What BP substitutes DO work in flintlocks

[KHickam]

Guys the last few stores I know in TX quit carrying BP and I can't store or buy bulk - and I am not a member of a club that does?

My question is - is there a BP substitute that DOES work in flintlocks?

 

[David W.]

Someone posted once that Pyrodex P might work, but you still MUST have real BP for the primer. I think he was using a T/C Firestorm. I could be all wet about this.

 

[Robert Egler]

Well, I'll tell you that I tried pyrodex and 777, and neither was reliable as priming powder. :idunno:

 

[jamesthomas]

I don't think so. You can go to POWDERINC. and buy as little as 5lbs. I get 10lbs. U.P.S. deliveres it right to your front door.

 

[graybeard]

I don't think so. I tried Black Mag or something like that that claimed it would work in a flintlock. It didn't. :td: Pyrodex won't work without a layered load, in my experince. grayb eard

 

[Jason Lewis]

I don't think so. You can go to POWDERINC. and buy as little as 5lbs. I get 10lbs. U.P.S. deliveres it right to your front door.

can't go wrong with powder inc. 5 lbs takes up about as much space as a shoe box.

 

[BrownBear]

I've tried all I could get my hands on in a flinter (Pyro P, RS and Select, Triple 7, American Pioneer, Black Mag). With Goex 3f or 4f for a prime and 5-10 grains down the bore before loading the sub, they all work just fine. But leave out the Goex in either place, and it's headache time at best.

I never made any of the subs work suitably for a prime, and I got a few flashes in the pan when I didn't also dump a little down the bore. I even tried scraping some of the "prime" off the bottom of pellets. No dice. You could get by quite a while with a single can of Goex 4f or 3f if you could find a source, but without it I'd swap away from a flinter.

 

[Dphar]

Guys the last few stores I know in TX quit carrying BP and I can't store or buy bulk - and I am not a member of a club that does?

My question is - is there a BP substitute that DOES work in flintlocks?

Flintlocks don't work with subs.
Try calling Jim Kirkland he is in Dallas/Ft Worth

PLEASE NOTE: If you are in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area, WE DO NOT SELL BLACK POWDER from our office. The City Fire Marshall will not allow this! But if you have questions or comments, please call us at 866-809-9704 or 817-563-1397.

He might be able to point you to someone who sells powder in your area.

You can't store ANY BP? Even 4-5 pounds?

Dan

 

[scott taylor]

You are 45 years old and have over a thousand posts and can't figure out how to get powder? Don't you have at least a couple of friends to go in and split a case? Whats with the storage? Sounds like an excuse more than a problem.

 

[Matt85]

please explain why you are unable to store ANY powder?

i live in an area where there is no source of black powder. so i bought 10 pounds from grafs. it was an easy solution and wasnt expensive either.

 

[Buckskin25]

Bass Pro Shops sells Gotex, at least the Spanish Ft, Al does. They do not put it on the shelves you have to ask for it. If you live close to one that may be a source of BP for you.

 

[Lonegun1894]

I can understand the storage issue, in a way. Years ago, before I got smart, I was with someone who would raise all kinds of Cain if she found any BP in the house because it would blow up and kill us all. What she didnt realize was that I had at least 5lbs in the truck at all times, and it kept the peace because she just never looked behind the seat so didn't know. Guys, while I agree that 5-10lbs is very easy to store, sometimes there's other reasons than just space or local availability. I don't know if that is the case here, but that is his business. I hope you find it, but the only place I have been told about that has it is what was mentioned about Cabela's having it IF you ask for it. I was told that the ones in DFW and Buda supposedly have it, but that was over a year ago, so you may want to call instead of possibly wasting the gas in case I'm wrong.

 

[Jblk]

My rock gun shoots everytime when I use 10 grains of BP under the load of pyrodex.Many of the shooters say that pyrodex is much more crossive than BP so you might want to keep that in mind.

 

[Darkgael]

Yeah, subs will work if duplexed with BP......but if you are going to use BP to prime the charge, you might as well use it for the charge.
Duplexing does allow a small amount of BP to last quite a long time; that is its only virtue.
Pete

 

[KHickam]

Lonegun - No, Cabelas quit selling it at D/FW and Buda - used to go over to Gander Mtn in Corsicana - last time I bought 3 lbs (the most they would sell me) and was told that that was the last batch they would have (they were getting out of BP).

Called Cabelas in Mitchell and Wichita - they don't carry it either (would have stopped on my way down from SD) as well as Gander Mtn in Wichita.

 

[KHickam]

You are 45 years old and have over a thousand posts and can't figure out how to get powder? Don't you have at least a couple of friends to go in and split a case? Whats with the storage? Sounds like an excuse more than a problem.

And you sir - did not respond to the question - you immediately made assumption that I had not tried to get it - - for UPS to deliver powder - there has to be someone at home - well guess what SIR (used as sarcastically as possible) I live alone and I am hardly there this time of year in the day time (up here in SD - I have a PO Box - no deliveries to that either)

 

[nmdd]

I know it would be out of the way but the next trip between TX and SD you could swing by Hobbs,NM. Goex dealer there...

Coonie's Explosives & Black Powder, Inc.
512 East Lea, Box 2062
Hobbs, NM 88240
800-713-6321, 575-393-0166,
Fax: 575-393-6060
E-mail: [email protected]

 

[ebiggs1]

Using Pyrodex as the main charge can be done and you don't need a starter charge. Use Pyrodex P not RS. Is it as good as GOEX, no, not even close. But you can do it.
You need to drill the touch hole out to at least 5/64th, even larger is better. And most important, no substitute for the prime. You MUST use GOEX 4f prime and a lot of it.
Getting that one (lb) can of 4f GOEX may be difficult for you, as I understand the difficulties, but it will last a very long time. And it is mandatory, sorry but that is just the way it is.

Pyrodex being more corrosive than black is :bull: . Yes you need to clean thoroughly but so do you with black.

Oh, and someone mentioned using a TC Firestorm which will handle subs even the pellets but you MUST use a full pan of 4f GOEX as a prime! Are you noticing the pattern here?

 

[KHickam]

I know it would be out of the way but the next trip between TX and SD you could swing by Hobbs,NM. Goex dealer there...

Coonie's Explosives & Black Powder, Inc.
512 East Lea, Box 2062
Hobbs, NM 88240
800-713-6321, 575-393-0166,
Fax: 575-393-6060
E-mail: [email protected]

Thanks - great suggestion - I hadn't thought of that I have to go up to Farmington, NM a few times this winter and it would not be a horrible jog out of the way to go over there

 

[KHickam]

I have a can of 4F (I quit using a separate powder for prime) at home so that might be doable for a while.