Rolling Block, “bar and ring” carbine with a strange breechblock with two square holes in the face. Upon asking Jim Hughes, the owner of Deep River Armory, what I was looking at, he informed me that it was a Whitney chambered for both .50-70 centerfire and .56-50 Spencer rimfire cartridges. The carbine was rusted, full of historic dings and missing its wood. To make matters worse, someone had used a drill bit to reshape the chamber and the rifling was gone. ...Read More >

The elite 1st Regiment of Dragoons was stationed on our Western frontier from 1833 to 1861. They were renamed the 1st Cavalry Regiment in 1861, and there are still units in the United States Army today that trace their lineage back to the 1st Dragoons. This article will examine the various blades used by the 1st Dragoons to show what a typical trooper carried back in the day. The belt knife shown above is the only surviving example of a factory-marked Dragoon knife. In fact, it might be the earliest purpose-made, official U.S. Army belt knife. The line drawing shows what the knife would have looked like when new, and the photo shows what it actually looks like today.1 The handle is pewter, and the eagle stamped on the blade would suggest that it was an official issue item. Likewise, the letter stamps and dies would have been expensive to make, and this also suggests government issue. The stampings were applied before the blade was quenched and tempered; otherwise, the blade would have been too hard for a good stamp. The number “57” is likely the individual soldier’s number on line 57 of the unit manning roster. Company K was constantly in the saddle under the harshest combat conditions, and this knife was there. ...Read More >