powder choice

[bradmartin]

Went to my local gun shop yesterday to pick up some goex. All they had was 3f. I know many people use 3f for the main as well as for prime. What would be a good starting load going from 4f to 3f?

 

[Peter B]

I shoot 3x in anything 50 cal and below and go to 2x above that. I also prime with 3x. Works fine for me.

P :thumbsup:

 

[MikeChapin]

Right now I'm using KIK powder and am using 2F in that brand. I did use GOEX 3F in all my rifles from .36 to .58. The KIK behaves the same as GOEX 3F donw to load size.

As for priming, I use 4F. A lot of people use 3F and like it better than 4F because it doesn't attract moisture like 4F and works just as well. I live in a pretty dry climate so that is not such a concern for me.

 

[AZ-Robert]

Went to my local gun shop yesterday to pick up some goex. All they had was 3f. I know many people use 3f for the main as well as for prime. What would be a good starting load going from 4f to 3f?

Were you using 4f as your main charge before?

When going from 2f to 3f, the rule of thumb I've heard is to use 20% less powder...100 gr of 2f is replaced with 80 gr of 3f. There might be a similar rule for conversion from 4f to 3f, but I don't know it.

The other rule of thumb I've heard for 3f is to start with a powder charge equal to your caliber (e.g. a 50 cal would start with a 50 gr load), and hunting loads usually end up around 1.5 times the caliber (e.g. a 50 cal would be about 75 gr). And there are probably about 1.5 opinions per person on how useful those rules of thumb are :grin:

My .40 likes 30 grains of 3f for most target shooting. For the 100 yard shots I give her 50 grains.

My .54 likes 70 grains of 3f.

As for priming "loads", the pan should be no more than half-full whether using 3f or 4f.

 

[Stumpkiller]

And there are probably about 1.5 opinions per person on how useful those rules of thumb are.

You pegged that one square. :haha:

I've heard you should reduce anywhere from 10% to 20% when switching from FFg to FFFg when using a volume measure. There is more powder in a given volume because the smaller kernels pack together tighter, not because it's any more potent of a powder. Though smaller does have a faster burning/explosion rate. It all comes out of the same batch in a drying pan.

Personally, I'd drop back 15% and start working back up slowly.

 

[WV MZL HUNTER]

3F powder is cleaner burning powder. If you use say 90 gr.s of 2F Just use 75 gr.s of 3F and you should be ok.
T/C says to use 2F in most all the guns they make down to 45 cal. You will find out that a lot of us use 3F Powder in most guns. What ever you use be safe and ask if you are not sure like you did here.
Good luck.

 

[tnlonghunter]

I heard somewhere that you shouldn't even use 4f powder for the main charge, only for the priming. I started priming with 3f last year when I lost my priming flask on a deer hunt and was too cheap to buy another. I'd love to use up the rest of my tin of 4f if it is actually safe to do so. What charge of 4f would be good to use in a .50 with a 38 inch barrel? I'd like to not blow myself up in the process, but if it works that'd be great. thanks

 

[bradmartin]

Thats just what I wanted to know. Thanks to everyone for the help. I'll let ya know how things go.

 

[gordy]

As others have said'justreduce the charge 10-20% and safety shouldn'tbe an issue."The rule of thumb" that AZ mentions is a good starting point to work from.It seems to me that 3f burns a little cleaner than 4f,and works well in the pan also.I've never used 4f as a main charge,but have read of some that do.If I had nothing else i'd give it a try.Don't think there would be any advantage in the 4f loads.

 

[bpollock_sr]

you should never use 4f as a main charge. The pressure spike is just too great to be safe in the mild steel ml barrels. A gun fired with a 4f main charge may have a barrel failure on the first shot or not till the hundredth shot but it will fail, and usually with disasterous results.

 

[bradmartin]

you should never use 4f as a main charge. The pressure spike is just too great to be safe in the mild steel ml barrels. A gun fired with a 4f main charge may have a barrel failure on the first shot or not till the hundredth shot but it will fail, and usually with disasterous results.

All I've read said the same thing.

 

[roundball]

I also agree as far as 'typical' main charges go...however, it's worth clarifying that it doesn't mean 4F can't be used downbore at all...after all, Hodgdon themselves advertises putting 5 grains of 4F down bore as an 'ignitor' charge to improve ignition when using Pyrodex;

Also, another example I've personally tried is a small 25-30grn charge of 4F in a .45cal rifle...makes an excellet plinking load if you just happen to have a bunch of 4F to burn up.

But to be clear, I also agree it is not advisable to use normal size charges of 4F as a main charge.