Black powder shortage

[springfield art]

Curious...what do your state regs say about storage and quantity of black powder?

My local gun shop & range says they can only store up to 40 pounds, Then they have to go and pick it up at a distributor in person; the store clerks have an Explosives License background check to do this. This is in SE PA. The distributor is in another county. They had a big run on the stuff Tuesday once the news broke, they didn't find out 'til Wednesday, then couldn't get thru to the distributor on the phone.

 

[springfield art]

Why not just make your own black powder?

Ain't as easy as it sounds. Sure, you can do it, but getting full quality, granularity, etc., etc. is a bit of a challenge.

 

[mmb617]

Ain't as easy as it sounds. Sure, you can do it, but getting full quality, granularity, etc., etc. is a bit of a challenge.

Getting a flintlock to fire reliably is a bit of a challenge to a new guy as well, but I've enjoyed ironing out the wrinkles.

I'm researching making my own black powder and I expect it'll take some time to get high quality output, but it seems doable to me.

 

[Jaeger]

A scenario in the not-too-distant future? We "pre-load" our flintlocks with a bit of precious, costly black powder, then the main load of Pyrodex or whatever, then the patch and ball, then prime sparingly with the precious black magic powder. Unlikely?

 

[Bassdog1]

Not likely other companies like Scheutzen will fill any void in the market and those who wish to shoot real black will continue to do so. I really feel that someone will reopen Goex.

 

[Joemolf]

I would think it is a pretty small employer with a lot of automation for safety and insurance liability reasons.
20 people perhaps?
Check out the shipping container shortages that ships use. Thousands and thousands are waiting for months to get unloaded but there are few workers on the docks to do it. I do not think we will see any new shipments of European BP in this country until next summer or fall at the earliest. And that’s if the EU unelected bureaucrats decide not to interfere with the increased export of BP.
We are totally at their mercy now. And they do not like guns.

I’m not being cute I’ll let you know I back ordered a case of Swiss Caviar 2 and 3 a week ago before this came to my attention they had some 1, 1.5, 2, and 4 and Goex brands at that time I think they only had a few 1F in stock so I decided to place back ordered which I’ve done before. called and placed my back order. I asked when to expect it and was told end of October. Fine sounded like dejavau from the last purchase. Didn’t get nervous until I read the news here. Keeping my fingers crossed it doesn’t turn into a 6 month or longer weight. Then Id be in trouble! Anyway hope to get to the local range tomorrow amongst all the black gun guys and make some smoke and hit the paper as many of them watch in amazement while others have no expression at all There getting a free education especially when I use the paper cartridges in the Brown Bess LOL

 

[Doc]

Ought ah, technically that is a duplex charge ! Sounds like a good idea to me though !

Easy enough to purchase Swiss or others.
Doc,

 

[Doc]

Can someone please tell me if there is and how much of a difference there is between our old standard 3f Goex and 3f Swiss or 3f Schuetzen. Anyone who has used and has great knowledge of Swiss and/or Schuetzen posting your knowledge and/or ideas would be greatly appreciated at this abnormally agitated time.
Doc,

 

[11th corps]

Rush used to say "every generation thinks they are living in the last of times."
BP shooting was dying until the 1970's. The Bicentennial (1976) re ignited the interest in the past and BP weapons.
Fewer places to shoot, more urban sprawl have contributed to the current situation. Goex shutting down production is not the reason, but merely a sympton of the times we live in. Possibly the 250th anniversary of the founding of the USA may bring interest back.

 

[Notchy Bob]

Can someone please tell me if there is and how much of a difference there is between our old standard 3f Goex and 3f Swiss or 3f Schuetzen. Anyone who has used and has great knowledge of Swiss and/or Schuetzen posting your knowledge and/or ideas would be greatly appreciated at this abnormally agitated time.
Doc,

Hey, Doc

I have a little experience with Swiss and GOEX. I had heard that Swiss was the best and I was determined to try it. Downrange performance, for me, was comparable, but I'm a mediocre shot on a good day. I thought there was a little less fouling with Swiss than GOEX, but the fouling seemed a little harder and crustier. In fairness, that could have also been a function of weather and ambient humidity, or even the lube I was using. For me, given a choice, the Swiss was not worth the extra money. The top-flight target shooters seem to really like Swiss, but they are out of my league, or more appropriately, I'm not in theirs.

I have no experience with Schuetzen. Just never had a compelling reason to buy it, up until now, I guess. It is my understanding that it is comparable to GOEX, and I would not hesitate to use it. I think Mark, the @B P Maniac Shooter , uses Schuetzen, and he burns a lot of powder. That's a good enough recommendation for me.

Personally, I'm not going to stress over the brand name. They all have their devotees. I prefer to buy American when I can. However, if the manufacturer stops producing it I'll get powder made by the folks from overseas who continue to support our sport.

