best powder

[Blackpowder Injun]

I'm new to the blackpowder scene, only been in it about 4-5 months. I have a wooden stock cva Bobcat, (put the wooden stock on myself, it's a cva plainsman stock, but with a dremel motor-tool, anything is possible,) and a cva Buckhorn Magnum inline....been using pyrodex rs, but have been hearing alot about Goex. Is Goex as user friendly as I've heard? I thought black powder was messy and left alot of fouling....I know Pyrodex is a pain, smelly, leaves alot of fouling, but if Goes is as good or better, and it's cheaper, I'd just change over....
any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jtmattison]

Goex black powder is a great product.
In my opinion it cleans easier and is much more reliable than any black powder substitute.
I use Goex 3f in all of my rifles and pistol. I shoot both .50 and .54 caliber.

HD

 

[Landsknecht]

I have used Triple 7 in my CVA Plainsman, with 15 grains of ffffg down the barrel first as a primer and then more ffffg in the pan.

Triple 7 has very little fouling, even with a black powder primer and is very easy to clean up.

BUT...

Even with a primer down the barrel it is difficult to ignite and has frequent misfires and hang fires. Even when it shoots well, there is a noticeable delay between the flash and the bang.

I now use Goex ffg with a 4f primer in the pan. I don't use 777. The barrel gets fouled and cleanup is messier. But I am also shooting tighter groups and having fewer misfires.

 

[roundball]

I used to use Pyrodex with caplocks for a few years then switched to Goex with Flintlocks.

Goex is so much faster...plus it's clean and accurate...that I've switched everything over to Goex.

 

[Old Ironsights]

Is Goex as user friendly as I've heard? I thought black powder was messy and left alot of fouling....

IIRC Elephant is the worst for fouling. Goex Express is supposed to be cleaner than regular Goex, Swiss cleaner than Express and KIK cleaner than Swiss. I have all 4 on order. We'll see.

American Pioneer's "Shockley's Gold" works in my Flinter with a minorly slower ignition time. But it ignites every time and is uber clean. Unfortunately, it is more hydrdscopic than black powder and will fail if it is too humid. Black Mag3 is a different faux powder that also works adequately in flinters but is much more moisture resistant.

All depends on what you want to do and how much scratch you have to buy powder.

 

[Swampman]

GOEX 3F is the only thing you will ever need.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Before you speak so highly about using these substitutes in Flintlocks, which they were not made to be shot in, try shooting your favorite loads over a chronograph. Whoever says these powders are easier to clean lives on a different planet than I do. Soap and water is all that is needed to clean BP. You need cleaning solvents, and soap and water, to clean the substitutes, and the BP if you are using any for an " igniter" in the barrel. Don't use FFFg powder in the barrel! Use FFFg powder for the igniter, and use at least 15 grains, and preferrable 20 grains to get good ignition. You can get away using the light amount if your gun is 40 caliber or small, but you start to get hickups when the caliber gets to 45, and you will have problems in a 50 or larger gun for sure. I don't know why you would want to go to all that time loading two powders when these guns are designed to shoot Black Powder. Why not just use Black Powder? I don't want to hear about hard to get. If you are really a shooter, you can order this through the mail from several suppliers and if you buy 5 pounds or more, the cost per pound gets reasonable. Buying one pound at a time never made a lot of sense to me- you are either into this game, or you aren't. If you decided to sell the gun, the person who buys it will buy your powder, and caps,or flints, too. And, any other gear you have acquired. Find a black powder club, and ask lots of questions of the older members. They will save you hours of frustration, help you not make dumb mistakes that are risky to your safety and to theirs, and generally help you succeed as a BP shooter. Just learning to load the gun properly and safely is one thing. Becoming a great shot is quite another.

 

[HarborMaster]

GOEX 3F is the only thing you will ever need.

Amen to that.
I am finding this statement to be true to ALL of my flintlock pistols (I havent got a rifle yet).
My only variance to this is for my Cannons and Mortars. And again I am going with BP as opposed to substitute propellants. I could use a substitue in my cannons .,they will fire anything if you want them to.,but a flinter really needs BP.One day if BP is gone so will be the ability of firing flints. I like my new found flint addiction.

 

[spotlink]

I used to use Goex (its very good), but I switched to Swiss 2F(supposed to be better) and I use it in everything, even in my revolver (LeMatt).

