Pyrodex...will somebody please explain?

[CaptainKirk]

I pay $111 for 5lbs shipped to my door in 3 days.

Lets not exaggerate what it costs.

Pete: I'm not making this up. Read the fine print:
http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/TableList.aspx?catID=2&subID=30&styleID=94

TOW is one of the companies that WILL ship to IL, despite our stupid laws. If your source will sell in 1-5 lb. lots AND ship to IL, please PT me with the name, contact info, etc. Thanks! :grin:

 

[Pete Gaimari]

I couldn't find on their site if they ship to your state. You'll have to call them Mon and ask them.

Min order is 5lbs at $15 a lb for Goex. $20 for HazMat plus shipping. That comes to $111 for 5lbs for me.

If you buy 25lbs I think the price per lb goes down and there's no HazMat fee and free shipping.
http://www.mainepowderhouse.com/index.php

 

[CaptainKirk]

Thanks. I'll check with them next week. :thumbsup:

In the mean time, I've bookmarked the link. :v

 

[TFoley]

Well, I'll admit that I use Pyrodex in my [two] revolvers, especially in the anachronistic stainless Ruger Old Army.

But I'll only use Pyrodex in my rifles when I see Davy Crockett use it in his.

tac
Supporter of the Cape meares Lighthouse Restoration Fund

 

[mykeal]

Main Powder House:
Min order 5 lbs. @15/lb = $75
plus $20 hazmat fee and $10.70 shipping to Michigan
=$105.70, or $21.14/lb.

Powder, Inc.:
Min order 5 lbs. @$21.25/lb including hazmat and shipping fees = $106.25

Neither lists any restrictions for shipping to Illinois; they do say that you need to check local and state ordinances.

Two pretty good options.

Here's a chart I put together a couple years ago; the numbers are probably slightly different now, but it still pretty much covers your options:

 

[pchwcf50110]

these are the reasons why i don't like Pyrodex:
1) higher ignition temperature than BP/harder to ignite
2) harder to clean up than BP
3) some cans loose strength after opening, had it happen twice
4) more corrosive
i am not a traditionalist, i just like shooting/hunting with old guns. i don't have a period costume, i don't reenact war, etc. if there was a substitute propellant that worked better than real BP i would use it in a heartbeat.

 

[tg]

As with the use of most non-traditional stuff there are lots of excuses but few real reasons not to go full Monte from what I have obseved over the last 40 years, but to each their own, many prefer a modern twinge to the sport.

 

[Dave Rosenthal]

That a few dollars LESS than what I pay per pound in person when I pick it up! I pay $23.00 per pound, plus 6% PA sales tax! So I guess anyone who is a real shooter can buy the 5 pound minimum (and it doesn't all have to be the same granulation!). :thumbsup:

Dave

 

[Pete Gaimari]

That's a pretty high price for BP.

My gun shop sells Crapodex for $16 lb. Even 777 is $21 lb. No way BP should be more than those.

One advantage to BP is no sales tax. Makes up for shipping a little bit.

 

[R.M.]

Last time I was at Bass Pro, BP was $20.00.

 

[Pete Gaimari]

Last time I was at Bass Pro, BP was $20.00.

Not the cheapest place to buy stuff.

I didn't know they sold BP. What brand?

 

[robtattoo]

Our Bass Pro, in Nashville, sells GOEX at $22/lb + 9% tax (+ a 4 hour round trip drive)

Pyrodex RS at Wally's World of Wonders.....$22 + 9% tax, 25 minutes there & back.

 

[No Grease]

My take is this whatever you use if it allows you to make smoke and enjoy your fire arm,and have lots of fun doing this then what is the problem. Cleaning it is just part of the fun we have with the weapons we choose to use.

:thumbsup: :hatsoff:

 

[R.M.]

Last time I was at Bass Pro, BP was $20.00.

Not the cheapest place to buy stuff.

I didn't know they sold BP. What brand?

Goex. You have to ask for it as they can't have it on the shelf.

