pyrodex in a caplock?????

Pyrodex works great in my percussion rifles, pistol and cap and ball revolvers. Measure Pyrodex by volume, not weight. Something that can help is a Hot Shot or Spitfire nipple. On the outside they look like a normal nipple. On the inside they are designed to maximize the flash of a #11 cap. Not sure about the thread size. You'd have to ask. You can get them from Dixie Gun Works. Also, Black Powder Only means No Smokeless Powder. Shoot it and enjoy :thumbsup: .

I've been using Pyrodex for years in rifles and pistols both. No problems. :thumbsup:

dukewellington said:

I'm worried by what you mean about pyrodex working in "most caplocks".

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Ok, let's be very, very clear and specific:

Pyrodex is SAFE TO USE in ALL pistols, rifles, smoothbore long guns, shotguns, cannons and revolvers made for use with black powder regardless of the method of ignition. Period. End of sentence. No equivocation, no conditions. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Zero.

Now that that's taken care of: you MAY experience slightly less ignition reliability using Pyrodex with SOME percussion caps, and you WILL experience significantly less ignition reliability using Pyrodex in a flintlock.

dukewellington said:

The clerk was a good guy. He just mean that he had seen it happen before, and I could not return it because I used pyrodex.

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The clerk was definitely NOT a good guy. He passed on inaccurate, untrue information. He is, in a word, simply incompetent to sell black powder equipment. I do not believe that he has truly seen guns damaged by Pyrodex; I believe he is either a liar or exceptionally gullible when a customer returned a damaged gun and claimed it was done by Pyrodex.

dukewellington said:

Anyway, how much powder should I use in a 45 cal? 45 grains?

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45 grains with a .440 round ball and a .015 patch is a good starting load; assuming the gun barrel is undamaged (no pits or bulges, and this should be very carefully verified by inspection), you can safely shoot at least 100 grains of ffg black powder or Pyrodex RS, or about 90 grains of fffg black powder or Pyrodex P. However, I predict you will find 70 grains is the maximum you will want to shoot for accuracy reasons.

dukewellington said:

I'm worried by what you mean about pyrodex working in "most caplocks".

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As was said before, it will work fine in your gun!!!!!

Now lets look at the guns that should not be used with pyrodex.

Any gun with a split in the barrel.
Any gun that has Damascus barrels with a bulge.
Any gun that the threads for the nipple are so loose that the nipple will blow out.
Any gun that has been shoved into the mudd two feet and has a tripple charge of powder and 7 bullets in it.
What we are saying is any gun in good working order is safe to use pyrodex.
Now if you are still worried take the gun back get your money back and never pick up another muzzleloader. There is about 1000 years of experience on this board. Safty is important and we are telling you the truth. Start shooting and enjoy the gun or take it back. Ron

duke: Now that you've bought the gun I hope you bought a brass cleaning jag for it. This is a brass plug with several grooves in it. It screws onto the ramrod tip or a cleaning rod. They come in several different sizes with each one designed for use with only one caliber. If you gun is a .45 caliber gun, get a .45 caliber cleaning jag.

You will also need some cleaning patches for a .45 caliber gun or just rip up some patches about 1 1/2 X 1 1/2 square out of some old underware.

Now, lightly lubricate the material with some light weight oil like olive oil and push the patch on the jag down the bore.
Pay special attention to the amount of force it takes to keep the rod moving down the bore.

This force should be fairly constant all the way down to the breech plug.

If the rod suddenly becomes much easier to push and then suddenly returns to the previous pressure the barrel has been "ringed" or bulged by the previous owner.
If this is the case, immediately return the gun to the store and ask for your money back. Tell them you have not shot it and simply inspected it and found that the barrel was bulged.

A gun with a bulged barrel will never be able to shoot accurately and it may be unsafe to shoot.

If the pressure on the cleaning rod is constant for the full length of the barrel, welcome to the world of Muzzleloading. I know you are going to enjoy it.

Idaho Ron said:

Pyrodex will work just fine. it is a direct replacement for Black powder.

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Yep I shhot Pyrodex RS all the time up to 110 grains in 5 differant Cap Locks....Like the stuff!

Here are some targets I shot at 50 yards from rest in a custom .50 caplock I built six years ago. I used .490 Hornady balls, a Hot Shot nipple and CCI 11 caps. Top left, 100 grains of Goex 3F, mean velocity 1924 fps. Top right, 50 grains of Goex 3F at 1441 fps. Bottom right, 100 grains of Pyrodex RS at 1910 fps. Middle top, also 100 grains of Pyrodex RS but I changed my adjustable sight and aim point, gave 1904 fps. Pyrodex can work very well in caplocks and I use CCI 11 caps (the CCI 11 magnum not being necessary), but the Hot Shot nipple is.

I'm shooting it this friday, so all should go well. So 45grains of pyrodex, plus PRB should be a good starter load.

I will put the pictures in the genral disscusion, so everyone can see them.

Thanks :thumbsup:

To get an undisputed answer to your question go here. http://www.davide-pedersoli.com/img/pdf/manualsEn.pdf Then print out page 7 and take it to the Salesman and show it to him. This is basicly a Pedersoli Manual for their Rifles. On page 7 it states to Only Use Blackpowder or Pyrodex in their Rifles.

Good luck with your New to You Rifle and Welcome to the Great Sport of Muzzleloading.

