mixing powders

[Rifleman1776]

Firstly, before anyone starts browning their pants...I'm not talking about mixing modern and bp or even subs. Just real black powder.
Back when I was fanatically obsessed with hunting 'X's I bought my bp on batches and stayed with an single lot number was long as possible. My fear was a different brand or lot batch would blow my groups. So, when a pound can of bp was getting low I just poured it into another can labeled "mix". This would contain various lots, brands and even grades (2Fg and 3Fg) of powder. This was used for hunting and casual offhand shooting. Fact is I never really experienced notable differences in accuracy than when I was using only a specific type of powder for my serious target work. I'm sure now I was just fooling myself into thinking I was doing better that way. Enney other similar experiences with powder mixes? And, don't start telling us about yer Bullseye/bp mixes. :nono: :shake:

 

[ZUG]

OK -- here is what I do; when one can of my Goex is almost out I pour it into my next can of Goex of the same granulation size I am not that concerned with lot numbers. I do not use other types of BP only have Goex on hand. I do not mix granulation sizes - FFG to FFG and so on :v . This works for me and have been doing it forever.

 

[garra]

I pour the new style Geox plastic container contents into my metal Geox can because I like the old cans and they fit my box better. I never mix granulations, I read that was a NO, NO.

 

[ghostdncr]

I pour the new style Geox plastic container contents into my metal Geox can because I like the old cans and they fit my box better. I never mix granulations, I read that was a NO, NO.

I like the old cans, too.

As to mixing BP, I have never once seen or experienced any issues as a result. I remember starting out and being told I MUST prime with FFFFg or the earth would be thrown off its axis and all the babies, kittens, and puppies would die! This was, of course, poppycock. You can prime with FFg and absolutely nothing comes of it. With some rifles, I have (maybe) noticed a few milliseconds of delay when priming with coarser powders, but that may just be imagination. Considering the powder grades dealt with in the 18th and 19th centuries, I'd not give mixing a second thought for just "banging around" type shooting. Big-money hunts or competition will warrant a different approach, I'm thinking...

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Well, mixing granulation types isn't that bad when it comes to what happens to the rifle or the gun when firing. So called "reenactor grade" powders are basically a mixture of granulation types.

Now I have see different points of impact happen when one switches brands of powder. I found this when I tried Graf's [scheutzen] 3Fg when I normally use GOEX 3Fg.

LD

 

[ghostdncr]

Now I have see different points of impact happen when one switches brands of powder. I found this when I tried Graf's [scheutzen] 3Fg when I normally use GOEX 3Fg.

LD

Same here. Swiss will produce dramatically different POI than Goex, and vice versa. I shoot primarily Goex, because it's what's available locally. If I were to switch to Swiss, Elephant, etc, I'd plan on a completely new "working up of a load"...

 

[excess650]

It depends upon what powder I'm dealing with. My default powder for all of my rifles .45, .50, .54, .58, and .62 is Goex fffg. I'll usually use ffg in my smoothbore loads. To burn up extraneous lots of ffg or fffg that don't work as well as my fffg Goex, I'll do a 20% duplex of Goex under the other powder and use it for 50 yard offhand work.

I do have a mixed can or two of Goex fffg of various lots, and its either used as is or as the kicker in the duplex loads.

As for the old metal cans vs the newer plastic, I prefer the plastic. It will never rust. I've transferred older lots from metal cans to plastic that I've sourced from other shooters, and I do label them accordingly.

About 2 weeks back I dumped a can of Elephant that was rusting through from the inside out. It took water pump pliers to get the lid off. This particular powder had blistered its original container and was transferred to a clean, rust free, Goex can. It rusted the Goex can as well, so it got dumped.

 

[hanshi]

I do mix powder just as Zug describes. It all appears to shoot the same.

 

[M. De Land]

The truth is every one is shooting mixed granulation of powder in each can he uses. All have fines in them and the more the powder is agitated the more fines will be fractured off.
Actually screening the fines out of each can of powder purchased will keep one perpetually in 3-4 f pan powder without having to buy it separately.
I wouldn't use mix brands for match work but would have no qualms at all about not only mixed brands but also granulation's for fun shooting.
I have done some experimenting with black powder duplex loading in cartridges that shows some promise.
A few grains of fine powder in the base and then the rest of the case filled with a courser grain powder seems to show some possibilities.

 

[Zonie]

I posted this in another topic but here is a list of grain sizes.

Notice that the grain size of different F grades overlap so, one could say there is some 3F in 2F powder and some 4F in 3F powder. :shocked2:

FF = .59-1.19 mm (.023-.0469 inch) Average = .89 mm or .035 inches.

FFF = .29-.84 mm (.011-.033 inch) Average = .57 mm or .022 inches.

FFFF = .15-.42 mm (.006-.017 inch) Average = .29 mm or .011 inches.

 

[smo]

Strange that you ask....

Last week I was getting ready to do a little shooting.

I noticed that my horn was out of powder.

In my storage cabinet I found a 1/4 can ffg and a 1/4 can of fffg Goex.

What the heck... I just poured them in my horn and started shooting.

Would this be ff & 1/2 f g ?

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I found that mixing 50/50 didn't mess up accuracy for anybody not counting X's at a match, BUT if you sighted in with 2Fg, and over time added an ounce of 3 Fg to the mix, eventually you're pretty much shooting 3Fg, and that too, giving you probably some faster speeds might change your POI if you start reaching out to 100 yards. ???

LD

 

[csitas]

Dave, you point out a fact here that I've always agreed with.I doubt that most shooters could tell If they were two grains over or two grains under their desired load.I even wonder as to stretch it to five grains . Off a bench even. It would be my pleasure to see it proven positive.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Dave, you point out a fact here that I've always agreed with.I doubt that most shooters could tell If they were two grains over or two grains under their desired load.I even wonder as to stretch it to five grains . Off a bench even. It would be my pleasure to see it proven positive.

Interesting point. And the responses seem to show that mixing does not noticably affect poi or other performance.
When I first started this game a top level consistent winner at Friendship told me a five grain difference in load, up or down, would not make any difference in performance. I was polite but thought (still do) he was way wrong. If five grains doesn't make a difference then five more wouldn't either. But, that would be ten grains away from your starting point..... :hmm:

 

[tenngun]

The one point I would add in is barrel length. At some point adding powder won’t noticbly effect your poa. So five grains may not have an effect. This is an extreme edge, but just like every rule of muzzleloading ”˜ it’s more of a sugestion’. A .36 won’t act like a .62, a 26 inch barrel is different then a 42 or 44 inch barrel.
Should you put 2 and 3f in a can or horn and carry it the 2 will settle to the bottom with 3 on the top.