So much difference of opinions on this subject that I'd like to reach out to others with this dilemma.

I just did the "google" thing and the Youtube "thing" ... where ANYONE can post ANYTHING, you have to add a modicum of common sense.

Shooting one of my New Model 3, 44R Targets yesterday with standard Black Powder loads (sulfur smell all the way) was a joy but NO fun swabbing out after 20 rounds and cleaning after 100 were spent.

You can actually feel the grit from the burnt black powder starting to work in as you shoot.

I will NOT ... repeat .... NOT, EVER, put water on my New Model 3s to "wash" them, so instead a liberal amount of WD 40 brush, swab, clean cylinder and barrel. After cleaned a light coat of Corrosion-X, wrapped in a new piece of corrosion resistant paper then back in climate controlled storage.

Tom Blair, RIP, a member of the S&WCA had gifted me his spare set of .44R and .45 S&W dies about 20 years ago. He always professed, a wax lubed 240 grain cast lead bullet and 3.0 grains ( I have to reaffirm this load data) of bullseye was his preferred load.

I have a 8" New Model 3 Target that was Tom Blair's (original ship date 1904) from about 1940s. Tom had shot this one regularly and it is not marred nor worse from his use. It still maintains 95%+ original blue and is mechanically excellent with a very tight clasp as if new and HITS paper exactly where you point it.

There are so many varied opinions on head pressure, excessive dangers etc. but we are way beyond the time at the turn of the century and a few decades after where loaders / shooters mistook the black powder load data for the smokeless powder conversion.

Most significant concern IS head pressure, I feel. Once the frame on a New Model 3 or the clasp get "stretched" the accuracy (and value) drops off drastically.

I have boxes of .44 S&W (Russian) (appx 1920-1930) ammo, factory packs in smokeless, as do I have a 1930-ish box of Rem-UMC in .45 S&W Schofield (smokeless).

My question is, if there are factory packs in smokeless, why are most so negative about using a very light, smokeless powder round with these old New Model 3s.

In the older .32 S&W and .38 S&W revolvers designed for black powder, the conversion to smokeless seemed not to be such a fuss.

What's your opinion of a safe smokeless load in the New Model 3s ?

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