After five years of writing articles for the Black Powder Cartridge News and fielding questions from readers, I have recently decided that I may have drawn some erroneous conclusions about those who read this magazine. One of my erroneous conclusions is: all or at least most of those who hunt, compete, or just enjoy occasionally shooting with black powder cartridge rifles are people who have had prior experience in loading smokeless ammunition or those who have crossed over from other competitive disciplines. In my own defense, it was easy to come to this conclusion because I have been shooting, competing, and loading ammunition for black powder cartridge rifles for so long that I have forgotten about my struggles in learning to load and shoot these old-style rifles.
      The point when I realized that reloading smokeless powder ammunition didn’t really help me all that much when it came to loading black powder cartridges has long faded from my memory. So my point is this; I have a new awareness that there are many who have come into this sport who have never loaded a single cartridge (smokeless or black) or they may not have cast a single bullet. I even know a few people who never had much interest in firearms until they discovered the black powder cartridge rifles.
      But before investing time and energy in writing a series of articles on the basics of loading ammunition for black powder cartridge rifles, I decided it would be wise to ask our editor, Steve Garbe, if my assessments were plausible. When it comes to childhood experiences with firearms, shooting, and hand loading, Steve and I share a lot of common ground. We both started shooting .22’s around the age of nine and we were both hand loading by the time we were teenagers.
      I told Steve that it was seldom that my pockets didn’t have “.22 shells” in them, even when I went to school. He reflected on similar experiences and we both laughed hard when Steve said his .22 rifle had a “fire-lapped bore” because his .22 caliber ammunition was usually carried in dirty pockets. Neither of us cared to venture a guess as to how many .22 shells our Mothers routinely retrieved from the washing machine. We agreed that because of our experience with firearms at an early age, we were probably guilty of assuming that everyone else had similar experiences, and this assumption is just not accurate.
      Consequently, for this and several future issues of this magazine, I intend to write a series of “no holds barred” articles on loading black powder cartridge ammunition. I will not err by assuming that some of the basic reloading techniques or concepts are understood by all. The different types of equipment used in reloading will be discussed, and my personal preferences for various types of reloading equipment will also be covered. Hopefully, this subject matter will be of interest to all the readers regardless of the level of experience.

The Best Caliber?
      Even though selecting a caliber for black powder cartridge shooting is somewhat beyond the scope of a “how to” reloading article, I have known a few new shooters who have been tripped up by starting out with a caliber that is difficult to load. And for this reason, I will briefly address this issue.
      Someone new to black powder cartridge rifle shooting should purchase a rifle that is chambered for one of the two following calibers- .45-70 or .45-70. Yep, you read that right; it is not a misprint. It is without reservation that I recommend the .45-70 for both hunting and silhouette competition.
      The .45-70 is a perfect caliber for silhouette, and it is also a perfect caliber for hunting. Many of the top silhouette shooters in the U.S. are consistently winning rifle matches with this caliber. A close second and third to the .45-70 would include the .45-90 and possibly the .40-65; however, those calibers can come later as one gains more experience in reloading. The .50-70 is a superb caliber for hunting; however, it has limitations for use in silhouette competition. We can argue about the superiority of the large case capacity .50 calibers (i.e. .50-90), and I will agree that the .50-90 is superior to the .45-70, especially on large game. However, I have taken coyotes, feral hogs, several deer, a black buck, and a 1700-pound bison with a .45-70, and this caliber worked very well on each of these.

      There are two general rules when it comes to black powder cartridge calibers: (1) the bottleneck cartridges such as the .40-90 Sharps Bottleneck, and the (2) large capacity straight wall cases like the .45-100 and larger, are more difficult to make shoot accurately than the .45-70. I did not say they couldn’t be made to shoot well; I said they are harder to make work as compared to the .45-70. The .40-70 Sharps Straight also falls in the “difficult to make work” category, but for a different reason—the brass, reloading dies, and chamber reamers used for this caliber vary from one company to the next. Some dies are made to size the cases to accept a .406" bullet, while others size cases to accept .408" bullets. The same variation exists with chamber reamer and reloading dies. If you want a double dose of headaches, the .40-70 Sharps Straight is an excellent place to start. As a general rule, remember that what you gain in velocity from larger case capacities, you sacrifice in powder fouling in the barrel. Black powder fouling has a negative affect on accuracy, so the less of it you have, the better off you will be.
      Those who intend to shoot smokeless as well as black powder will find a greater number of smokeless powder options for the .45-70 as compared to those cartridges with larger case capacities. So, for those beginners who may be trying to decide which caliber to begin with, the .45-70 is the logical place to start. Once you get the hang of loading this caliber, you might consider a .45-90 or maybe something bigger. One exception to all this is—if you plan on shooting long range or anything beyond 500 meters, the .45-90 would be a better choice than the .45-70.
      A thorough and comprehensive review of how to prepare brass for reloading is a logical place to start a discussion on black powder cartridge loading. With the possible exception of bullet casting, understanding how to prepare brass for reloading is one of the single most critical components in reloading accurate black powder cartridge ammunition. Other than poor marksmanship skills, problems with brass are the most overlooked factor when proven loads no longer seem to shoot as well as they used to.

