Which BP substitute?

[jdixon]

Another vote for only using the real stuff, the substitutes will only frustrate you in a side lock cap gun. Hang and mis-fires are all to common. Here is a for instance: A local kid around here tags along with us on hunts. He picked up a used custom sidelock Hawken from one of us. He loves the gun, but he has been a little thick in the head about using regular black powder in the gun. He still had some Pryodex he wanted to use up and despite waht we told him, by God, he was gonna use up that Pryodex before he bought anything else. So, he is out hunting with that gun the other day, gets a small buck in his sites, sets that thing off, the hang fire could be measured with a stop watch. Of course he pulled off target and ends up hitting the buck in the hip. It runs off, forturately he caught a large artery back there and it bled out. I have since given him a can of Goex Express from my supply, told him to pour that damn Pryodex out. He has done so and last report I got from him was the hang fire problem is gone and his groups are a lot tighter - go figure!

 

[rebel727]

I use Pyrodex in revolvers and sidelocks. I don't have any ignition or accuracy problems. It just doesn't look or smell right.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Have you compared he prices against what you are paying for the subs? Surely you will have that money saved sooner than later by buying black powder. Find a friend or two to split the cost for gas to drive to the place and black, and split the order. That way, if you can only to afford to buy two pounds of BP, the combined sale to all of you friends will get you the discounted price, and save you all money. I don't understand why shooters like you can't find a gun club, or other BP shooters in your area to work with to buy powder. Order a case of 25 lbs. through the phone, and you can save more, even paying the haz mat fees. If you read the posting above, the price difference is something like $11.50 for BP vs. $30.00 for Triple 777. That is almost 3 times the amount of black powder as you get for what you are paying for one pound of a sub. How can you NOT afford to buy black Powder at those prices?

 

[rebel727]

I'm the only one I know that shoots bp recreationally. The few people I know that hunt with muzzle loaders use pellets. Pyrodex is 16 bucks a pound. My finances are stretched really thin, I can't afford to buy several pounds at a time, add the cost of gas to drive a total of 276 miles. It's too much just to buy a couple of pounds of powder. Maybe one day I'll be able to do better. I live way out in the boonies, there's no club anywhere close that I know of. There's a CAS club an hour and a half away but I've only managed to go there once in the last year. I really don't have much recreational time. All my weekends are spent at my moms taking care of whatever she needs done. Just the way it is

 

[TFoley]

Garsp!!!!!!

Pyrodex costs us $48.00 a pound here in very un-Merry Olde England....

:cursing: x 10

tac in yUK

 

[pepperbelly]

I had a friend show me a site I can order the real deal from. I had seen that site before but I thought their prices were plus shipping and hazmat fee. I found out today they were included.
I'll be ordering some very soon.

Jim

 

[gmww]

I had a friend show me a site I can order the real deal from. I had seen that site before but I thought their prices were plus shipping and hazmat fee. I found out today they were included.
I'll be ordering some very soon.

Jim

Could you share that link?

 

[pepperbelly]

PowderInc.

That was in the second reply to my first post.


Jim

 

[tg]

Jim, don't worry about your powder being fresh, I am shooting some goex I got from my cousin when he died several years ago and he bought it new in 1985 and it goes off just like the new stuff just keep it dry as they say, and have fun.

 

[pepperbelly]

I'm not worried about freshness. The problem is finding some relatively close. There used to be several shops here that sold it. Now apparently none do.

Jim

 

[montanadan]

Pepperbelly-If I had to use Sub's I would definetly use the Goex Pinnacle powder.Of all the sub's it was the easiest to use had the lowest flash point,similiar burn rates as goex(real BP).Pinnacle uses real charcoal,and is less hygroscopic than the other sub's.I only used 3fg Pinnacle when we doing some testing.I do not know the current prices of Pinnacle...I hope this helps..Respectfully montanadan

 

[brubincam]

I was told that pinna
cle will work in a flinter and pan.... :hmm: :hmm: :hmm:

 

[brubincam]

--------WHAT HAPPENED?--------to the typing in the last post?

 

[pepperbelly]

A friend "loaned" me a pound of Goex FFG so I can shoot this weekend.
I have 2 other friends going in different directions to their deer leases. Both will also be looking for shops that sell real black powder.
If they strike out I will order some from the supplier linked to in a post above.
If I order I will have to order a minimum of 5 pounds. I will have to decide if I want 5 pounds of FFg, or if I want to mix it up. Maybe slip in a pound or 2 of FFFg just to try it.
And with 5 pounds I will have to shoot more. Poor me! :grin:

Jim

 

[tg]

You might want to try 3f, I don't know whatcal. gun you are useing but many myself incuded use 3f up to and including .62 guns, a half& half mix or 2f and 3f is another option that some use for larger bores. good luck and good hunting.

 

[pepperbelly]

It's a .50 caliber TC Hawken percussion.
I have read about using FFFg and I may try that. It seems to foul less than FFg. I have also read that it needs a smaller charge and/or burns hotter. I wonder if the granulation being smaller means that you get a little more powder in each measured charge.

Jim

 

[tg]

Probably more surface area and faster burning and greater pressure

 

[Nor Cal Mikie]

Just got 10 lbs. of Goex from Powder Inc.
Including shipping and hazmat, just shy of $16.00 per pound. :thumbsup:
Mixed batch, 2F,3F and 4F. Split it between 3 of us. Good excuse to shoot more. :grin:

 

[pepperbelly]

I was thinking that since we measure by volume, not weight, that there would be more of the finer granulation powder due to there being less air space between granules- more powder due to the volume being more closely packed.

Jim

 

[paulvallandigham]

The smaller the size of powder granule, the more granules fit in a given space. That means you get more surface area to burn, which is why 3Fg burns faster than 2Fg, and 4Fg burns faster than 3Fg. Black powder is not like Smokeless powder, and you can not think of it in the same terms. Black powder burns, from the outside of each granule to the inside. To get a complete burning of the powder, you have to have good compression. That is why using an OP Wad to seal the powder gases behind the PRB leads to a more complete burning, fewer clinkers in the barrel, and finer powder residue left in the barrel.

If you are shooting a percussion action rifle, then consider using FFFg powder regardless of caliber. 3Fg powder compacts much tighter and easier than does FFg powder. Since the percussion cap actually blasts a hole through the powder when you fire your gun, using a compacted charge produces a smaller SDV than if you don't compact the powder, or use the larger FFg powder in your gun.

If you are using a Flintlock, then I recommend that you use FFg in all calibers, except the small caiber guns, like the .32, and .36. A flintlock has to burn its way into a powder charge,So you don't want compacted powder, and the larger granules leave more air surrounding the granules to encourage burning faster. While BP produces its own oxygen, the presence of more oxygen is how you speed the increase in chamber pressure through more rapid burning of the entire powder charge in a flintlock.