I own a 1873 colt produced in 1888 can black powder ammo still be purchased or would it be a special order type of thing
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I own a 1873 colt produced in 1888 can black powder ammo still be purchased or would it be a special order type of thing
I think you'll have to load that. I'd just load light and stay smokeless...
An 1888 vintage SAA is probably far too valuable to even think about shooting with any ammo. 100 plus year old SAA's start at about 2 grand depending on chambering, actual model and condition. A restored, 1888 vintage, 'Sherriff's' model sold for $5463USD in 2012.
Guys that drop 2k on a modern sporting rifle don't think twice about shooting those. Add optics and some other tacticool goodies and a 5k rifle isn't hard to reach. We drive $50,000 pickup trucks around and don't think twice about beating the living snot out of those either because that's what it was made to do, work. No reason in my mind to not take a firearm out once in a while to hear it bark.
I do get where you're coming from though.
You can try the Ultramax Cowboy loads, they are loaded light, and are smokeless. They are what I use in my Winchester 1873 from 1888 in 38-40.
https://www.ultramaxammunition.com/cowboy.php
I have an 1873 made in 1874 that was issued to the 8th Cav . We took an original shell apart and weighed the powder and the conical lead bullet, then rebuilt 6 cases with the same amount of BP and like bullets.
Unlike in the films, I got off 3 shots and it was so fouled I couldn't turn the cylinder, so good luck with your project!!
Maybe that is why Custer lost..