 

[Landngroove]

I,ve got to go with Goex. Over the years I have used Pyrodex, American Pioneer, Clearshot, and Pinnacle. I now use only Goex. None of the substitutes worked reliably, or at all in my flinters. Some had slow, or hangfire, in my percussions. Some have noticably less velocity, on an equal volume to volume measure with Goex. Yes, some do leave less fouling, but when all is said and done, you can't beat real Goex Black Powder for instant ignition, good velocity, and shot to shot performance. When using the right lubes, fouling is not a problem either, and it cleans up with water. Goex :thumbsup:

 

[Old Ironsights]

Nah, not speaking highly of them, just speaking of them. :v I like to play with powder.

So far, the only advantageI've seen to any sub in a flintlock is the ability to test flash in the workshop without annoying the wife. Sure makes working on the lock a friendlier proposition when you don't have to keep running up and down the basement steps to flash off the back porch.

I figure if I can get good, reliable ignition of a sub, any good powder should go boom. :grin:

 

[Slake]

Count me in on the Goex. I was taught that Pyrodex was better and had to learned the hard way that is not true. Goex shoots much better I think it cleans up better. I've used triple 7 with more favorable results than Pyrodex but it costs nearly twice as much as Goex. I have yet to try the Swiss. I've used Goex in both ff and fff and haven't noticed a huge difference inmy caplocks

 

[Sharp Shooter]

I am going to try some of this stuff called Grafs powder. It uses alder charcoal wich clean burning. It is really alot like Schuetzen because that is a German powder to and uses the same charcoal. Here is a link.
[url] http://www.grafs.com/powders/product/18211[/url]

 

[cayugad]

I'm new to the blackpowder scene, only been in it about 4-5 months. I have a wooden stock cva Bobcat, (put the wooden stock on myself, it's a cva plainsman stock, but with a dremel motor-tool, anything is possible,) and a cva Buckhorn Magnum inline....been using pyrodex rs, but have been hearing alot about Goex. Is Goex as user friendly as I've heard? I thought black powder was messy and left alot of fouling....I know Pyrodex is a pain, smelly, leaves alot of fouling, but if Goes is as good or better, and it's cheaper, I'd just change over....
any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Personally I feel Goex or black powder is no harder to clean then Pyrodex. Also fowling, I would have to give the edge to Goex. Pyrodex is filthy stuff to shoot but I do shoot a lot of it anyway. Goex if it is burning completly in the rifle does not leave as much fowling.

The other advanage of Goex is, I have had rifles refuse to fire or hang fire with Pyrodex, yet you put Goex down them, they shoot fine.

I like black powder to shoot. As for clean up.. well I have to clean the rifle anyway.

 

[Legionair]

I started with pyrodex in my CnB revolver.

It was way to messy and corrosive for my tastes, so I went to 777 (heard it was "ultra clean"). Then I started to hear about the hard "crud ring", so I finally went out and found some real Goex.

I was paying $17 - $22 dollars for the subs, but low and behold the Goex was $10 a can!!!

Works way better in my flintlock (no real comparasin).

I'll never go back to subs..... :haha:

Legion

 

[shmrck1]

It is a lot like Schuetzen because they mfg.
it for G&S. I have used it and find it just a
tad dirtier than Goex although shooting wise
I got much the same results. Price wise I think
there is about a dollar or a little more per
pound difference. I will stay with Goex myself.
I will say that the folks at G&S are great to
deal with.IMO
snake-eyes :hmm:

 

[Dave K]

If the question is just the best black powder I have to say from my experience it is Swiss, then Schuetzen followed by Goex. And Goex is good powder. I am not talking price, just what I feel is the best, from my experience

 

[Slake]

and for whatever it's worth Goex makes the purttiest smoke...by far...a wee bit of blue..it just looks perfect

 

[graybeard]

Tried BlackMag3 in my flinter and found it far less than adequate. Even with a 4f Goex priming. I'm shooting up what's left in a cap and ball pistol. It's expensive, but it sure does clean up as advertised. However, it cost me more than twice as much as Goex. I'm also shooting up the remains of some Pyrodex I acquired, and when it's gone will use nothing but Goex 3X, for charge and prime. graybeard

 

[sequoia]

I've used GOEX FFF in my weapons since I started more than 25 years ago. (Where does the time go?) I did try pyrodex but I kept getting hangfires even with a hotshot nipple. A year or two ago I got ahold of a can of Kik. I didn't see any different but my son thoght that it worked better for him. I guess that a lot of it is personal preferance.