Brass Manufacturers
      The number of manufacturers who produce brass for any one caliber is dependent on the caliber for which you are loading. The Remington, Winchester, and Starline companies all produce excellent quality .45-70 brass. If you are seeking brass for the .45-100, .50-70, and .50-90, Starline is the only company that makes brass for these calibers. This point is being made for no other reason than to inform, because Starline brass is of excellent quality. We, as shooters of the “less common” black powder cartridge calibers, are fortunate that Starline has stepped forward to meet our needs for quality brass. Cases for the .40-65 can be made by reforming .45-70 brass, or they can be purchased ready to go with the proper “.40-65” head stamp directly from Starline. There are a couple of options for the .45-90; Starline being one and the other is stretched .45-70 brass that is available from Buffalo Arms Company.
      Stretched brass is exactly that; .45-70 cases that have been physically stretched or drawn from the standard 2.1 inch length to 2.4 inches. Stretched cases were popular among .45-90 shooters before Starline began making brass for this caliber. It is a well known fact that stretched cases have a tendency to separate after repeated firings—a problem normally not encountered with Starline .45-90 brass. For those who want to try their hand with the .40-70 Sharps Straight, Hornady .405 Winchester brass is still available although it is expensive. I suggest you borrow a .405 Hornady case and try closing the breech block on your .40-70 chambered rifle before ordering in a large quantity of this brass. The case rim is fairly thick on the .405 Hornady brass, and therefore, may be too thick to allow the breech block to close without dragging or scraping the face of the case. The case fit will depend on who chambered the gun you own and which chamber reamer was used.
      Another brass option for the .40-70 SS is to buy stretched .30-40 Krag brass for this caliber. The problem with case separation associated with using stretched brass in the .45-90 is far worse with reformed and stretched .30-40 Krag brass that is used to produce .40-70 SS brass. As previously stated, I would avoid purchasing a rifle chambered for the .40-70 Sharps Straight.

Sorting Cases Based on Weight
      Some competitive shooters sort brass by weight and use only those cases that fall within a narrow range of weights. Having been on both sides of the fence on this issue, I no longer consider sorting by weight to be all that critical in obtaining accurate black powder cartridge ammunition. I arrived at this conclusion by test firing ammunition that had varying cartridge weights and by measuring the dimensions of cartridge cases in an effort to determine where case weight variation was coming from. As long as all other aspects of the load were the same, I found no visible differences in accuracy when ammunition with varying case weights was shot on paper targets at distances of 200 yards.
      For sorting brass to have a positive impact on accuracy, a significant improvement in uniformity of case dimensions or case volume must be the result. Brass that is sorted based on differences of only two to three grains is not a large enough difference to affect accuracy. But more importantly, it cannot be assumed that because some cases weigh more or less than others, that sorting by weight will achieve uniformity of any one particular case dimension. Since the rim or base of the case is where most of the case weight occurs, it is easy to assume that sorting brass by weight will result in uniform rim thickness.
      This sounds logical, but if you sort brass into lots that have close weight tolerances and then measure case rims, it will become apparent that sorting did not necessarily achieve uniformity in case rim thickness. There are other areas on a case where this variability of weight can occur. So, if sorting by weight cannot eliminate one factor of inconsistency then what is the point of sorting? In my opinion, there is no point to it, unless it just makes you feel better. And that in itself may be enough justification to sort brass. I admit doing some things that have no other redeeming value other than making me more confident of my ammunition.
      To be clear on this issue, I will say that competitive shooters should avoid practices that will insure the likelihood of variability in case weights. One sure way to needlessly introduce variability is by mixing different brands together or by mixing different lots of the same brand of brass. Companies that sell brass normally do so in lots of 100, 500, or 1,000 cases. To reduce the potential for weight variability, it makes more sense to buy one lot of 500 rather than to purchase 5 lots of 100 cases. Usually, a box containing 500 cartridge cases will be run from the same lot. Avoid incrementally buying brass for your silhouette rifles; get what you need, all at the same time.
      Also, it is not necessary to have separate lots of brass for each rifle that is chambered in like calibers, as long as cases are full-length resized between each loading. I dedicate 500 cases for each silhouette caliber I compete with. Even though I have four .45-70 silhouette rifles, I use the same 500 cartridges for all four guns. If you do not size cases between loadings, then it is a good idea to dedicate one lot of brass to one particular rifle.  

