Powder Pellets?

[RATROD56]

I'm relatively new to muzzleloading, I shoot a Hawken Woodsman, I was checking around for good prices on 50cal lead balls and found an ad for "black powder pellets." This is the first i've ever heard of them, any opinions on how much better or worse they are tin loose powder? Pellets seem strange to me, are they for more modern breech loading muzzleloaders?

 

[William O.]

I'm relatively new to muzzleloading, I shoot a Hawken Woodsman, I was checking around for good prices on 50cal lead balls and found an ad for "black powder pellets." This is the first i've ever heard of them, any opinions on how much better or worse they are tin loose powder? Pellets seem strange to me, are they for more modern breech loading muzzleloaders?

Don't waste your money on them, stick with traditional black powder such as Goex, Swiss, etc. Pellets do not work well or not at all in traditional muzzle loaders and are designed to ignite at the center of the pellet, not the side. They often don't work at all in flintlocks and limit your powder charge to whatever grain amount is in each pellet. My .54 percussion rifle does it's best using 85 grains of 2f. How would I get that amount if the pellets are all 50 grains each? What if I need a 120 grain charge? Pellets don't allow you to work up the most accurate load for your rifle and are designed for those plastic abominations that look like modern suppository guns.

 

[S.Kenton]

Yes, those pellets are designed for The modern” muzzle loaders that we don’t discuss here. Like William said, they don’t work too well in our primitive ones.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I think the consensus on this Forum is that pellets are not the optimal choice, in fact a bad choice. Hard to ignite and not adjustable for best accuracy.

 

[Plainsman]

Rather just pour my own. That way I can tinker for the right loads.

 

[dave951]

Don’t bother.

 

[RATROD56]

Don't waste your money on them, stick with traditional black powder such as Goex, Swiss, etc. Pellets do not work well or not at all in traditional muzzle loaders and are designed to ignite at the center of the pellet, not the side. They often don't work at all in flintlocks and limit your powder charge to whatever grain amount is in each pellet. My .54 percussion rifle does it's best using 85 grains of 2f. How would I get that amount if the pellets are all 50 grains each? What if I need a 120 grain charge? Pellets don't allow you to work up the most accurate load for your rifle and are designed for those plastic abominations that look like modern suppository guns.

I'm a traditionalist, I had no plans on ever using them, I was just curious. Just looking at them I didn't figure they would work in a traditional muzzleloader. Thank you for the advice. I fully agree with you

 

[RATROD56]

Don’t bother.

Never planned on to, I just found them interesting, I'd never seen them before.

 

[RATROD56]

Rather just pour my own. That way I can tinker for the right loads.

I agree.

 

[RATROD56]

Yes, those pellets are designed for The modern” muzzle loaders that we don’t discuss here. Like William said, they don’t work too well in our primitive ones.

Yeah, just looking at them I couldn't see them working in a "primitive" muzzleloader. I was just curious about them, I've never seen them before. I use traditional powder only and I don't care for modern muzzleloaders. Traditional muzzleloaders are functional works of art in my opinion.

 

[ADK Bigfoot]

Some guys in my hunting club use them. I have seen days when the pellets look like tracers, coming out of the barrel burning all the way to the target or ground. Inconsistent ignition, velocity, and accuracy. Pretty worthless in my humble opinion. I can't see how they are any easier to use or more efficient than a pre-measured load. And far less flexible.

ADK Bigfoot

 

[William O.]

I'm a traditionalist, I had no plans on ever using them, I was just curious. Just looking at them I didn't figure they would work in a traditional muzzleloader. Thank you for the advice. I fully agree with you

I thought that might be the case so I'm sorry to have been long winded. I tried them back when I was shooting Cowboy Action (in my revolvers) and had nothing but problems so when anyone asks, I try to save them from disappointment.
Having said that, pellets do provide a bit of entertainment when launched from a barrel alone with no ball or shot on top. At least that is what I'm good as it's not something I've ever done or even thought about. Really! ;-)

 

[Zonie]

For those people who have a side drum on their barrel like the one shown in the lower right side of the picture below, powder pellets will often not fire because the flame from the cap is directed directly into the side of the pellet rather than on the rear of them.

For those who haven't seen powder pellets, they (usually) have a hole thru them and they always have a ring of real black powder glued to the rear of them.

The reason for this black powder ring is, the flash from the cap usually isn't enough to ignite the compressed synthetic powder but it can light the black powder ring. When the black powder ring ignites, the flame goes into the hole thru the pellet and of course against the rear of the synthetic powder. With all of that fire in the area, the synthetic powder finally ignites (usually) and the gun fires.
With a side drum, the flash from the cap won't reach the black powder ring so the load (usually) won't fire.

 

[JHB]

This should be a sticky.

 

[TNGhost]

Pellets will work OK if you drop a small "priming charge" behind them making sure to account for it in your overall charge weight.

Pellets are, as noted by the others here, not the most desirable of propellants for a muzzleloader, but, things being the way they are these days, and there not being a lot of powder available out there, and who knows when or if these shortages will abate, they will work, and if it is all you can find and especially if it is at a good price, why not.

 

[TC Tommy]

Pellets seem strange to me, are they for more modern breech loading muzzleloaders?

I have about seventeen side lock muzzleloaders, caps and flints, and one of those inline muzzleloaders,
(not breech loader). Actually it's a barrel for TC Encore that I don't use. Tried it several times in the backyard.
Then I hung it up. Back when I ordered it from TC Custom Shop, Fox Ridge Outfitters, I ordered the one with
1 in 48" twist for patched ball or maxi balls, not the 1 in 28" for sabots, (oops, I just said a very bad word),
I have to go, and that barrel is going to Ebay this summer.

 

[10acres]

I use them in my unmentionable rifle only and they work well. Never even thought about using them in anything else.

 

[ord sgt]

With the pellets, you have only a choice of three powder charges......50, 100, 150. I have see the noobies at my range start out using all three pellets of synthetic powder for their first shot with the unmentionalble rifles. Everyone knew it was overcharged.

 

[leadhoarder]

I never understood why folks ae drawn to those pellets. As mentioned above there is not much granularity (pun intended) to fine tune your loads. They are harder to ignite and I have heard that they go flaccid very quickly once opened.. When you consider the extra cost it just does not make sense.

 

[William O.]

I thought that might be the case so I'm sorry to have been long winded. I tried them back when I was shooting Cowboy Action (in my revolvers) and had nothing but problems so when anyone asks, I try to save them from disappointment.
Having said that, pellets do provide a bit of entertainment when launched from a barrel alone with no ball or shot on top. At least that is what I'm told good (stupid spell check!!! ) as it's not something I've ever done or even thought about. Really! ;-)