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Is it uncool to use Pyrodex?

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No, I mean another 17-18 page thread like the other previous 20 threads on lubes! :D;)
NOW THAT'S FUNNY....I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE!
AND WE'RE OFF TO PAGE 17+!
crying-with-laughter.gif
 
A .490 will not go down the barrel. I can use a .475 RB with a 12 thous ticking patch. This rifle was made in the early 80's and maybe was made to mimic Davy Crockett's 48 caliber rifle he carried.
Ohio Rusty ><>
I would really like to see pictures of your rifle!
 
AND!

You can still get BP from online suppliers, maybe not your favorite brand or granulation but it is out there. Grafs, Powderinc.
Yes it costs more than it used to, so what, name something that doesn't including smokeless.

I have never shot any BP substitutes of any kind, not that it is bad, never saw the need.
Everything related to shooting is going to cost you unless you want to pop off .22 LR one round at a time for a range day

It costs me about 75 cents a BOOM to fire a .58 Rifle-Musket. Oh well, I'm glad I can get what I need to shoot them.

A freakin cap is a 5- 10 cent item now. What can you do. You want to shoot, you gotta shell out.

When Hodgdon / Goex / Estes whoever owns Goex announced the shutdown of the Blackpowder Division it was like every online source instantly got cleaned out

People who probably went through 1lb every 2 years suddenly bought a case. Or people bought to resell or gouge.

It got to the point where I just sat on what I had and enjoyed other hobbies for about 2 years. It was actually kind of refreshing......my happiness wasn't tied to my ability to find ammunition, or black powder, or caps.......I realized there was a life outside of obsessing about a niche hobby.

I got back into shooting my guns but I'm less obsessive, to a point than I was 10 or even 3 years ago.
 
I first shot Pyrodex when it hit the shelves back in the late 70's, before Dan Pawlak went up in smoke. As I recall it was promoted as providing more shots per pound and fouled less. Certainly it is safer to store and ship but I'd question whether, at that time, it saved a lot of stores that relied on it to stock thier shelves as blackpowder could be found in most gun stores back then. The first BP I bought cost me $2/lb, I remember as I took a bus downtown to Seattle's once famous Warshall's Sporting Goods advertising the sale price.

I don't recall magnum percussion caps back then, Remington seemed the most available at about a buck a tin. Ignition was fairly reliable provided one compressed the powder when loading. This being said ignition with Pyrodex wasn't as reliable as BP then, nor is it today without benefit of a hot cap or 209 type primer although I've not experienced any ignition issues when using musket caps.

I recently shot a fresh batch of Pyrodex Select and some RS I've had in storage for well over 20 years. I don't own a chronograph but at 50 yards loading volume for volume BP alongside Pyrodex my shots with the substitute printed lower, not enough to miss a broadside shot on deer sized game. Standard caps produced hangfires, so did magnum but not near as many, CCI was the brand. I figure to use my remaining Pyrodex in one of my muskets.

If all I could get my hands on were Pyrodex I'd shoot it unashamedly but my preference will always be BP.

Is it uncool to shoot Pyrodex? I don't think so, "Dance with the girl you brought" (or bought, in this case)
I just got back from trying Triple 7 2f in my Pedersoli 1816 Percussion .69 Smoothbore and ignition was terrible. It took 4 or 5 hot Rio Musket caps to ignite the charge. It must be the hard left turn the flame has to make to reach the powder

So, the 1816 is crossed off my "ok to use with subs" list
 
I have a quantity of both RS and P sourced relatively cheaply that I burn occasionally. Yes, other shooters look down upon it. I will continue to use it when and if I feel like using it. But then I am not one of the cool kids.
Here are my two thoughts
1. the "P" stuff is rust that burns. It is, however, better shooting with it than siting in front of the TV watching reruns of Daniel Boon.
2. if you can find American Pioneer Powder in any of it's labelings it works well in cap primed guns, volume for volume, makes tons of smoke and is no more corrosive that real Gunpowder.
Personally I don't like the "P" stuff but a man should do what he thinks best.
But however you do it keep making smoke!
Bunk
 
Back when I couldn't get BP I bought a bottle of Pyrotex RS. Didn't use much before I got a new supply of BP, I have decided to shoot the Pyrotex up and found it works well in my 1851 Navy 36 cal. revolver. Punches holes in a paper target as good as BP. Cool? Who care do what you want.
 
I use a lot of Pyro RS in my revolvers, as I bought many jugs of it years ago for $1 per pound. (Walmart end of season clearance) It has always performed well, and actually performs better than Goex 3f in MY revolvers shooting over MY chronograph. I have tubs of it over 20 years old, and I see no deterioration in the performance. Oddly enough, Pyro RS performs poorly in MY long guns. Very low velocity for like charges compared to everything else, so I use Pyro P in both smoothbores and rifles. Shoots very well, and many years of shooting Pyro P in many different firearms has shown that is is an exact equivalent to Swiss 3F, velocity wise. Chronographs don't lie, have agendas or preferences. Have never noticed a difference in clean up between black powder and Pyro. Real black powder costs me $40 per pound (shipping, HAZMAT, etc.), whereas Pyro powder is available in the $20-$22 range. I order Swiss for my flintlocks, and my percussion guns get Pyro. That is pretty "Cool" in my estimation.
 
Due to lack of 3F or any black I tried Pyrodex P in my revolver I will report it works better than black, consistent ignition better accuracy, load triple 7 in my 45-70 trapdoor and 44-40 Yellow boy, 1873 single action I get a lot less fouling
I've been using Pyrodex in revolvers for over 15 years, the direct flash channel makes it easy to light off and it is accurate.

777 3f burns very clean in percussion revolvers, I fired over 60 rounds through a .44 Brasser with it, no lube, no cleaning, it just kept running.
 
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The 209 adapters get very little love, but they have been around since the Original Period like shown on this 1860's era Target muzzleloading rifle. This rifle was made new to take shotgun primers.


Shooters recognized the hotter flame of a shotgun primer was good for target shooting and shotgun primers were easy to find by the mid-late 1860's.

You can use Pyro and 777, or obviously real Black in a period correct repro with a Mag Spark and still be more or less HC , and 209 primers are readily available again. The Cheddite primers are $80 per 1,000

I have them on my Pedersoli Blue Mountain Hawken and CS Richmond.
 
Been shooting MLs the biggest part of 40 years. I once had a can of Pyrodex, so for grins poured it out in a line like Ol' Davy did agin the river pirates. Lit it off with a spark. My eyebrows did grow back......

Have never put the stuff in any rifle, shotgun, or pistol I have owned. Holy Black, and patched round ball.

I've done my part to keep this thread alive.
 
I just got back from trying Triple 7 2f in my Pedersoli 1816 Percussion .69 Smoothbore and ignition was terrible. It took 4 or 5 hot Rio Musket caps to ignite the charge. It must be the hard left turn the flame has to make to reach the powder

So, the 1816 is crossed off my "ok to use with subs" list
If you can't get a musket cap to touch off any substitute, you've got something wrong inside your breach.
 
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