Ahm a Pyrodex Man....

[n8dawg6]

well, i did some side-by-side comparison shooting this weekend with fffg blackpowder and pyrodex RS. i must say, i dont think ive ever noticed this before, and ive always thought that pyrodex was kind of a meaningless propellant, but the pyrodex RS actually produced significantly less fouling. shooting roundballs, i could have shot the pyrodex rifle all day with nary a patch between shots. however, i like the ignition qualities of blackpowder better. i got two slowfires with the pyrodex, and that was using cci magnum #11 caps (switching to musket nipple on that gun). anyway, at the end of the day when i cleaned the two guns, it took many, many more wet patches to clean the blackpowder-fouled rifle than it did to clean the pyrodex-fouled rifle. i have kind of a new found respect for the stuff . . . provided i'm getting it for $9 a pound at wally world like the can i'm shootin right now. :grin:

i shoot t7 too, but mainly in my [unspeakable] rifles. pyrodex produces less recoil and muzzleblast than t7 on a volume-for-volume basis. also, pyrodex fouling, while stickier, is softer than t7 fouling. that makes it better, in my opinion, for a day of rounball shooting . . . if you're not wanting to do a lot of between-shot swabbing.

 

[Zonie]

I have also noted that Pyrodex produces almost no fouling.
Many times I have shot over 40 shots without needing to wipe the bore even once because of this.
As you say, it will hang fire sometimes and once in a very great while it will require two caps to get it going.

 

[roundball]

I have also noted that Pyrodex produces almost no fouling.
Many times I have shot over 40 shots without needing to wipe the bore even once because of this.
As you say, it will hang fire sometimes and once in a very great while it will require two caps to get it going.

Agree...Pyrodex-RS was very satisfactory for me in TC caplocks for several years...40-50 shot ranges session without wiping between shots...just like TC's advertisements for Natural Lube 1000.

Since I've switched to Goex 3F, I like it much better of course, but Pyrodex did OK for me when that's what I had

 

[ryoung14]

That's my experience, exactly Zonie. Was starting to think I was missing something by clinging to Pyrodex. Guess not.

BTW, my quest to buy some real BP today failed. The one place I knew of that carried it was closed. The nearest Bass Pro has everything but BP. Maybe it's for the better.

I'll stick with what works.
Bob

 

[marwat06]

BTW, my quest to buy some real BP today failed. The one place I knew of that carried it was closed. The nearest Bass Pro has everything but BP. Maybe it's for the better.

Have you tried online?[url] http://www.grafs.com[/url] is one place where you can get real BP. Even witht the Hazmat Fee buying 5lbs of BP is cheap than getting Pyrodex for me.

 

[Charley Hart]

Live about 35 minutes north of KC. I can get BP from various places. Granted not as easy to come by as RS at Walmart, but no harder to find then ammo for some of my modern rifles.

 

[RedFeather]

Shucks! You mean the 17 - 18 year old Pyrodex I have isn't any good anymore? I actually have a couple jars that are that old. I'll wait until rain is forecast and ferilize the yard with them.

RedFeather

 

[Runner]

I just shot up a 10- year old can of RS this fall. The doves, rabbits, squirrels and deer taken with it did not seem to realize that it had gone bad.
I loaded up on RS at 5$ a pound a couple of weeks back. At 5$ a pound, Pyrodex becomes a very good choice! Put it this way, I bought 1000 caps and I will need caps before I will need powder for a caplock. I do need to order five pounds of black in soon for the flinters.

 

[rengde54]

I am using a .54 caliber T/C Renegade

 

[grayghost]

I found several cans of old P grade Pyrodex at a local hardware store a couple of moths ago for $7 a pound. The cans were made of cardboard. I have tryed loads out of each can and they seem to work great. I shoot P grade in my Senneca .36 and .45 with great results.

 

[roundball]

I found several cans of old P grade Pyrodex at a local hardware store a couple of moths ago for $7 a pound. The cans were made of cardboard. I have tryed loads out of each can and they seem to work great. I shoot P grade in my Senneca .36 and .45 with great results.

Wow...is there a date code on the bottom?
I didn't know it was even offered in a cardboard 'can'...Pyrodex I began buying in 1990 was already in black plastic injection molded containers at that time

 

[Rebel]

Yea, when it first came out it was in the cardboard cans. Been a long time since i have seen one though.

 

[Runner]

Same plastic jug in 1980 also.

 

[marwat06]

Wish I could find a deal on Pyrodex. Been eyeing some at my local Wal-Mart and it didn't drop one cents after hunting season. Still ~ $16 per Bottle. It's cheaper for me to jsut order BP. Not saying one better than the other. I get good results with both, I justing saying I am a Cheap Shooter. I go with what the lowest $$$$$

 

[Rebel]

I get Pyrodex locally for $12 a lb and $11 when the store has there powders on sale for a $1 off.

 

[Charles/NM]

After watching my black powder cartridge buddies shoot metallic silhouettes and the warm-breath-in-the-barrel routine they go thru to soften fouling between shots, I had a thought:
I think some of the variation in posters results here between Pyrodex and real black powder may be due to the relative humidity in the locale where they shoot. I live in the desert where it has been 3% RH lately. That's dry! I would suspect a shooter in Seattle where it's closer to 100% RH most of the time might have different results. When I first bought my T/C Hawken in the mid 1970's I tried Goex BP and Pyrodex. For me, in this environment, there is no choice. It's Pyrodex. BP was a bear to clean between shots. I can shoot all day using Pyrodex without any bore attention at all. Another factor is that no one sells BP around here.
As they say, your mileage may vary.

 

[Rebel]

I have had the same results using Pyrodex here in Ore. I can shoot all day without having to swab the barrel using it. Of course now that i got interested in flinter, i don't use it except in my double barrel .12 ga caplock.

 

[Charley Hart]

Rebel agreed. Why my original post says USE what works. I don't care what it is as long as it is BP or a SAFE substitute! I never thought of the humidity factor good point.

 

[ryoung14]

Interesting, Charles. I'd considered humidity, but was looking at it the other way. Was wondering if the reason I'm having good luck with Pyrodex is because I'm a 'barrel blower' :shake: Your good performance in 3% RH demonstrates that humidity isn't a big issue with Pyrodex....but might be with real BP.

I agree, Charley Hart, if it ain't broke don't fix it.
Bob

 

[john12865]

I started with Pryrodex and went to BP. When I first started muzzle loading, the guy's at the shop would tell me not to shoot BP because it would screw the gun all up. I was told, "It's dirty and filthy and will rot the barrel of your gun." :nono: :yakyak: :bull: Of course they didn't sell BP. :grin: Then I met up with an old timer at the range who turned me on to BP and gave directions to the shop that sells it. :bow: I've had zero hangfires or slow ingnitions use BP. Shop Owners that don't have the Federal License to sell BP, tell alot of lies about BP. :shocked2: :grin:
It's no harder to clean up your gun using BP then Pyrodex. Does any serious muzzleloader go beyond five shots without swabbing a bore?