American Pioneer Powder, aka CleanShot

[Mr. Troll]

Not too many BP shooters around here...most are into those damn AR style glorified 22 rifles...or the inline "muzzelloaders" I want to try the powder, to see if it's better or whatever than what I have used, but I don't want to have to spend more money than I need to...maybe a 600 mile road trip could be justified, if I think about it hard enough...any excuse to put miles on my motorcycle!

 

[Gene L]

I haven't tried substitutes for about 20 years, when I tried Pyrodex. It worked fine but was just as difficult to clean as BP, which wasn't available to me at that time.

However, I found FFF Goex and FF and even BPC powder. Once you go black, you never go back.

You gotta shoot what you can get. Clean up with BP isn't prohibitive. Water and soap, and let it soak. I use warm water and after plugging the touch hole, I use an ear syringe to fill the barrel so I don't slop water on the stock.

In about five minutes, I pour it out and use a patch to remove any more fouling and spray WD 40 to remove any vestiges of water.

It works for me. I don't shoot pistols I have to clean up for, though I have one which I've never shot.

 

[Mr. Troll]

Back about 1966, I had a couple of H&A underhammers. A Rifle and a pistol. I liked shooting them, but the clean up was always problematical..In my current home, the only place my wife will tolerate me cleaning guns is the basement utility sink. This is the main reason I've been using the substitutes. Black residue, smell, etc. are sticking points with my wife, for obvious reasons...The Pyrodex cleans up pretty easily, but I'm always looking for something that might be even easier to use and clean up afterward...I have several "modern" cartridge arms...I suppose that might be a stretch...my favorite rifle is 98 years old, and my 1911 is, well, a 1911...

 

[William O.]

Started with Clean Shot when it first came out and graduated to APP.

Sorry you could not make the stuff work.

Moving to APP was your only option considering Clean Shot was sued by Hogdon for patent breach when they made CleanShot into pellets, I'm not sure if they bankrupted the business or just closed the doors but they stopped making CleanShot shortly after the law suit.
Oh I could make the stuff work, it was/is the hygroscopic issues of an open container that's nasty.
T7 is some great stuff, I used it very successfully for years.
I'm not an absolute "holy black" snob, folks should use what they can get,, I just don't believe APP deserves high praise.

Same here. Tried using APP then Clear Shot when loading cartridges for CAS and it was horrible, including cleaning up that gunk. Switched to T-7 and never had any problems including with my muzzle loaders and cap and ball revolvers. That was however, when I believed all the horror stories about cleaning up the real black powder. After trying Goex I used up the remaining T-7 I had, sold all but one CAS gun and bought more muzzle loaders. I can't say that I've ever used JS Gold but friends who have regret it.