This orta be good! POWDER.

Musketman:
I ain't real sure, but I think graphite is about 2 microns. :bull:
That's pretty fine stuff and a resperator would be necessary. When I was a detective we used extremely fine graphite to dust for fingerprints and the stuff would get everywhere in a hurry. :curse:
Make Smoke.

 

[Birddog6]

Maxi: Since you love this Elephant so much, next time I see you I will let you try some of this good Elephant I have that was made in Feb & April of 2001. You can pull the trigger, go eat lunch & come back, & maybe, just Maybe, considering if you are real patient, the stuff may go off, in a flintlock.
After if finally does goe off you can reload with the Goex or Scheutzen I have & the same rifle will go off instantly.

Of course this is an exageration but it is fact this particular lot of Elephant has a 1-2 second ignition delay in a Flintlock, compared to the Goex or Scheutzen is tested it against. Now if you are used to it & shoot it all the time you learn to adapt to that, but just to shoot it once in a while it really messes me up. From what I understand, this particular lot was way overglazed to ignite properly. Also the same lot of powder fouls much more than the Goex or Sheutzen it was compared to, and I was informed this lot of powder didn't have the proper moisture content it should have. The powder also was considerably lower velocity than the powders it was tested against.

I do feel it was a bad lot of powder, not the brand, as lots of people have shot it for years with good success.

Then of course as one feller suggested to me, it could be that I just don't know what I am doing, and probably not the powder at all, me being a newbie & all .....

Time will tell, huh.... If I can get in Another 30+ years of this BP stuff, maybe I will know what I am going, but the odds are against me ! ha ha !

 

A buddy of mine bought a case of canned GOEX some time ago, and is getting down to the last of it. I think it was only 50lbs. in 1 pound cans. Anyway, about 1/3 of the cans have a powder in them that's highly glazed, black shiny powder and the rest is the dull slightly grey/black ordinary GOEX powder with dust. The highly shiny, glazed powder, same labeled can, same box, doesn't have any dust at all. Brad says it all goes off in the perc. gun the same & didn't notice any difference except for the appearance and physical changes.
; Two entriely different lots in the same case + poor quality control, lot to lot - so this isn't confined to elephant. In GOEX's defense, he did say it shot the same, however he didn't try it in a flinter.
Daryl

 

Bd6: As you know you are the biggest scoundrel that takes the blame for getting me into this period correct flintlock thing. It's mostly all your fault for buidling guns way to pretty to pass up owning. :applause: ::
Anyway my experience pales in comparison to yours when it comes to the rock lock, so when you speak I listen.
I haven't tried much Elephant in a good flinter yet, my experience being that .45 (Bedford?) I bought from you, but it was shot with light charges of 3f Swiss and 4F Swiss in the pan. That rifle is such a good sparker I think it would fire a load of peanut butter. :bull:
Accurate too, one hole at 50 if I do my part.
I'll letcha know about the Elephant I have in the two handsome rifles you sent me last month as soon as General Motors stops trying to work me to death. :curse:
In the capper Elephant perfrom very well, at least my lot does as I bought a case. It seem pretty good, cleaner than most Goex.
Now I've read and it's been my experience that Goex AND Elephant have quality control issues big time, as both outfits buy the cheapest grades of raw components they can get away with.
Schuetzen(?) is supposed to be better than Elephant and Goex and right on par with Swiss for about 10 something a pound by the case via The Maine Powder House.
Give me some feedback on Scheutzen. Maybe I'll split a case with somebody.
And keep building rifles for the love of Pete!
Anyone wanting a hand built rifle has gotta see bd6's work. He's a true artist. :applause:

 

[Birddog6]

Maxi: I will be up that way about Easter if all goes as planned & can bring you some Scheutzen to try if so desired. It will be a 11 hr drive one way for me so if you want to drive to Meigs County & pick it up I will bring it for you.

The Scheutzen I have performs about equal to the Goex I have, (possibly slightly cleaner) which is leaps & bounds higher performance & cleaner burning than the lot of Elephant I have. (about 300 fps faster in a .54 cal flintlock) If I had my choices of which to buy & both are available I would get the Scheutzen. Not allot of dif. in them to Goex, but It would help keep another powder on the market & competition is good for them all.

The Scheutzen is not as potent or as clean burning as the Swiss, however the Swiss is a Sporting Rifle Powder & a dif. type of powder. Also it cost 1/3 more per pound. However, it is Awesome in a small bore rifle......... I don't shoot it in large bores.

Again I say, dif lots of powder work differently & you are correct in the fact that these powder companies have had their quality control problems. The only way to be sure of any of them is shoot a sample of it & then buy from the same lot as your sample, or that has been my only good way of knowing.

Going by what people tell you "Is Good Stuff" is a sure way to buy a lousy batch of powder, as most people don't compare it at all & will have one lot they have shot for a long time, thus they assume it is good stuff. How would they know if they never did any ballistics or tried any others ?

 

[roundball]

I rolled the dice today and ordered a case of Goex FFg.
The single can I tried last weekend was outstanding, fast & clean, from a lot made back in April'98 but the distributor didn't have that lot/date on hand any longer of course, so here's hoping this new case is a good one...will know soon
:shocking:

 

Yeh, we black powder shooters are at the mercy of just a few mfg.'s and we take what we get.
Let me know when you are headed this way and I'll see if the "General" will let loose of my life long enough to ronnyvous with ya.
By the way, the "Bedford" .45 is in good shape! ::
I wouldn't make a trip to Ohio any time soon however. We are supposed to get upwards of 10" of snow tomorry! :curse: :bull: