Any experience with DIY black powder kits?

[Rex B]

1. No legal requirements at all. These are non-guns in the eyes of the law.
2 - Metal finishing: Basically polish off the toolmarks on the barrel with draw-filing, then fine emory paper until it shines. Then apply blue or brown solution. I used Plum Brown for the period look and ease of application, plus long-term durability. The brass pieces have to be shaped and then polished. Then you fit the wood to them.
3. Working firearms. I have shot all of them. I plinked with the Kentucky rifle quite a bit, it was accurate.

[kragluver]

I built a Lyman Great Plains rifle (.54 cal) from a kit bought from Dixie Gun Works about 12 years ago. At that time, it was a great kit for the money and I had a lot of fun doing it. The stock inletting was 100% complete and the metal work really just required minor polishing (no tool marks to speak of) and then browning. This was my first attempt at any sort of metal finishing and it turned out very nice. The rifle shoots round ball reasonably well but not so good with Minie's (twist is too slow).

Great kit and great fun to build and shoot.

There is a really good black powder firearms forum you should check out:

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

Like others have stated - you make me want to take mine out to the range next time! (Now - if we can just get some decent rain around here and lift that pesky burn ban!!!)

[Gordie Howe]

How easy would it be to make one's own black powder, in the event of a dry up of regular ammo in a gun ban?

[jimlongley]

How easy would it be to make one's own black powder, in the event of a dry up of regular ammo in a gun ban?

I experimented with making black powder a long time ago, it ain't easy, but it can be done.

BTW, when I had my "home brew" replica pistol, because of an interesting legal loophole in NY State law, I could not keep black powder in my home. I am using the same definition for loophole here as found in the writings of those who claim that a loophole exists in the Brady Act requiring background checks.

NY law, at the time, although it exempted antiques and replicas from licensing for possession, had in place a section which negated that exception if the gun was loaded, and NY law, written and case, considered mere possession of the components to be loaded. Thus, my little display Kentucky pistol sitting on the coffee table in the living room was for all legal purposes a loaded gun because I had black powder and bullets in the gun cabinet on the second floor, thus it was a loophole in NY State law which they could arrest me for despite the exemption.