Problem with Pyrodex pistol pellets

[Birddog1911]

Took my 3rd model Dragoon out yesterday for the first time. Loaded it up with new Pyrodex pellets. Every shot had a flintlock like delay, and did not burn completely. In fact, it was shooting out burning cinders. Even set my target on fire!

Tried 12, and don't feel that any of them in the box are safe. Switched to regular 777, and all good. I emailed Hodgdon, guess I'll see what they say.

 

[mooman76]

I've never shot the pellets but heard one end has a tiny bit of real BP on it. Maybe you loaded them backwards? personally I just wouldn't shoot the pellets anyway.

 

[Okie Hog]

Maybe you loaded them backwards?

+1

Pyrodex pellets have a black powder ignitor on one end, That end goes toward the nipple.

 

[DOUBLEDEUCE 1]

I’ve seen burning pellets going down range. It was a bit unsettling. Thankfully, no fires were started because we got them out quickly. Lots of dried grass in already burned and burning California.

I’ll stick with black powder….

 

[10acres]

I shoot 777 pellets out of my unmentionable front stuffer, but have never even thought about using them in my other muzzleloaders.

 

[TrapperDude]

Personally, I kind of wish I could have seen your target catching fire.

I don't think range fires are funny, but a burning target is a whole other matter--it seems like a scene from a slapstick comedy.

 

[SDSmlf]

Took my 3rd model Dragoon out yesterday for the first time. Loaded it up with new Pyrodex pellets. Every shot had a flintlock like delay, and did not burn completely. In fact, it was shooting out burning cinders. Even set my target on fire!

Tried 12, and don't feel that any of them in the box are safe. Switched to regular 777, and all good. I emailed Hodgdon, guess I'll see what they say.

No flintlock like delay here to relate to, as my flintlocks are as fast to me in my opinion, as my caplocks (I have done only a little high speed photography to actually measure), but have tried both Pyrodex and T7 pellets in cap and ball revolvers and traditional muzzleloading rifles. Didn’t work that well for me when compared to loose powder, but that’s just my experience. While no where near as fast or consistent as loose powder in my opinion, pellets seem somewhat ok in guns like TC’s Firestorm if you could learn to hold through the main ignition delay.

 

[.36Rooster]

...Switched to regular 777, and all good. I emailed Hodgdon, guess I'll see what they say.

Switch to regular goex, and email buffalo arms and have them mail you 5 pounds of it,...and then just go have fun shooting the actual powder that these guns were meant to shoot...

 

[No second place]

"Every shot had a flintlock like delay," No such thing...Maybe referring to some newbie not knowing how to use a Flintlock properly getting hang fires. Shooting that Pyrodex stuff is just asking for problems. Rust ,hangfires and so-so results. Never known any match winner on the line at the nationals who would use that stuff. There is no sub for Black powder worthy of my guns...

 

[wb78963]

perhaps this is the wrong place, but the solution to the problem is use the pellets for fertilizer and shoot
REAL Gunpowder any of that imitation stuff. By the way if you use it for fertilizer I have in on good authority it will cause rusty grass.
Grouchy Curmudgeon
Bunk

 

[wb78963]

Switch to regular goex, and email buffalo arms and have them mail you 5 pounds of it,...and then just go have fun shooting the actual powder that these guns were meant to shoot...

Hooray for you Rooster that is exactly the problem solver.
Bunk

 

[necchi]

Loaded it up with new Pyrodex pellets. Every shot had a flintlock like delay, and did not burn completely. In fact, it was shooting out burning cinders. Even set my target on fire!

, , ,,
Well, Let "that" be a lesson to ya,
Thanks for sharing,, maybe others will learn too,

 

[Birddog1911]

+1

Pyrodex pellets have a black powder ignitor on one end, That end goes toward the nipple.

There is nothing in the instructions to indicate this. Nor is there a visual indicator.

"Every shot had a flintlock like delay," No such thing...Maybe referring to some newbie not knowing how to use a Flintlock properly getting hang fires. Shooting that Pyrodex stuff is just asking for problems. Rust ,hangfires and so-so results. Never known any match winner on the line at the nationals who would use that stuff. There is no sub for Black powder worthy of my guns...

Call it what you like. But a solid half second between cap ignition and the pellet igniting is a problem.

 

[TrapperDude]

"Every shot had a flintlock like delay," No such thing...Maybe referring to some newbie not knowing how to use a Flintlock properly getting hang fires. Shooting that Pyrodex stuff is just asking for problems. Rust ,hangfires and so-so results. Never known any match winner on the line at the nationals who would use that stuff. There is no sub for Black powder worthy of my guns...

Pyrodex P seems to perform pretty well under caps in a revolver, so I haven't completely disregarded it. It was plentiful when I got my R.1858, so I stocked up a bit.

For my flintlock, though, I did make a special trip to a local place that sells real black powder. The stuff is a bit of a commodity, so I save it for the flintlock and get virtually zero lag.

 

[Okie Hog]

There is nothing in the instructions to indicate this. Nor is there a visual indicator.

Yep, i was wrong. The pistol pellets don't have the blackpowder igniter . That's why they don't work well in some revolvers.

"I know that I have read this somewhere before. But (and I just checked very closely again) these pistol pellets have no black end. The pellets have a hole down the middle and are otherwise completely homogeneous. No color variation whatsoever - completely symmetrical. Defective? IDK, having never used them before - the whole package is the same."


Pyrodex pistol pellets | Bushcraft USA Forums

 

[Bad Karma]

That’s weird… I bought a box of those when they came out and they worked in everything I tried them in. No hang fires, they just worked.

 

[Birddog1911]

That’s weird… I bought a box of those when they came out and they worked in everything I tried them in. No hang fires, they just worked.

Everyone can have a bad day, and it wouldn't surprise me if it was just a bad batch. I know I've seen a number of videos that worked fine.

 

[Elkhorse]

I tried them in my Sharps when I got it about 18 yrs. ago. Nuff said.

 

[Birddog1911]

Has nothing to do with a product that didn't exist 14 years ago, nor the pistol being discussed.

 

[Elkhorse]

Has nothing to do with a product that didn't exist 14 years ago, nor the pistol being discussed.

Just called the factory, pellets came out in 1996.