Black Powder substitute

[wright561]

I was looking through Cabela's at different powders and notice that there is some type of black-powder substitute from American Pioneer Powder. It's suppposed to be cleaner. I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about. I was just curious if this was just for modern in-lines or if I could use this with my smoothbore?

 

[musketman]

I was looking through Cabela's at different powders and notice that there is some type of black-powder substitute from American Pioneer Powder. It's suppposed to be cleaner. I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about. I was just curious if this was just for modern in-lines or if I could use this with my smoothbore?

If your smoothbore is a percussion, then yes, it should work...

Flintlocks have a harder time igniting the black-powder substitutes and should stay with true black powder...

Some will even make a duplex load of real black powder and substitutes powder, using the small amount of bp to set the non-bp off, but this results in another item to carry afield...

Use only the granulated powders, the pellet form of some black-powder substitutes are pre-formed and will leave dangerous air gaps in the breech due to their smaller diameter...

 

[bioprof]

I've even had trouble with black powder substitutes with percussion rifles. Especially with percussion rifles with a drum and nipple arrangements. Switched to Goex and never had another misfire. If it won't ignite, what difference does it make if it is a little easier to clean (which is debatable anyway).

 

[Toomuch_36]

Switched to Goex and never had another misfire. If it won't ignite, what difference does it make if it is a little easier to clean (which is debatable anyway).

Good point. :hatsoff:
In as much as we all have our favorite cleaning techniques, most take less time to do than it does to tell about them.

Toomuch
...........
Shoot Flint

 

[11th corps]

I shoot b/p substitutes in my cap guns, my T/C Hawken, Armi 1861 Springfield etc. with no problem. To me the big advantage of 777 or the others is how easy it is to buy.
But for flinters, only real bp seems to get the job done. I tried mixing 5 grains of 4f real blackpowder with 777, but got indifferent results with my North West trade gun from T.O.W.

 

[graybeard]

Tried Black Mag 3 in a flinter and it was awful. However, works fine in a caplock and the cleanup takes about 5 percent of what it takes to clean after using Pyrodex or black powder. Mostly shoot the flintlock anymore, anyway. graybeard

 

[marwat06]

I have had no problems with BP Subs in caplock guns. Even my CVA Bobcat (nipple and drum setup) fires everytime. I used Pyrodex. I shoot Goex BP now and I found the clean to be about the same as with Pyrodex.

 

[roundball]

"...I tried mixing 5 grains of 4f real blackpowder with 777, but got indifferent results..."

FWIW, I've experimented with different forms of "duplex loads" and never had any consistency "mixing them" either...the goal in a flinter is to have real BP inside the vent...and what has worked perfectly for me is to "layer" the two powder charges.

I pour 20grns Goex down bore first so it fills up the breechplug with real BP as an "igniter charge", then I pour in 40/50/60/70grns of Pyrodex RS depending on what I'm shooting.

If you had a limited supply of real BP, and plenty of bp sub, you could easily use this approach at the range, conserving your supply of real BP, yet still shoot a lot...an excellent way to maximize what powders you have available to you.

And to simplify using two different charges, I just use 35mm film canisters...premeasure 40-50 canisters of 20grns Goex in the convenience of the garage, and another 40-50 canisters of RS...ziploc bag them separately and go make smoke!