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  #1  
Old 06-18-2018, 3:51 PM
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Default Anyone loading Triple 7 in cartridges?

I have some Triple 7 and was thinking about loading some 32-20 and/or 45-70. I’ve read everything I can find but still have some Qs...

Anyone here have personal experience with this?

Thanks!


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Old 06-18-2018, 7:19 PM
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I believe the 777 container warns against loading cartridges with the contents.

That said I have friends that do use it and just treat it like Pyrodex and reduce load by 10%...YMMV

I use Pyrodex or Goex BP for all BP loads.
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Old 06-18-2018, 8:08 PM
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I have a PDF of a Cowboy Action load data pamphlet from Hodgdon that is no longer on their site. It gives volumetric measures of Triple 7 FFG for several cartridges, including both 32-20 and 45-70.

For 32-20 the recommended load is 18gr volume. My BP measure (the widely available Traditions one) is graduated in 10s of grains, so I eyeballed where 18gr would be. The load came up into the neck. The pamphlet is very clear about not using compressed charges, but a standard 115gr bullet seated would clearly push down on top of the load. I tipped out enough powder to be just below where the base of a seated bullet would be, and re-measured it, and it was about 15gr volume.

It could be that I need to be using a drop tube or other means to get the full 18gr volume into the case. Or maybe the 15gr volume is fine, but I've read that it can settle and create an air gap, which is a no-no.

So that's why I'm looking for someone with experience to make sure I don't mess up one of my guns (or my fingers/face/etc. )


And sure, I would love to load with real BP if I knew where to get any in the SF Bay Area...
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Old 06-19-2018, 1:09 AM
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Try TrailBoss with your 115 cast in the 32/20. It's idiot proof, you can't overload even with a compressed load, and no BP mess to clean out of your rifle. A max pistol load in your rifle won't make sonic, a .22HV will make more noise. Works in any CF cartridge, and no gas checks needed on cast bullets.
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Old 06-19-2018, 4:02 PM
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Yep, Trail Boss is one of my go to powders. I am tinkering with Triple7 specifically because of the smoke factor :-)

I loaded a couple of test rounds of 32–20 last night, and 11 g by weight of FFG Triple7 came right up to the base of the bullet. That works out to about 14 grains volume equivalent. I can’t for the life of me figure out how anyone could get 18 Grains volume equivalent of triple seven into a 32–20 case.


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Old 06-25-2018, 6:13 AM
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I've done it. It's kind of a pain because you want to end up with the case exactly full, with no compression but also no air gap, and if you want a reduced load that means adding some filler on top. I ended up deciding it was easier to load some rounds with trail boss (for convenience) and some with real black (for smoke) and just choose which one I wanted for that day. The 777 smoke is fairly anemic anyway.
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Old 06-25-2018, 6:52 AM
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I went ahead and loaded 5 rounds and agree it was very fussy and probably not worth the effort for the amount of smoke.

I ended up using a dowel marked for the right depth to ensure the loads would come up to the base of the bullets I used. That made it pretty time consuming to charge them.

Out of an 1892 the MV ranged from 1021 FPS to 1158 FPS with a 115 gr lead bullet. One of the bullets keyholed but that’s probably not the powder’s fault; the gun has a really rough stretch mid-bore so the bullet probably deformed. It was interesting that the keyhole was the highest FPS I recorded between 5 rounds of Triple 7 and 5 rounds of Trail Boss.

Again, if I knew where to get BP anywhere near the Bay Area, I’d happily give it a whirl in these old guns... but so far no clue where to get it.




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