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Update for anyone still wondering. The PH was able to source real black for me. I'll just have to tune a load with it in both rifles but that is no big deal!

Thanks for all the replies and info
Plased you have your BP waiting in RSA.Swiss is availale but rather expensive.. About £100.00 /kilo I last heard.. £ 75/ Kilo in UK or there abouts.( depends on who you know.) Take Care-- Buffs don't stop easily. That's why your PH carries a .600" Double. An old friend was asked- "------" why don't you carry a Double 700 -- Cause I can't (F----g) Afford one. At the time a Double .700 Holland was about £130.000 and the Banger s were £120.00p A GO.. Talking 1998.. O.D.
 
Update for anyone still wondering. The PH was able to source real black for me. I'll just have to tune a load with it in both rifles but that is no big deal!

Thanks for all the replies and info
Good deal. As I mentioned in an earlier post, suggest you confirm exactly what powder you will be using by asking for a photograph of the actual container. When I requested a photograph of the container of ‘real blackpowder’ from my African PH, their local supplier provided a photograph of a blackpowder substitute that they assured would work in a flintlock. Trust, but verify.
 
Good deal. As I mentioned in an earlier post, suggest you confirm exactly what powder you will be using by asking for a photograph of the actual container. When I requested a photograph of the container of ‘real blackpowder’ from my African PH, their local supplier provided a photograph of a blackpowder substitute that they assured would work in a flintlock. Trust, but verify.


I have a choice between ZAR and Obatex(sp?). The guy that got ahold of it for me is a competition BP shooter. He said either will work in a flinter just fine.
 
I have a choice between ZAR and Obatex(sp?). The guy that got ahold of it for me is a competition BP shooter. He said either will work in a flinter just fine.
From what I have read you should be ok with ZAR, a real blackpowder that’s available in South Africa. I ended up hunting in Namibia and couldn’t guarantee getting my hands on the real stuff before I got on the plane. Another thing to confirm, is what paperwork or permits you may possibly be required to have. Forget exact hoops required to jump through, but there was a permit required to possess blackpowder in at least one area I considered hunting in, and the regulations seem to be a bit of a moving target. Easier to get everything understood before you get there.

Good luck on your hunt.
 
Hello everyone. I just returned from my trip to Africa.
Straight to the dirt, the Obatex powder that was sourced is a substitute and did not work for the flintlocks I brought with and was forced to use a friend's "unmentionable" rifle for the duration of my trip. I still managed to take 6 animals and have a great time.

In talking with the guides/owners I went with, sourcing the ZAR which is a true black will be easier given more notice and I am going to go back next May with BP flinters/caplocks to redeem myself. Once I am there I am going to do a lot of testing of both powders with a chronograph and do a write up on how it compares to powders here in the US. Just have to wait for now until I can make it back there!!
 
am sure the trip was memorable despite the lack of muzzleloader use. on my bucket list but think that bucket is beyond reach now.
Fer what its worth....I long thought it was beyond our means until I looked into it...specifically South Africa. Multi species packages are very affordable compared to hunting (ex. ...moose, elk, etc.) trips in the U.S. Mix it up with sightseeing, game tours, etc. so the wife enjoys it for a mixed trip. Big bags and taxidermy quickly inflate the cost, as does airfare and shipping. I near doubled the cost of our trip because we decided on three full shoulder mounts instead of just horns and hides, and I added an Nyala (which I am glad I did) which added 2200 to the tag! With only modest discipline, and a few select species it is easy to keep the cost down to a reasonable vacation. We were over five years planning (with two years delay due to the big C) and saving, but it was a trip of a lifetime.
 
Hello everyone. I just returned from my trip to Africa.
Straight to the dirt, the Obatex powder that was sourced is a substitute and did not work for the flintlocks I brought with and was forced to use a friend's "unmentionable" rifle for the duration of my trip. I still managed to take 6 animals and have a great time.

In talking with the guides/owners I went with, sourcing the ZAR which is a true black will be easier given more notice and I am going to go back next May with BP flinters/caplocks to redeem myself. Once I am there I am going to do a lot of testing of both powders with a chronograph and do a write up on how it compares to powders here in the US. Just have to wait for now until I can make it back there!!
Your adventure sounds similar to my ‘flintlock blackpowder’ experience in Namibia I posted about earlier in this thread, except I was able to figure out the locally sourced ‘blackpowder’ for my Africa flintlock hunt was in fact a sub about a week before I got on the plane headed to Africa, and my flintlock sat out the trip. You were lucky your friend had a spare gun to lend. I know many outfitters can provide you a gun, but that could a luck of the draw situation. It came down to the photograph of the actual blackpowder container that I insisted upon, revealing it contained a sub. And there was plenty of time to plan, as it was known well over nine months before the hunt that I would require real blackpowder. The supplier insisted that they would be providing real blackpowder and I need not worry. Unfortunately, the actual container of ‘blackpowder’ would not be in the local supplier’s possession until right before my arrival, thus the late photograph of said container with no time to get a different powder.

I have attended a few of the shows and talked with a number of outfitters and hunters, and have only bumped into a few that knew much about muzzleloaders, and but one that had any knowledge about traditional guns. You mentioned caplocks in your post. Well percussion and musket caps are to say the least, frowned upon by TSA, wonder how the shortage has hit Africa? Another item I want to see an actual photograph of if I were planing on using there. And it’s not that I don’t trust folks, it’s just that the finer details of muzzleloading aren’t well under by most, and any oversights or mixups are hard to recover from when that far from home in time so as not to disrupt your hunt.
 
Hello everyone. I just returned from my trip to Africa.
Straight to the dirt, the Obatex powder that was sourced is a substitute and did not work for the flintlocks I brought with and was forced to use a friend's "unmentionable" rifle for the duration of my trip. I still managed to take 6 animals and have a great time.

In talking with the guides/owners I went with, sourcing the ZAR which is a true black will be easier given more notice and I am going to go back next May with BP flinters/caplocks to redeem myself. Once I am there I am going to do a lot of testing of both powders with a chronograph and do a write up on how it compares to powders here in the US. Just have to wait for now until I can make it back there!!
Are you still booked for this May to return to RSA?
 

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