Customer Reviews

Loading the Black Powder Rifle Cartridge

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Book is well organized and provides a good summary of one man's experience. It is not however, the last word on all aspects of loading black powder cartridges. A beginning black powder loader will find helpful information on all aspects of loading black powder cartridges. The book leans heavily towards .45 caliber but the information is equally applicable to .38, .40, or .50 cals. The book recommends many specific products and provides addresses from which the reader can order. Altogether, a valuable reference that even experienced shooters will find enjoyable.

I bought a few of Mr. Matthews books while doing some personal research on Blackpowder cartridge shooting and found this book to be one of his better books.
While I don't think it is detailed enough to guide the total novice through the many processes involved in loading a cartridge (Matthews doesn't claim that it is either)you do get a lot of information. I found it interesting that Mr. Matthews believes that modern blackpowder isn't as good as the old time stuff was sometimes known to be.
It doesn't do much brand this or brand that but gives a sort of autobiographical account of the author's years of experiences and things that have worked for him. As examples, you'll get whole chapters on casting the bullet, the powder charge, lubricating the bullet, loading the cartidge.
I think it might just be enough to give a novice an idea of whether or not this is something they want to get into. For the person who really does want into the field I'd think you might want more details on equipment but it is still a worthwhile book to own.

Like other Paul Matthews books this is a b&w 6"x9" paperback. It comprises of 122 pages with 22 illustrations, mostly amateur photographs. The book is obviously intended as a budget publication, but even so it uses better paper and what feels like a more durable paper back (cover) than Mr. Matthews' book - The Paper Jacket.
The book covers the basics such as lubrication, grease cookies, bullets, moulds, casting, case care, the powder charge for BP, Pyrodex and duplex loads), as well as the actual cartridge assembly and load testing in sufficient detail to get one started without having to go through the entire learning curve by trial and error. Upon putting the book down I knew that with it in one hand I would find my way loading the .577/450 Martini that prompted its acquisition. I did however have a feeling that I would have liked more on accuracy development, but only then I realized that Mr Matthews' follow-up book: More How-To's for the Black Powder Cartridge Rifle Shooter, provided exactly that.
This is an unpretentious book. It provides everything you will need to get started and then some. Its format and price indicates that its objective had been to serve as a beginners guide to newcomers to black powder shooting. It fulfills that objective and the reason I bought it for, but it is not the be-all and end-all regarding the topic. I learnt considerably more than expected and I am happy to recommend it to black powder beginners like myself.