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Black powder

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romoshka

32 Cal.
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May 12, 2011
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After more years than I care to mention I am returning to muzzle loading - boy have things changed since way back when...those 'not to be discussed modern variants' certainly do abound. But on to my question. Having pulled mine and my late fathers guns out and gone over them I mentioned to my shooting buddy (far more knowledgeable than I) that I was going to start shooting black powder again - he responded "good luck - black powder has been made illegal". Now a bit of internet searching would seem to suggest that he is wrong. I have forgotten everything so I am starting completely over but I see the old pyrodex and the new GOEX. Is this what is available? I have searched and find no reference to making black powder illegal. Can someone enlighten me. Thanks
 
K12Rider said:
"...my shooting buddy (far more knowledgeable than I) that I was going to start shooting black powder again - he responded "good luck - black powder has been made illegal".
Totally wrong...Blackpowder is definitely not illegal.
It has become much harder to find locally because of the BATF regs, insurance, and special storage regs that sellers had to put up with and a lot of them simply stopped carrying it.
But you can mail order it from a number of places like Graf & Sons, PowderInc, and various Goex Distributors themselves by the case, etc...
 
Your 'far more knowledgeable' shooting buddy is far LESS knowledgeable. Black powder is still available, although it's not easy to find over the counter due to storage, license and insurance regulations. Mail order sources abound, however. Brands include Goex, Swiss, KIK and some store brands.

There is also a large group of substitute powders available at almost every sporting goods outlet locally and on the internet. Brands are Pyrodex, Triple 7, American Pioneer, Jim Shockey's and others.
 
Swampy's link it a good starting point. Black powder is not illegal, but there are a lot of restrictions on it. Retailers can't display it, so you have to ask. Often their insurance limits their stock. So, a lot of us buy a year's supply on the internet, or make group orders through a local club.

To buy a pound of FFg and FFFg to see what your various guns like, you'll want to ask at the more likely local gun stores. Bass Pro shops normally stock it. Dick's doesn't. Dixie Gun Works must. I haven't asked Cabela's. The "accessories" section of this forum has a chart of different mail order suppliers.
 
You can indeed buy up to 50 lbs (25 works for me), but you can't buy less than 5 lbs by mail. Those small lots are pretty pricey, especially if you wind up with several cans of powder you don't want.

People getting started have a good use for a local source until they know what they and are ready to commit to a larger scale buy. The ideal solution is to happen upon some local black-powder shooters.
 
Hey guys - thanks for the responses. Very helpful! Now to try to find some local black powder shooters.
 
No one mentioned it but when you order 25lbs the cost nose-dives and becomes a real bargain. My last powderinc.com order was 25lbs of Goex and was quite reasonable. Check out Jack's Powder Keg site for even better savings on other BP brands.
 
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I would love to recount the story of how the Federal laws came into existance. But, I'm sure, it would stray into the realm of forbidden topics here, political. In short, we (Indiana residents and NMLRA) were given a bill of :bull: .
Sad. Now, my supplier has gone out of the powder business and many of us will have to search for another source. Much of Arkansas will be affected.
 
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