The Swiss powder in the blue-label bottles was dense enough to get 80 gr of Fg into a fireformed .45-70 case by trickling through a droptube. This left enough room for a 1/16” cork wad to be just short of flush with the case mouth, and then I’d compress the column ~1/8” below the mouth, seat a paper patched bullet and slightly reduce the mouth to hold the cartridge together. When Olde Eynsford first came out, I couldn’t get 80 gr of Fg into the case, so I stuck with the Swiss. But then Swiss came out with the pink-label bottles and the contents were less dense than the old blue-label Swiss. 80 gr 1 Fg would overflow a fired case, even when droptubed. Recent purchases of Olde Eynsford 1-1/2Fg seem to be slightly more dense than earlier purchases, and, if anything are more dense than the current Swiss powder. I’m currently scrambling to get a load with my remaining stock of OE that’s as good as the original Swiss. I’m sure when (or if) Estes starts making OE again, there’ll be another density difference to cope with. I don’t subscribe to this “Black by Volume” business. It’s fine if the density is the same (or you’re “barking squirrels” at 30 yards with “Old Betsy”), but for BPCR at mid- to long ranges, that isn’t the case, if it ever was. Energy is converted from mass, which is derived by weight. It may be dispensed by volume, like gasoline, but people do notice a slight increase in “mpg” when they fill their tanks on a cold day vs. a hot one. That’s because the fuel mileage comes from the weight burned. Your paper patched bullets should push through the bore with a stout cleaning rod. If not, somebody set up for “patch to groove” bullets, which have to be seated deep like grease-groove bullets. If the previous owner was using smokeless powder, that would be the only way to make paper patch bullets work. The dual-diameter bullets enable them to be barely seated into fired cases from grease-groove chambers without needing a squish in the mouth reducer die afterwards, with most of the bullet still projecting out into the bore, but they still need the particulates in the black powder deflagration to slug or rivet them fully up to groove diameter. For someone new to BPCR, the .50-140 is certainly in the postgraduate area for learning the ins and outs of paper patching. A friend quit using his at the Quigley, finally admitting it was never accurate enough. I recall his load was 138 gr of 1Fg Swiss with a 600-gr patched-to-bore bullet.
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