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Jacks Battle Powder accuracy

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Roundball 54

40 Cal
Joined
May 7, 2019
Messages
172
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128
Has any one done any serious accuracy test with Jacks Battle Powder in patched round ball rifles ? I compete in competition (woodswalks and novelty shoots) and need accuracy. The SMR 54 CAL. l shoot will produce one ragged hole groups at fifty yards off the bench with Goex fffg or kik fffg . Is Jacks Battle Powder capable of producing this kind of accuracy ?
 
Has any one done any serious accuracy test with Jacks Battle Powder in patched round ball rifles ? I compete in competition (woodswalks and novelty shoots) and need accuracy. The SMR 54 CAL. l shoot will produce one ragged hole groups at fifty yards off the bench with Goex fffg or kik fffg . Is Jacks Battle Powder capable of producing this kind of accuracy ?
I came across a guy using it in SASS. He claimed it was cleaner because it was unglazed (no graphite coating). Tried some and it shot ok in my cap and ball pistols, but the little I tried in muzzleloading rifles didn’t impress me as groups opened up a bit, and residue appeared the same as Goex. To me the powder itself didn’t appear that consistent when compared with regular Goex or Swiss, with different sized and shaped grains of powder mixed in the container. My thought was that this would lead to inconsistent powder charges depending on how it had settled out in the horn or flask, though I never tested out the theory. I wasn’t interested at the time in giving up accuracy to save a few pennies.

Try it and let us know how it works.
 
I will not give up accuracy to save cash either but at $75.00 less on a case of 25lb l thought l would see what l could find out about the potential of this powder before l maybe waste money on it .
 
JBP is indeed made by Goex. I've burned plenty of it and have ordered a couple of cases in the past. It has been just as accurate as Goex and any other powder I've used. I did some chronographing several years ago with my .40 flintlock using JBP; the results were enlightening. Extreme vel. spread and sd were very low for ALL loads tested. A .390" ball with mattress ticking (.018") patches and Hoppes BP Lube were used; barrel was 38".

30 grains of JBP (3F) - 1371 fps/ sd=20
35 grains of JBP " - 1449 fps "
40 grains of JBP " - 1678 fps/ es=12 fps & sd=5
60 grains of JBP " - 2137 fps/ es=35 fps & sd=16

Accuracy had already been established earlier at both 25, 50 and 100 yards..
PICT0509-1.jpg
 
I had less than half a pound of Jacks that was given to me when I tried it. Not a very extensive test. Maybe your supplier will mix and match brands of powders and will put a pound or two in when you order. I know Powderinc will, but don’t believe they carry Jacks.
 
JBP is indeed made by Goex. I've burned plenty of it and have ordered a couple of cases in the past. It has been just as accurate as Goex and any other powder I've used. I did some chronographing several years ago with my .40 flintlock using JBP; the results were enlightening. Extreme vel. spread and sd were very low for ALL loads tested. A .390" ball with mattress ticking (.018") patches and Hoppes BP Lube were used; barrel was 38".

30 grains of JBP (3F) - 1371 fps/ sd=20
35 grains of JBP " - 1449 fps "
40 grains of JBP " - 1678 fps/ es=12 fps & sd=5
60 grains of JBP " - 2137 fps/ es=35 fps & sd=16

Accuracy had already been established earlier at both 25, 50 and 100 yards..
PICT0509-1.jpg
Looks like @hanshi has done quite a bit of testing. Appears to be low risk to try. If it doesn’t initially work quite to your satisfaction, you’ll have 24 more pounds to figure things out.
 
As l stated before l want give up accuracy to save cash , but hey , if l can save 75 .oo bucks and keep the accuracy that lm accustom to so much the better !
 
I'll mention also that your barrels can perform differently than mine with JBP just like some love Swiss in their .54 but others report disappointing accuracy in theirs. A hunting friend uses nothing but JBP and not just to save $$. I will add that JBP gave some 100 yard 5-shot groups as small as 3.5" with my .40 and .45. Good luck and good shooting.
 
Thanks again for the info hanshi.
I understand some barrels perform better with certain brands of powder . But the two rifles l use in competition have shot very very well with any brand of powder l have used so far . Neither have been load sensitive either. One has a Dehass barrel the other is a Rice .
 
While I haven't used it myself. I have shot with a man who uses nothing but Jacks battle powder, and he liked it and shot better than I did.
 
Looks like @hanshi has done quite a bit of testing. Appears to be low risk to try. If it doesn’t initially work quite to your satisfaction, you’ll have 24 more pounds to figure things out.
If you do not like it in your rifle(s), you could always use it in pistols and shotguns.
 
does any one carry it in NEW ENGLAND? never heard of it? like to give it a try.
 
Jacks is powder that is made for reenactors blanks. Not recommended for live fire but you might be able to get away with it. Garbage for competition use
 
Yes it is reenactor grade powder but some people seem to be getting pretty good accuracy with it . What has been your experience with it that caused you to say it is no good for competition?
 
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