Theories on Sizing Cases
      In competitive circles today there are three approaches to sizing cartridge cases. These include: (1) full-length resizing, (2) no sizing at all, or (3) neck sizing. Exceptional accuracy can be achieved by using any of the three approaches; however, no one approach is superior to another. Does this mean that full-length resized ammunition can be as accurate as neck sized ammunition? Yes, this is precisely correct! The important thing for new shooters to understand is what steps must be taken for each technique to work.

      There are two basic reasons for resizing cases: (1) to make all cases uniform in diameter so they can easily fit into a rifle’s chamber, and (2) to reduce the inside diameter of the case enough so the brass will hold onto the bullet or provide neck tension on the bullet. And those are two excellent reasons to full-length resize cases.
      Those with advanced degrees in “rifleology” will argue that full-length resizing reduces the outside dimensions of the case to the point that a sloppier round-to-chamber fit is the result. I have also heard the theory that a full-length sized case allows the cartridge to rest on the bottom of the chamber rather than allowing it to be a bit more “centered up in the chamber” as would be the case with an unsized case. And, some believe that the bullet from a sized cartridge will not enter the rifling quite as “square” as a bullet loaded in unsized cases. Well, what do you think? I honestly don’t know the answer to this, but all these theories sound pretty good to me. And this is one of the main reasons why some folks don’t resize cases.
      It is not at all uncommon for those who shoot full-length resized cases in their competition rifles to seat the bullet out far enough so that it will engage the barrel’s rifling. This practice essentially eliminates any concern one may have about the bullet not being properly “centered up” with the axis of the bore. I personally use this technique with almost all my competition loading. On the other hand, I know several shooters who full-length resize cases and seat bullets all the way into the case and they will consistently finish in the top 5% of any match they compete in. You just can’t argue with success.
      A theory is just that until it can be proven and verified by shooting groups on a paper target. Samuel Clemens hit the nail on the head when he said, “Man is so constituted that he believes what he prefers to be true.” I have compared the accuracy of ammunition that is loaded by full-length resizing cases as compared to ammunition that was loaded without resizing. I have seen nothing on paper that has caused me to question or doubt the practice of full-length resizing cases when loading black powder cartridge ammunition.
      There is another twist to all of this though, and it is that of bullet fit or neck tension in the cartridge case. The fit of the bullet into the case and the resulting neck tension is critical to producing accurate loads. I consider case resizing and expanding to be important steps in achieving consistent neck tension.
      Before we move on, I want to explain one additional line of reasoning when it comes to justifying loading in un-sized cases. Some competitors who have a rifle custom made or have a rifle re-barreled may request that an undersized reamer be used in cutting the chamber. A “tight chamber” is the result. Often, but not always, those who adhere to the “tight chamber” theory do not resize cases. And when ordering a bullet mould for such a rifle, the bullet dimensions specified are such that minimum tolerances between the chamber and the brass cartridge case are achieved when the bullet is seated in the case. What these people are attempting to achieve is a cartridge that is more aligned with the axis of the bore. Does this really matter? Most people who go to this much trouble say it does. I have never owned a rifle with a tight chamber; therefore, I cannot address the issue authoritatively, but I don’t doubt that this concept has merit.
      The last sizing approach used by some is to only size that portion of the case that holds the bullet. This technique is commonly referred to as “neck sizing” and is used in loading smokeless ammunition on bottlenecked cases. Since many of the black powder cartridge calibers are straight-walled cases, there is really no neck to resize. But the overall idea is the same. Of the three approaches to sizing, neck sizing makes the least amount of sense to me, especially with straight-walled cases. The only possible advantage I could see from neck sizing versus full length resizing is the potential for less work-hardening of neck sized cases. Neck sizing makes sense for the .40-65 because the case is tapered; however, I see no significant benefit or advantage in neck sizing straight-walled cases. On the other hand, I can’t see that it would hurt anything. In my estimation, neck sizing black powder cartridge cases is the perfect solution to a non-existent problem.
      To be competitive in this sport I firmly believe it is important to become a student of shooting and loading. In this article, I have attempted to outline and discuss some basic concepts related to sorting and sizing brass cartridge cases. Remember that black powder is much less forgiving than smokeless powder when it comes to developing accurate loads. Just doing without understanding usually does not achieve desired results with black powder. Understanding the “how and why” will provide you with the knowledge base that is needed to fine tune your ammunition. Exceptionally accurate loads are normally discovered by fine tuning accurate loads. After all, learning how to make these old-style guns shoot accurately is what will hold your interest in this sport for years to come.