Robert

As everyone has stated Pyrodex will work fine. I prefer real black but have shot Pyrodex in all of my Black powder guns. I also read a British black powder forum it seams that licensing to buy black powder is such a problem that it is common for them to use Pyrodex even in flintlocks and only use black powder in the pan.

Mike

Thanks Guys. So 45 grains will be about right for a bit of target shooting?


Thanks once again :thumbsup:

Just ordered a powder horn and powder messure. All I need now is some pyrodex and I'm shooting.

It seems a long time till friday though

That is a good starting point.

dukewellington,

You've trusted us till now, trust us now. I use ( read carefully) PYRODEX RS in all 4 of my guns.I have a thompson center .50 hawken, a CVA Plainsman rifle in .50 caliber, a CVA squirrel rifle in .32 caliber and lastly a Pietta (Italian) 1860 colt army replica percussion revolver in .44 caliber. I use PYRODEX RS in every one of the guns. Now that being said, for percussion caps on the rifles I use a CCI MAGNUM #11 type cap. Hopefully you can get the MAGNUM type. The colt revolver uses a common CCI #10 cap which does ok also. Read the labels of the Powder your are asking about. IF it is PYRODEX RS or PYRODEX P substitute black powder it will work just fine.

Friend,
Jay

I use Pyrodex "P" in my 45 cal traditions percussion rifle and have actually put 120 grains into it and shot it. TO MUCH KICK FOR ME. My rifle really likes 60-70 grains out to 100 yards with a .440 RB and pillow ticking. At 75 yards off a bench it shoots less than 2 inchs if I do my job even just a little bit. Mine does not shoot as well with real black powder, yet. I use 30 year old CVA caps in the blue plastic tins as the nipple is a bit smaller in diameter and can handle them. My more recent acquisitions have a nipple that is a little larger in diameter and don't fit on as well so I use CCI.

My only advice is to follow the loading instructions that the gun provides and what the guys here say all the time. Take your time, pay attention, don't get distracted, measure your powder, make sure the round ball is seated all the way against the powder. Mark your ramrod before the first shot by scratching it (one way) to make sure the RB is seated fully. Put the gun on the bench, put the cap on the nipple, pull the hammer back fully, close your eyes (I did first time) and pull the trigger. All I did was grin from ear to ear for 5 minutes after the first shot and admired all the smoke I made and the looks I got when it fogged up all the scopes down the line.

It is literally a blast! You will have more fun with this and I think just about everyone on this board will guarantee it. It is fun to tinker with the guns and figure out what makes them shoot better.

A bunch of the guys on this board would probably love to fly over and work with you or even if you are ever over here, there are a 100 plus that would love to show you some of their tricks they use or have learned from this board. No one on here is about to get anyone hurt and in fact will tell you not to do something if it might. there is no reason to get hurt doing this, it is to much fun without pushing the limits.

Have a blast, I do everytime!

I belive you all, don't worry. I just wish I had brought it at the Gun store when I went to get my Gun.
The only pyrodex near me, that I can find, is Pyrodex P. Will that be fine for a 45 caplock.


Duke

It will work fine! "P" is for pistols, akin to Goex FFFg, otherwise known as 3Fg. I own (3) .50 cal rifles and (5) revolvers, use 3Fg Goex in all of them! "P" is just a little "hotter" than RS. Either will work just fine!

In any case, a simple starting load (recommended by the Boy Scouts Rifle Merit Badge Book, so it must be safe!), is one grain per caliber. 45 grains for a .45, 50 grains for a .50, etc. This is a target load that is usually fairly accurate.

Good luck and have FUN!!

One more thing! After you pour the Pyrodex down the muzzle, give the side of the rifle a couple of taps along the barrel to settle the charge into the snail of that caplock. This little tip helps to improve the chances of some of the charge getting down into the flash channel of that caplock, thus improving the odds that the thing will go BOOOOMM!!

Dave
NRA BP Rifle Expert (as of last Sunday!)

Keep the powder dry! Have Fun!

I meant pyrodex RS. Is pyrodex RS ok to use?

Pyrodex comes in 3 "flavors": P, RS, and Select. P is generally used as an FFFg equivalent, RS is used as an FFg equivalent, and Select is just a more refined version of RS, and is used for the same applications. You can use any of the three in your rifle, no problem. P should give a bit more velocity than the larger grained RS and Select, and you may find different degrees of accuracy between them as you experiment around with powder charges, ball/patch combos, etc., but that's about it. :thumbsup:

Good luck with your new rifle. Be safe and sane, and never hesitate to ask any questions you may have, however trifling or unimportant they may seem to you. That's why we're here, to help each other out and share our common interests. Most importantly, have fun! :hatsoff:

Hi Duke, Don't go too much on what the store clerks have to say about blackpowder/pyrodex in our British gunshops-most seem to be experts with shotguns and not a lot of good with advice on anything else! I haven't posted a great deal on this forum but I do pay a lot of attention to the expertise on here. As a result I have recently started to pick up little bits of trophy-ware of late :grin: .

Black Powder licences are quite easy to obtain in Britain and they are still don't cost anything (yet!). You will need to obtain a special wooden box which some boffins at the Health and Safety executive thought would be a solution to a non-existent problem of attics and cellars blowing up :youcrazy: .

You really can't beat the smell of the real black-powder floating past all the firers on the range. If you need accessories for your guns then I would recommend Peter Starley in Warwickshire who really does cater for the black powder shooter. Be prepared to spend a few hours looking at the goodies in the shop!

Best wishes

Jason