Sourcing Black Powder in BC,Canada

[Niall]

Here's the story;
I'm hoping to visit my son in  Fort St.John, BC, Canada , in Mid September through to  Mid October. Was supposed to travel last year but circumstances got in the way. Anyways, I got  Jim Kibler to send on a Colonial Longrifle kit in .58 cal and it's been sitting there waiting for me for over a year. I hope to get it  assembled  and  operational as soon as possible and get well acquainted with it  for the duration of my stay. Seems black powder is hard to source up there and nobody seems to stock it or transport it...Pyrodex, sure, but  that's not going to work.  This is where I need a bit of advice from some of the members here. I know there are a few of you in that neck of the woods ,so any pointers would be greatly appreciated. I've got another son in Vancouver if that's any help.....I can get all the other stuff , round balls etc. shipped.

Really looking forward to my trip.

Niall

[Daryl]

Niall - try phoning Corlanes in Dawson Creek to see if they have real black powder.
If so, you could pick it up on the way through there to the Fort.
https://www.corlanes.com/

[kswan]

Rusty Wood Trading Company out of Mission BC. I think they are still able to ship BP

[Niall]

Daryl & kswan

Thanks for the help, I'll try both of those. 

Niall

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Hi Niall.  Give Ken Steinhauer a call...he's near Edmonton Alberta.  email... albertanativeguides@gmail.com   phone:  780 289 6346
He will definitely have the best price and quantity.

[Niall]

Hi Niall.  Give Ken Steinhauer a call...he's near Edmonton Alberta.  email... albertanativeguides@gmail.com   phone:  780 289 6346
He will definitely have the best price and quantity.

Thanks for that piece of advice.....what else does Ken supply?

Ordered from Rusty Wood Trading , shipping today, costs about CAN$ 60 for hazmat shipping. I was happy enough with that.

Niall

[Nessmuck]

How much is a pound of FF in Canada in USD ? With out the shipping Hazmat cost of course. Next door in Maine it’s 21.00 per pound...if you pick it up.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Niall:  Ken sells powder in all granulation sizes in bulk and in cans...I think bulk is ~ $30/pound and in cans, ~$35/pound.  He also sells percussion caps, and last price for them was $90/1000.  He used to use the Greyhound Buss for shipping, but don't know now what he does.  I always pick up my powder from him at the BC Rendezvous, but that's been shut down now for two years in a row, so I'm using old stock.  I usually buy mine in 25 pound lots.  He buys double English shotguns when they become available, so a trade might be interesting.

[Niall]

How much is a pound of FF in Canada in USD ? With out the shipping Hazmat cost of course. Next door in Maine it’s 21.00 per pound...if you pick it up.

Rusty Wood charges CAN$ 39.00/lb , about US$31.00  in cans, pick-up.

Ken is a good saving on that. Looks like Rendezvous is the way to go,if that's an option.....Might be a bit of fun as well.

[Silent Walker]

If I were having to pay that price for a pound of black powder, I'd be making my own.

[Pukka Bundook]

Taylor,
Ken doesn't have any powder at present, and will not be going for more until and of this month or early October.
Was talking to him last weekend at a gunshow in Torrington.
Ken gets his powder from I gather main Canadian distributor, on the Island. He drives over for it once-twice a year.

[Niall]

If I were having to pay that price for a pound of black powder, I'd be making my own.

I doubt it.

[Justin Urbantas]

Corlanes in Dawson Creek has Goex in most granulations. They were $39 last time I looked. It's just a slight detour on the way to Fort Saint John (It'll add 20 min).

[Niall]

Corlanes in Dawson Creek has Goex in most granulations. They were $39 last time I looked. It's just a slight detour on the way to Fort Saint John (It'll add 20 min).

Justin

Doesn't show up on their website but it'd be great if they did stock it..I might get a ride over there just for a look.
I'm still looking for some .57" round ball, seems no place stocks it at the moment...at least not in this part of the world....I've got a lymans .575" mold though so I'm going to try source some lead for casting....I'm away from home so this is going to be a campfire job

I see you're in Chetwynd......passed nearby there the other day on the way up to see  the big dam.....nice country.

Niall

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Niall:  I may have some .570" pure lead balls...I have the mold.  Let me check.  Mailing might be prohibitive though.  But first, let me check...

[Niall]

Niall:  I may have some .570" pure lead balls...I have the mold.  Let me check.  Mailing might be prohibitive though.  But first, let me check...

Taylor.

If you had that would be great.

Niall

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Well Niall, it appears to be a false alarm...sorry to get your hopes up.  I have neither the mold nor the balls, it appears.  I might have been confusing .595" and .590" molds and balls, as I have both of those sizes.  I don't even own a .58 cal rifle (yet)...have a great barrel, some hardware and some wood...
Sorry for the unintentional alarm.

[Daryl]

I do have a .570 Lyman mould that casts .574"x.574".  I think they mis-stamped it.
It should have been .575".

[Niall]

I do have a .570 Lyman mould that casts .574"x.574".  I think they mis-stamped it.
It should have been .575".

Daryl.

I do have a lymans double ball mold stamped .575".........Is this the actual cast size or do I need to divide .575 by 1.007 for pure lead which would be about .571" for the cast ball.

Niall

[Niall]

Well Niall, it appears to be a false alarm...sorry to get your hopes up.  I have neither the mold nor the balls, it appears.  I might have been confusing .595" and .590" molds and balls, as I have both of those sizes.  I don't even own a .58 cal rifle (yet)...have a great barrel, some hardware and some wood...
Sorry for the unintentional alarm.

Not to worry ,Taylor. Life is never that simple...but thanks for going to the trouble to look.

At least now you know Daryl has a mold for your new .58 cal rifle.

Niall

[Daryl]

I do have a .570 Lyman mould that casts .574"x.574".  I think they miss-stamped it.
It should have been .575".

Daryl.

I do have a lymans double ball mold stamped .575".........Is this the actual cast size or do I need to divide .575 by 1.007 for pure lead which would be about .571" for the cast ball.

Niall 

That is the ball cast in the mould marked .570", & in pure lead. I assume it is miss-marked.
I used balls from that mould in my .58 Kodiak.
I bought the mould from the States, from a place in Oregon, I think, that sells used moulds.
I must assume, whomever bought the mould wanted a .570" mould and since this one cast
oversized balls, he traded it in on a .real .570 mould. I prefer the larger ball, myself.

I cast balls in pure lead, brinel 5 as well as hardened (WW) brinel 13 (Cdn WW) from my .677" mould. The WW balls measure .675" in pure lead and .0015 larger when cast from WW alloy,
not the .004" difference you show. .002" difference was witnessed by casting WW alloys in my .682" mould that casts .680" in pure lead.

[Niall]

Ok, so my .575" mold is going to cast a ball close to that size....A bit bigger than I want but we'll see how things work. Thanks for your input.


I was using the calculation from https://www.ballmoulds.com/faqs/

I had ordered a .573"  actual size mould from them (.57" cast size,according to their calculations) but it got stuck enroute and only arrived the day I flew out.I thought I'd have cast balls in my luggage.   Moral of the of the story; plan further ahead.

Niall

[Daryl]

They might have swaged .570 Hornady's at Corlanes in Dawson Creek.