Chinese powder

[tjohnson56]

At the range last night I was talking to a few old vets of black powder shooting and they said they really liked a powder that was made in China. If I remember right it was called something like Ladua (sp?), they also referred to it as Dragon.

Have any of you heard of or used this powder, and do you know if it's available somewhere?

 

[trent/OH]

I've heard of Dragon powder, and even have an empty powder can I grabbed out of the trash at Friendship. I've never fired it, but as I recall it was considered a little dirtier than Goex, but substantially cheaper.
Although the Chinese are believed to have invented Black Powder, somehow I just wouldn't quite trust Chinese powder nowadays. I wonder why Wal-Mart doesn't stock it???

 

[renovato]

I haven't heard of that powder, but I can pass along a little info about another Chinese powder. At least I think it's made in China. Elephant powder it's called and it's by far the worst powder I've ever tried. It's inconsistent and terribly sooty. Just thought I'd pass along a warning to let you know that not all Chinese powder is good.

 

[shortstring]

A year or so ago a S. Ohio chunk shooter did some good shooting with the China powder. Can't remember the name of it but he did get some accuracy out of it. As we should expect it was cheap as I recall.
Paul

 

[bingo1952]

Elephant powder was/is made in Brazil. I don't know what type of charcoal was used in its manufacture but if they had used balsa it would have been much better than what it was. Good charcoal is the key to good black powder.

 

[Birddog6]

Lidu... Imported from China as fireworks lifting powder, then sold in bulk bags & sometimes in cans as BP for muzzleloading. The reinactors love it cause it smokes allot & is cheap. I looked at it one time as a guy in KY had it & was selling it in bulk. Poured out some of it in a pan & it looked like 1,2,3,4F all in one can as it was all sized grains. That took away all the desire fto try it I had.

But some guys like it. I know some guys bought some of it for a 4H shoot & some shotgunners like it. Course most I have know to use it like it cause it is cheap. To some cheap is always the best, regardless of the results.........

I bought a case of Elephant one time cause it was $2. a pound cheaper than Goex. Man........ what a mistake that was...... I thought I would never get rid of that mess........ :shake:

 

[10 gauge]

"Graf and son" has their own house line of black powder thats made in Germany, they say its made with Alder wood charcoal. Has anyone tried this powder?

 

[roundball]

I'll never forget my Flintlock debut at the range was with Elephant 3F powder...and being pretty clueless about Flintlock ignition I struggled before I finally figured out the powder was just garbage.

Never was able to find anybody to even give it away to...got tired of having it sitting in the garage so that winter I poured out 5 cans of it in five 10' long lines and burned each one off...each line just fizzled slowly along from one end to another taking about 10 seconds to travel a mere 10 feet.

I recall the sky was one of those beautiful deep blue colors and 5 pounds of BP made one gigantic white cloud overhead against that sky...swirling and boiling around...pretty

I kept the can of 4F and a couple years later used it for some experiments at the range and it was actually excellent...(different lot# as well as granulation)...and I think Elephant was finally discontinued about 4 years ago.

Goex is outstanding and relatively inexpensive...PLUS, Goex is the only remaining BP manufacturer in the USA...so I'm committed to giving them my business for as long as I can

 

[MikeChapin]

I think it's called Lidu or something like that. We have a few people in our club who like it and still use it. It comes in a yellow can.

Roundball: There are about five pounds of Elephant floating around Wyoming. You see it as prizes for shoots. The people who get it donate it back to their club for their shoots and it just keeps making the rounds. :wink:

 

[Robert Egler]

"Graf and son" has their own house line of black powder thats made in Germany, they say its made with Alder wood charcoal. Has anyone tried this powder?

Yes, I use it. I use Swiss, Graf & Son, and Goex, and although some people notice a difference, I don't find any difference between the 3 of them. I don't have a chronograph, so it may well be that one shoots faster than another, but not that I notice as far as accuracy goes. Other, more careful, shooters may find a difference.

 

[tjohnson56]

Any chance you know where they get this powder?

 

[spitpatch]

To my knowledge one brand of BP is made in the good old USA. I might be old fashioned but I tend to favor any thing says made in the US. Just a simple guys thoughts.

 

[tjohnson56]

I understand your point, like the old saying says, Hungry? Need a job? Eat your import!

 

[Robert Egler]

To my knowledge one brand of BP is made in the good old USA. I might be old fashioned but I tend to favor any thing says made in the US. Just a simple guys thoughts.

Yes, I didn't realize until I learned it on this forum that Goex was made in the US, I didn't think anyone made BP in the US any more. Since learning this, I have purchased only Goex powder. :thumbsup:

But he asked if anyone had experience with the Graf, and I did, so I answered him.

 

[redwing]

Its like that one fruit cake that is passed to some one every X-mas. No one ever eats it they just pass it on. The thing must be 300 years old by now.

The Elephant Powder was a good product for awhile. I think anything dated after 95' was poor. I understand they ran out of wood about that time.

Mike I still have 4 cans of it to give away at Ten Sleep, Wyo.in Sept. Maybe you will get lucky.

 

[rabjr]

"Graf and son" has their own house line of black powder thats made in Germany, they say its made with Alder wood charcoal. Has anyone tried this powder?

I'm shooting Graf brand 3F in my guns now and like it very much. :thumbsup:

 

[Frank/Pa]

Buy American, GOEX.

 

[10 gauge]

Thunderbird Cartridge co. which is about 50 minutes from my home has many brands of black powder and is selling Goex for $12.50 a pound. Finely I scored and found powder at a reasonable price locally.! They also have Swiss but its $18.50 a pound

 

[MikeChapin]

Any chance you know where they get this powder?

I'll ask the next time I see them.

 

[MikeChapin]

Its like that one fruit cake that is passed to some one every X-mas. No one ever eats it they just pass it on. The thing must be 300 years old by now.

The Elephant Powder was a good product for awhile. I think anything dated after 95' was poor. I understand they ran out of wood about that time.

Mike I still have 4 cans of it to give away at Ten Sleep, Wyo.in Sept. Maybe you will get lucky.

Hot Damn!!! That is a real motivation to shoot my best. Since I am the prize committee, maybe I can arrainge for Misfire to get it. :rotf: