2F For Everything?

[Walkabout]

Any reason not to use FFg in everything just to keep things simple? Why not? Can it be ground down for the smaller bores? Thanks

 

[64Springer]

If you're grinding 2F down, it's no longer 2F.

Just buy 3F and 4F.

That would be keeping things simple.

 

[Thingamajiggy]

It'll work, push pretty much anything you stuff down a barrel out within reason. May not be the best at everything though. Will work in flashpan without grinding it down maybe a touch slower.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I've found 2fg to not be as efficient in the pan, as 3fg or 4fg. Just my results.

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

Why not 3fff in everything.

 

[mushka]

2f or 3f it will work everywhere, maybe not as efficiently everywhere.

 

[IanH]

Why not 3fff in everything.

Works for me.

 

[dave951]

3f and be happy

 

[Kansas Jake]

If you have it use it. If I was ordering or just buying one type I’d get 3f.

 

[tenngun]

Any reason not to use FFg in everything just to keep things simple? Why not? Can it be ground down for the smaller bores? Thanks

Powder was sold in the old days in different grain size. I’m thinking f size was early nineteenth or late eighteenth. However musket and pistol size are known back to the sixteenth century.
Two f grade was a common size traded in to the country.
There is little that 2f m won’t do. While not the best for a revolver it shoots, and was common in the old days for any rifle, including tiny pea shooters.
We get caught up in MV ant Foot pounds, but a .45 shot off a load of two will turn a deer French or make tiny holes in paper all day long

 

[HSmithTX]

No 2f in everything for me, no way no how. I might be open to 3f in everything but as long as a pound of 4f lasts for priming 3-4 grains at a time I’m going to keep priming with 4f for the next 6000 shots at least. And after that I’ll almost certainly buy another couple pounds of 4f and use that. I’ll let the rifle tell me what it wants in the bore, whether that’s 2f or 3f.

 

[Fitzhugh Williams]

I use a priming horn fitted with a spout that you tap in the pan and it delivers a few grains of powder. The larger the grains just don't work as well. I use 4f in it, and whatever else I have in the barrel. Other than that, I doubt it would matter.

 

[Lakeman]

I used to follow a guideline of 3f in .50 cal and below and 2f in .50 cal and above. A .50 supposedly used either one equally well. A nice simple rule to get the best performance and accuracy. Experience taught me that it (1) it didn't matter as much as I hoped and (2) some guns seemed to prefer one or the other regardless of bore size. What did appear to be the case was the coarser the grain the greater the amount of fouling left behind. This becomes more evident in smaller calibers. Nowadays I tend to use 3f in all bore sizes. I just start with reduced charges and work up the most accurate load. The biggest advantage is that a pound of powder goes a little further. No small thing given the price and availability of powder lately. I do use 4f in my flintlock pans but not for any perceived advantage in ignition speed. It's simply that if I slip up and dry ball it's easier to work enough 4f through the vent to blow the projectile out of there. Not that I EVER make such a greenhorn mistake!

As for grinding coarse grains to finer grains, I'm thinking the result would be very inconsistent grain size resulting in poor accuracy. Not to mention the possibility of setting the stuff off. Or absorbing humidity from the air.
John
P.S. Skinny old man with my skinny rifle.

 

[Sparkitoff]

usually not great in handguns and pistols - so not for everything. 3F is my "in everything" choice.

 

[BadDaditood]

I use 3f in pert near ever’thing.
Feller in Britain uses 4f in his smoothbores.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I do use 3fg for pan and charge in my .32, but for my larger rifles, I still prefer to use 2fg. One reason is I have quite a bit of it to use. No sense wasting good powder.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Im in the FFF for everything gaggle. Tho I have cans of FFFF, which I only use in the flinter (doh).
Everything else is FFF.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Why not 3fff in everything.

Would 3fff = fffffffff ?

 

[smoothshooter]

Any reason not to use FFg in everything just to keep things simple? Why not? Can it be ground down for the smaller bores? Thanks

I stocked up on mostly 2 F years ago, but if I had it to do over again, I would have bought only 3F. I always have 4 F for priming.
3F works well even large bores.

 

[Rifleman1776]

All good responses. Consider how many recommend 3Fg. You came here for advice. Suggest you accept what others have said.