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For the new guys Pyrodex, 777 or Black Powder

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Real black powder is incredibly easy to get. They deliver it right to your door. I have been a competitive shooter for 43 years. I have never seen anyone in the winner's circle shooting subs.
That you are aware of, but black powder IS NOT EASY to get, But hey I`ll order all I can get if you pay the hazmat fees, shipping. I mean it is only fair I aint got it that deep.
 
Buried under the issues here is the question of what powder to have for a new shooter. For those of us who have committed ourselves to shooting traditional firearms and flint lock firearms especially, we need real black powder and for us, ordering 4 to 10 pounds isn't a big deal. For a new shooter who isn't part of a traditional muzzleloading gun club and can find other members to participate in an order of powder to reduce haz mat and other extra costs, the choices come down to what can be found in the local gun store. The new shooter isn't going to need a lot of powder to start out. The new shooter needs something that will make the gun go bang. And that pound of powder at the local gun store is going to be a substitute powder such as Pyrodex, Tripple7 or 209 (which needs very hot shotgun primers to get the charge to ignite). To be sure it will cost more per pound than the spread cost of 10 pounds of real black delivered to his door. This puts the new shooter thinking of a traditional muzzleloader in the market for a percussion locked gun. Then in this time of scarcity of percussion caps adds another issue.

I guess I'll relate a tale of a new shooter. I heard he was looking to shoot his new firearms and I invited him to shoot at our range. We were having the monthly match and he would get a good introduction to muzzleloading. He had been to a public range and was experiencing some problems. He showed up at the range with enough gear to load a patched ball to be propelled by Tripple7 in his cap lock rifle. No names here, but it does have a chambered breech and while used had been fired very little. Needless to say, it wouldn't fire a cap. Members supplied a new nipple ad we used the club's CO2 tank to unload the gun. A member had some spare Schuetzen powder for him to use. Even that didn't fire with either the CCI caps he had or the RWS caps that another member provided. Fortunately, one of the members had tools in his truck and the lock was removed. We could feel a drag as the tumbler rotated. Well, a spring vise was located and we took the lock apart. A stone was in the tool kit and we found a bur on the mainspring. We polished up the dragging parts, used a slick grease on the rubbing parts and put the lock back together. We did get the gun to fire.

The point of the story is that it was well worth it for the new shooter to have found us. We were able to give him some supporrt that he needed to get started by providing some hands on experience by real shooters of traditional firearms. But there was no way that he could have justified purchasing any more than one pound of powder to begin and that powder was Tripple7. The real problem was the burs in his very new lock in his entry level gun. We were happy to be able to get his gun shooting. We were able to turn a frustrating experience into an enjoyable one.

New shooters need to be able to find a place where they can get relatively unbiased. After all we did disparage his use of Tripple7 when it was primarily a lock problem. When they buy that first pound of synthetic powder, they need real information on how to get it to fire. The synthetics can be acceptable, but there are times it ain't easy.
 
I prefer black powder and if I was to initiate a newbie into the hobby, that is what we would shoot. But considering the difficulty getting black powder I would shoot any powder that works in my guns if it was my only choice.
Now I will say if one has an alchemical bent black powder is available to anyone who takes the time to make it happen. :)

If all you can get is a substitute, shoot on and ignore the detractors. Not a one of them is going to clean your guns, or buy your powder for you.
 
Ok $60 a pound for black, $14 for the ship and another $25-$35 for the hazmat fees, well over $100 on a pound, Eh pyrodex $27 local run no fuss. and your women folk have blown more than just my mind have a nice day......
 
Ok $60 a pound for black, $14 for the ship and another $25-$35 for the hazmat fees, well over $100 on a pound, Eh pyrodex $27 local run no fuss. and your women folk have blown more than just my mind have a nice day......
I’ve bought it this year online delivered for 23.00 a lb. Watch the online distributors for sales and discounts on free shipping and hazmat. I also buy pyrodex at Walmart this time a year for 20-25 a lb locally. Either way if your patient you can find supplies reasonably priced.
 
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