beekeeper said:
I use black powder an what I would like to know is it faster for as velocity an is the shelf life longer than triple 7 or pryodex.Beehunter
I can't speak to highest velocity, because speed is just not particularly relevant to shooting MLers. SwissFFFg powder is probably the fastest burning Black Powder on the market today, for use in the barrel. Any FFFFg powder from any company is faster burning yet. But it burns so fast, that the pressures it builds can be dangerous if used in the barrel.
Now, there are new or " improved " Substitute powders being sold or introduced every day. They are usually sold as " Being the equivalent " of the same charge of black powder MEASURED BY VOLUME.
What does that mean? It means that you use a volume powder measure to measure these substitute powders, and not a scale. Because the subs are made with different components, they tend to take up more volume than does Black Powder. ( Call that " fluffy powder ". ) So, if you use the same VOLUME measure of these powders as you might throw and use with a volume measure with Black Powder, IN THEORY, you get similar chamber pressures and velocities.
BY WEIGHT,they differ. For instance, Hodgdon Powder Company makes Pyrodex, one of the powders you ask about. According to their data, 70 grains of Black Powder is the equivalent to 56 grains, by weight, of Pyrodex. They also claim this is the same volume of each of the powders. The company does not recommend the use of Pyrodex in Flinlocks, because of the difficulty in igniting its powder with a flintlock.
I can't speek to Triple 7, or Shcokey's Gold, or any of the other substitute powders out there. Most are based on Ascorbic acid, and that raises the ignition temperture to around 700 degrees F., compared to about 400 degrees F. for Black powder. Paper and wood burn at 451 degrees F., for a comparison. We do know that the powders, like Pyrodex, are sold to be an equivalent to Black Powder when measured by volume, not weight.
So, I don't think anyone can answer your question. You are asking which one is better, apples, or oranges. They are different fruits. There is a limit of safety to which you want to subject any traditional ML firearm using any powder. That is why smokeless powders are NOT USED in these guns. Smokeless powder builds way too much pressure, way too quickly to be used in a gun that has a major hole in the breech area, that is pointed either at your hand, or your head! :shake: :nono: Smokeless powders can produce upwards of 50,000 ft lbs. of pressure in an instant, and destroy a traditional ML rifle. The substitute powders are not true smokeless powders, but generally will produce more chamber pressure than will black powder in any similar loading. That is one reason the Zip Guns were developed to shoot these powders. They have a more closed ignition system. Savage is even making a bolt action rifle that is a muzzle loader, but can shoot smokeless powder in it. Be very careful in what powder you decide to use, and use recognized loading data recommendations when developing a powder charge to use with any particular projectile. All firearms, of any descriptions, are realistically " controlled bombs", that happen to have an out let to permit the gase pressure to escape before blowing up the powder chamber entirely. Its called a barrel, and the only thing between the muzzle and the burning powder is the bullet and any wads or patching around or behind it. Loading a MLer is bomb making in its infancy. Be very careful to know what you are doing and loading before getting into this sport.
Years ago, a guy showed up at a club trap shoot, not to shoot, but just to talk to some of the members he knew. One was a man I was talking to when this guy arrived, so after introductions, I listened to the new guy, along with bout 20 other guys. He proceeded to tell us all proudly how he blew up a Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum because he used Bullseye powder, rather than Dupont 2400 powder to reload some casings after he left the Bar on Friday night/Saturday morning. He admitted he was drunk, and just picked the wrong can of powder off his shelf when he loaded his powder measure. Then he bragged about having blow up 2 Ruger Black Hawks in .41 Magnum, doing the same thing. I noticed my feet moving me back away from this guy, and then noticed that everyone had backed up away from this guy. He just kept talking, and became very animated when he told us that Ruger refused to replace his second .41 magnum blackhawk, and how unfair he thought the factory was to not " honor its warranty". By then, men were obviously moving away to their cars, getting in them, and driving off. Finally, my friend found an excuse to leave this blow-hard, came over to me, and said, " I knew the guy was a bit nuts, and drank too much, but I never knew he was so stupid to blow up three well made revolvers doing the same thing! I will never shoot next to him again!" I just noted that from the reaction of the other men who heard his boasting, I didn't think he was going to find much of anyone to shoot next to him with any kind of gun!
Stick with Black Powder for ML guns. That is what they are made to shoot, and they have done so for more than 500 years. All the substitutes are less than 50 years old. Pyrodex is considered the most reliable of them all. Its been around the longest. Its made by a responsible company. As to the others, who knows. We are getting reports here that the ascorbic acid based powders do not store well, and lose their power over time. Considering the higher cost for these powders, the last thing someone wants is to have to use up a can of powder before it goes bad. All the subs claim they are easier to clean than Black Powder. That is not true. The only claim I have heard about them that is true is that they don't leave the smell of rotten eggs behind to deal with when they are cleaned. The sulphur dioxide in the BP residue is relatively minor, and is gone almost as soon as you pour soap and water down the barrel. I consider the sulphur a minor problem, and way too overblown by these guys pushing their own powders.
