American Pioneer in a Model 1863

Support for the 1863 shooter. Discussions of powders, loads, bullets, etc.
Post Reply
User avatar
Free_Stater
Posts: 1032
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:50 pm
Location: Brooklyn, Mississippi

American Pioneer in a Model 1863

Post by Free_Stater »

I've been using American Pioneer in my .50 muzzle loader and in the 50-90 1874 Sharps, so this weekend I decided to try it out in a couple of other guns. Day before yesterday I fired a dozen balls through a Colt 1860 .44 Army replica, and the APP worked great, with barely noticeable fouling and good accuracy. It's now the only powder I load in the 50-90 and I'm a convert to the "clean" black.

Last night I loaded up 20 paper 1863 cartridges with the Lee 415 Minie bullet, using nitrated paper body and tissue paper base, but instead of 65 grains of FF, I substituted a bulk load of American Pioneer. The loads were measured using a plain brass adjustable bulk measure set on the line marked for the 63. I finished the rounds normally and went out a while ago to test a few.

My paper rounds fit so that only a tiny bit of the base sticks out of the chamber, so the round is cut off evenly by the block as it rises. This makes ignition virtually a foregone conclusion.

Anyway, the dog was bugging me because he really likes gunfire, but I did manage to try a quick group, shooting offhand at 20 yards. Instead of using a mark on the cardboard box I was shooting at, I decided to aim "center of mass," and this was what I came up with. The rifle was reloaded immediately after firing, and then I fired the next round within ten or fifteen seconds. From previous experience I know that I can maintain 9-10 shots per minute if I want to, but I wasn't in that much of a hurry.

Image

Here's what my finished rounds look like. At some point I'm going to get a ringtail mold and try those, but currently I have quite a bit of ammunition loaded with the Minie bullets, so the ringtail will have to wait for a while.

Image

The American Pioneer is marketed with the claim that the weapon doesn't need to be cleaned immediately; I've tested this claim with the .50 front feeder and found it to be true. I fired five rounds of APP behind dry patched round balls and put the rifle away for two weeks. Then I ran one gallon of hot, slightly soapy water through the muzzle and out the cleanout hole under the nipple. And that's all it took. To clean the 63 I'll use a transmission funnel in the breech and run the water the other way, then patch, dry, and lube with Bore Butter.

Image
When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.
User avatar
Lead Head
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 7:48 pm
Location: South Central Kansas

Post by Lead Head »

Free_ Stater

Looks like that powder is working for ya, how do you like the CCI 0300 musket caps? I have an 1863 sporter ordered and have some of these musket caps stored away, plus a lot of black that I shoot anyway in my other guns.
User avatar
Free_Stater
Posts: 1032
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:50 pm
Location: Brooklyn, Mississippi

Post by Free_Stater »

They work just fine. No problems at all, but remember to wear your hearing protection if you're just snapping a cap to clear the nipple. They're loud.

I LOVE the CCI caps. If they were prettier, I'd marry them!

Nah, the truth is that I found a store that was getting out of muzzle loading, and they gave me 1,400 caps for $30.00 instead of the $10 or more per hundred (plus hazmat fee) I would have to pay to buy them mailorder.

Most of my shooting with the 63 until today has been done with FFG black, but I did want to try it out with the APP. In the 45-70 and in the 45-90 I use for midrange matches I still use black, but the 63 is a "fun gun," and I want it to be as little work to maintain as possible, so I tried the American. And it worked so very well!
When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.
Todd Birch
Posts: 2133
Joined: Wed Mar 03, 2004 12:01 pm
Location: Somewhere in the Cariboo ....

'63 cleaning

Post by Todd Birch »

Free_Stater

It isn't the bore of your '63 that needs your concern so much as the breech block.
I wouldn't take a chance on leaving it for any length of time. The risk is a seized flash hole clean out scew and gas plate.
"From birth to the packing house, we travel between the two eternities ....." Robert Duvall in "Broken Trail"
User avatar
Free_Stater
Posts: 1032
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:50 pm
Location: Brooklyn, Mississippi

Post by Free_Stater »

Hehehehe. Todd, I said I COULD go for a long time without cleaning, I didn't say I WOULD. The 63 is squeaky clean, I assure you.
When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.
User avatar
Lead Head
Posts: 23
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 7:48 pm
Location: South Central Kansas

Post by Lead Head »

Free_Stater

I just got off the American Pioneer web site, would I be safe to assume that you used ffg in the rifle and pistol or did you use fffg in the pistol?
User avatar
Free_Stater
Posts: 1032
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:50 pm
Location: Brooklyn, Mississippi

Post by Free_Stater »

I used FFG in everything. I didn't see the need to go with FFF unless I was loading for my .36 caliber guns. And while I might be wrong in this, so far the results are very good.
When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.
Post Reply