Best regards,

Notchy Bob

 

[Bassdog1]

Cant say for Scheutzen Doc but I can tell you Swiss 3F vs Goex 3F is much more energetic and Charges can be lowered to get the same accuracy and FPS if shooting over a Chronograph. I have always been able to get Squirrel shooting accuracy out of my guns using both but mainly shoot Goex cause I have a larger supply of it. Fouling is a little harder with Swiss but cleans up almost as easily.

 

[smoothshooter]

Yep. The main body of BP people came out of the Baby Boomer generation. Whenever I see a "Traditional Crafts" display, they have everything BUT long-rifle making, unless it's a Black Powder show, of course. I'm going to the Eastern Long Rifle show in Morgantown, Pa., Friday 10/1.

I believe the two TV series ( Daniel Boone and Davy Crocket ) in the sixties was the kickoff for major interest in American early frontier activities and shooting muzzleloaders.
I know it did for me.

 

[smoothshooter]

My local gun shop & range says they can only store up to 40 pounds, Then they have to go and pick it up at a distributor in person; the store clerks have an Explosives License background check to do this. This is in SE PA. The distributor is in another county. They had a big run on the stuff Tuesday once the news broke, they didn't find out 'til Wednesday, then couldn't get thru to the distributor on the phone.

Why is the news just now coming out when the fire happened in June?

 

[TreeMan]

70% ignition rate with pyrodex? did you mix it with water? I had 100% ignition with it for 30 years. the refusal by shooters to condemn any substitutes to me has led to powder companies not improving the subs or coming out with cleaner better subs. who would want to spend on research and development when shooters denigrate powder subs?

Were your shooting a flintlock or a percussion gun? If you got 100% ignition with pyrodex in a flintlock your rifle must have a touchhole as big as Kansas.

 

[Woody Morgan]

Were your shooting a flintlock or a percussion gun? If you got 100% ignition with pyrodex in a flintlock your rifle must have a touchhole as big as Kansas.

So many punchlines, so little bandwidth.

wm

 

[Ponderosaman]

Why is the news just now coming out when the fire happened in June?

I worked at a place where they made explosives/propellants. Just conjecture, but the fire doesn’t have to be big at all to be very costly. The line is often shut down for days or weeks and depending on the circumstances, there can be government audits and required sometimes expensive adjustments even if implemented by the company rather than some authority. Couple that with already thin margins and it can equal a very difficult situation.

 

[TrapperDude]

Yep. The main body of BP people came out of the Baby Boomer generation. Whenever I see a "Traditional Crafts" display, they have everything BUT long-rifle making, unless it's a Black Powder show, of course. I'm going to the Eastern Long Rifle show in Morgantown, Pa., Friday 10/1.

I'll tell you what. I spent a LOT of years shooting modern handguns and rifles of several types. A few years ago, I decided to get a modern revolver just to change things up, and that led me to getting a nice hand cannon as my second revolver. I enjoyed the process of getting on the road to some level of mastery with each of those revolvers and enjoy putting them into the rotation.

After that, I got a Uberti Remington 1858, followed by my flintlock pistol a couple of years later. I also enjoyed getting on the road to mastery of the Remington and the flintlock. The road to mastery is a life-long journey, and I will enjoy theses two new paths I've added to my hobby for however many years I have left.

I say all of this because no one has to be actively introduced to the black powder hobby in order to get into it, and starting out with modern firearms doesn't pigeonhole anyone in that direction, either. Anyone who just simply and truly loves shooting will find his own way to black powder weapons.

I shoot everything I have--some guns more than others--and the black powder pieces will continue to be high-priority components of the rotation. The hobby isn't dead, and it won't be any time soon. It's the natural evolution of a firearm enthusiast's hobby.

That pesky powder supply issue is the only thing that needs addressed. Interest in the hobby isn't the issue.

 

[Hatman/2nd line]

For all of you who might live in Northeastern PA, Dunkelberger's Sporting Goods in Broadheadsville has black powder in 1f,2f, 3f and 4f. I just bought some yesterday, the clerk told me they had 37lb.s left.

 

[MTMountainman]

70% ignition rate with pyrodex? did you mix it with water? I had 100% ignition with it for 30 years. the refusal by shooters to condemn any substitutes to me has led to powder companies not improving the subs or coming out with cleaner better subs. who would want to spend on research and development when shooters denigrate powder subs?

Obviously you have never hunted in heavy snow fall. My brother and I were out once. I had BP and he was joining the "in crowd" and using Pyrodex. Both Hawken percussion guns. Snowing was so heavy we had to wipe of the tops of the barrels about every 3-4 minutes just to see the sights. He had 5 misfires that day and almost wrapped the gun around a tree until I gave him some of my BP. By the way, I touched off twice that day and never a problem with BP. Have never considered subs after seeing my brother and his great day in the field with subs. BP all the way, even if I have to make my own.

 

[springfield art]

Easy enough to purchase Swiss or others.
Doc,

Won't be 'easy' to purchase, as the "panic" is set in, just like with the modern guns-n-ammo; guys will buy up all available, and hoard!