 

[Dphar]

I do not make or sell powder of any kind.
I have no axe to grind and I do not hate any powder.
I have no issue with people shooting chlorate powders in their guns. But they need to understand its not BP and it will not respond to cleaning in the same way. I.E. things that work with BP can cause problems with chlorates.
They need MORE WATER and preferably HOT water with a rinse with CLEAN hot water. BP will clean perfectly well with cool water. From what I have seen this is not the case with chlorate fouling.

Regardless of what anyone says about micro pits and such. I HAVE seen this, MANY times. If one wants a cheap way to see this if the local gunshop has a old M1 or 1903 with a pitted bore look at it. This is the result of chlorate primers. Most of these rifles were cleaned and oiled as a matter of course.
I would never dream of coming on this site or any other to spread falsehoods.

Dan

 

[kelleyjk]

I have not fired any Pyordex since the 80s, didnt like it then, see no reason for it now.

Does it bother me that some people like it and use it? Nope.

It doesnt bother me that some people watch American Idol either :barf: Not my cup of tea.

 

[Jason Lewis]

I don't like to think of myself as stupid...I fully understand the lure of the "holy black" in a purist type of way. But there are times when it's unavailable, or too bloody expensive due to HAZMAT shipping charges to be practical; thus, I've settled into a routine; "P" for the pistols and RS for the rifles. I've worked up loads I'm comfortable with.
So, I'm a bit confused at all the allegations of rusting, pitting, poor performance, ad nauseum that seem to fly around the use of Pyro on a regular basis.

1)I've been shooting Pyro pretty much exclusively for the last three decades. I clean up with Hoppes #9 PLUS BP solvent and patch lube. I've noticed no rust, corrosion or pitting in any of my guns. Maybe I'm doing something wrong by not having rust? I dunno... :idunno:

2) Speaking of cleanup, using the #9+ makes cleanup as easy as cleaning a CF gun. This is supposed to be a messy, smelly, and inconvenient process. Again, ..... :idunno:

3) Granted, I don't probably don't shoot as much as many of you. But for the shooting I do, Pyro seems to work fine.

4) My next gun will probably be a rock-lock, thus, I'll be using real holy black. But I've noticed no hangfires or misfires in any of my caplocks to date, except once when I tried to shoot some Pyro from the bottom of a can that was at least four years old. It still fired, but was weak. Go figure!

So, for those of you who truly hate Pyro from other than a historical standpoint, please clue me in as to why you hate the stuff so much?

actually, you only live about 3 hours from a BP dealer. just FYI.

 

[Josh Smith]

Hello,

Here is my take on it:

The good:

1. Readily available

2. Chemically similar to black

The bad:

1. Harder to ignite. For reliable ignition on a long channel, I have to use a magnum cap and a .040" hole - which is pretty much a musket cap setup housed in a #11 setup.

2. It degrades.

3. It crumbles.

I've found that I live within 15 minutes(!) of a black powder dealer, a hole-in-the-wall place only open on Thursdays or something like that. Regardless, when this can of Pyrodex is gone, I'm going after the real stuff in FFg.

I use Pyrodex because, looking at the ingredients, it's similar to black powder in that it only has one more ingredient than does black, and it's readily available.

When I want to shoot, I just don't have the patience to hunt up components.

Josh

 

[JMinnerath]

Black powder is a mixture, Pyrodex contains potassium perchlorate. Any chemists here know if it's a compound? I suspect it is and if so it has absolutely no relationship to black powder.

 

[Joel/Calgary]

Black powder is a mixture, Pyrodex contains potassium perchlorate. Any chemists here know if it's a compound? I suspect it is and if so it has absolutely no relationship to black powder.

Sulfur is an element.
Proper charcoal for gunpowder includes a rather complex mixture of compounds in creosote.
Potassium nitrate is a compound.
Gunpowder (the original stuff) is a mixture of these three components.
Even a mixture of several compounds is still just a mixture, if the components do not react together.

Regards,
Joel