Thank you, beorn.
I believe that once a prepper reaches a certain level of preps that adding (not replacing) black powder arms is a good decision.
Here are a few reasons:
1) Restrictions on ownership of regular smokeless powder cartridge ammunition and/or firearms.
2) Lower stocks of ammunition that you want to preserve long before you run out for purposes that modern cartridges and firearms are most suited.
3) Becoming familiar with those types of weapons, in case they are ever the only thing available. There is a learning curve with the weapons so using your own weapons would be a great advantage if you ever need to use them for lack of other options or to preserve other options.
4) You can make your own black powder relatively easily and safely, especially if you pick up now, while still available, the tools and components that allow for making much better black powder, more safely than needing to cobble up something
5) While illegal now, if we ever get to a true PAW situation where the legal system is no longer in existence and not likely to return for several years, black powder production would be a very good business to generate income in whatever has become the standard unit of currency.
6) There are plenty of people more than willing to help someone get started in black powder shooting. One does need to be careful about who they choose to be that teacher because there are some that are pretty wild and wooly, and others are only into cowboy action shooting (which is a great sport and a place to get additional training and practice after you have the basic down. I would not recommend asking anyone about making black powder now. Not until you find someone, preferably in a group that has vetted that person. And, never, ever, ever, ever even mention using black powder as an explosive. On as gun powder for traditional black powder arms. As Civilian Disarmament becomes more widespread and aggressive, there will, I am certain, be a 'turn in your friends and neighbors for a reward' campaign set up. Any prior mention of now illegal subjects will most likely trigger some people to turn you in for it. If the authorities show up and all you have is legal black powder weapons, there will be at least some resolve when you tell them that you have never even thought about explosives. That black powder arms are for target shooting, hunting, and lots of other normal activities.
7) If there is a PAW situation to looks like it will be a long one, then you will have some options with the powder that are hard to achieve with anything else.
It is an extremely fun and enjoyable sport. And using them will help build skills that can be transferred to your other weapons.
And there are plenty more reasons to take up the sport of black powder shooting, but I figure the list is enough to get people thinking.
My plan (unfortunately interrupted when I became ill) was to have replica weapons or modern design and produced weapons that take traditional black powder cartridges. If they worked when BP was the only powder there was, they should work quite well with modern-made BP and BP substitutes. They do suffer the same problems of modern smokeless powder versions. They require primers to load or reload empty cases. Just like the modern cartridges that you use and stock plenty of primers for, do the same for the black powder cartridges. My preference has, for a long time, been to have a .45-70 lever-action rifle (and possibly a carbine, too). Also a Ruger double-action revolver (or 5 or 6 lol) that takes .45 Colt cartridges. And hopefully one of the convertible models that can switch to .45 ACP by swapping the .45 Colt cylinder for the .45 ACP cylinder. Add a lever-action carbine in .45 Colt, and perhaps a couple of derringers and you have a very good start.
However, I envision situations where the .45-70 and .45 Colt are too much weapon for some people to handle effectively. For that reason I would also want a couple of Ruger revolvers that take .32-20. Another BP cartridge now loaded with smokeless powder as well as BP. Add a rifle for hunting small game and good to go.
Either (or both) an O/U 12-gauge shotgun or O/U 20-gauge shotgun. If they have barrels that take screw-in chokes, one barrel can have the choke of your preference and the other an adjustable Poly-Choke so you can dial in the appropriate choke setting for what you are doing and the ammunition you have. (I know that SXS double-barrel shotguns are much more favored, but I like the various qualities of an over-under. With a set of chamber adapters one can fire .410 bore in the 20-gauge and 24-, and 32- gauge in the 12-gauge if you run across some of those shells.
I do think the BP cartridge weapons should be first choice. At least a couple of them to get you started. However, with one of the same limitations of smokeless powder cartridges the Cap & Ball weapons that are available that are usually loaded through the muzzle with black powder, a wad, lead ball of some type, and it all rammed to the breech. Then, a cap is placed on the nipple there for that purpose. When the hammer falls onto the cap, it shoots a jet of flame into the breech, setting of the powder and the gun fires. Again, the need to stockpile the caps. Which will eventually run out. Caps, and even primers, can be made in DIY methods, but they are usually rather marginal, and even those still require components to make them.
That is why black powder flintlock weapons are my choice after the BP cartridge weapons. Again, I would go to them long before I got close to running out of cartridges and the materials to reload them. I always want to have 'the good stuff' in reserve for when it is about the only thing that will keep you safe in some situations.
By practicing making black powder now, and shooting it in you BP weapons, you will get to the point you can make black powder suitable for use in flintlock weapons. The powder loaded in the barrel is essentially the same as for cartridge guns, mostly FF and FFF depending on caliber. However, you will need FFFF (very fine), which is a bit more difficult to get usable quantities without risking too much by grinding it for longer periods. The dustier it gets, the more dangerous it is. So grinding powder and then running it through a set of screens will alone one to collect certain amounts of all the common useful sizes of black powder. F, FF, FFF, & FFFF. If you happen to have a reenactment black powder cannon, you can screen out some cannon size and then go on to screening for the other sizes.
My preferred calibers for flintlock weapons are 12- and 20-gauge SXS double-barrel shotguns, .69-caliber smooth-bore musket, .58 caliber rifles and handguns, .32-caliber rifles and handguns (for the same reasons as the .32-20). I would like to add a few others, but those are my starting wants/needs. With ball, mini-ball, and bullet casting equipment that one would already have for the modern firearms, casting appropriate bullets for each of the options would not be too big of a problem.
There are many, many other options available. I just happen to like the options what I have listed would give me.
Just my opinion.
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