Is it worth almost twice the price? That's something each person will have to decide for themselves
Zonie, that's what struck me about it...the cheapest I could find Swiss was twice as expensive as Goex...100% greater cost...but as you said, even if you can use less Swiss than Goex it's only 10-20% less so there's still a huge cost delta.
So in wrestling with this powder comparison, I have some 'practical' considerations that I think about:
Goex produces ragged holes to cloverleafs for me out to 75yds which is excellent for my hunting needs, so if Swiss is alledgedly more accurate, there wouldn't be enough practical difference left for me to acheive for there to be enough incentive to pay the double cost.
I don't know how ignition could be any faster than the Goex I use, or at least I don't know how I could measure it...it's already just a single event, and accuracy is tied in part to ignition speed, accuracy is excellent.
Goex is already so clean that I already don't have to wipe between shots during my 40 shot weekend range sessions...so there's no practical fouling related benefit that would be an incentive to pay the double
[url] price...in[/url] other words, Swiss wouldn't let me "not wipe between shots" any more than I "already don't wipe between shots" now.
Swiss is black powder, so rifles still require a thorough cleaning after using it, same as Goex, so there would be no change to my cleaning regimen, no incentive there to pay the double price.
So personally, and it is a personal decision for each of us of course, I view this Goex / Swiss comparison in the same light as the 10 year old claim that Hodgdon's Pyrodex 'Select' was better than Pyrodex RS because it was cleaner, more accurate, etc, etc.
But in terms of any practical measurements, the overall sentiment from everyone I've ever discussed it with, is that 'Select' never really seemed to live up to those claims, or at least could not be realized by the typical muzzleloader shooter that tried it...to justify it's much higher cost over RS.
I guess the good news is that we're fortunate to have a variety of BP powders to choose from to suit different views on the subject...for me, for the price of a Lb of Swiss, I can get a Lb of Goex, a box of Hornady/Speer balls, and have change left over...without sacrificing accuracy & ignition, wiping & cleaning procedures, etc.