Tried Some 1Fg on Wednesday

[Loyalist Dave]

I tried some 1Fg in my 20 gauge on Wednesday. 80 grains with an ounce of shot.
Seemed to work just fine, though I used 3Fg in the pan as that's what's in the horn, and I was using cartridges for the gun. The smell was akin to fireworks rather than shooting other powders, but the noise was manageable. It was Swiss brand, and was a tad dirty as I only took three test shots, but lots of residual sulfur smell on the ride home from the range, ; more than with 2Fg and 3Fg. I got a pound of the 1Fg as I am thinking of using a Bess this year to hunt, and want to keep the pressures down. I should probably do a steel can test with 2Fg and 1Fg and see if there is a penetration difference. I doubt it but good to know.

LD

 

[Stantheman86]

I got sent a pound of 1f in a batch of 5 pounds of 1.5f by accident from Powderinc......I tried it in a few of my rifles and a Lyman Plains Pistol. The grains are huge and its awkward to use with a measure, and I found it to make the bore really crusty. I think I'll use the rest up in one of my .69's or my Indian musket.

It does even sound different, more of a POP than a BOOM . 1.5f was also pretty dirty.

2f works great in most of my guns except maybe small bore stuff like my .45's and my .451, that like 3f.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Tried it once from .45" to 11g.
Never again. Too slow.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

My (roughly ) .54 cal smooth Indian Torador likes it, but shoots best with 5 drams.... (about 136 grains) It really goes with a crack though.

 

[Stantheman86]

Lots of people use the 1f in big bore Muskets but I found the 2f to work just fine.

If my powder sources were out of 2f I would have no problem burning up a pound of 1f but I'd rather not.

Using 1.5f in my Parker Hale .58 left the bore "chunky" after 40 or so shots.

 

[FlinterNick]

Heavy grained powders I’ve only used in a .80 bored Getz barreled Dutch style Fowler; slower ignition but the larger bore compensated for the 1f grains.

 

[tenngun]

I tried some 1Fg in my 20 gauge on Wednesday. 80 grains with an ounce of shot.
Seemed to work just fine, though I used 3Fg in the pan as that's what's in the horn, and I was using cartridges for the gun. The smell was akin to fireworks rather than shooting other powders, but the noise was manageable. It was Swiss brand, and was a tad dirty as I only took three test shots, but lots of residual sulfur smell on the ride home from the range, ; more than with 2Fg and 3Fg. I got a pound of the 1Fg as I am thinking of using a Bess this year to hunt, and want to keep the pressures down. I should probably do a steel can test with 2Fg and 1Fg and see if there is a penetration difference. I doubt it but good to know.

LD

I never shot it. I am surprised that it smells different. Interesting in your test results.

 

[Britsmoothy]

I never really got the larger bore needs courser powder thing.
The larger the bore the lower the pressure is naturally going to be.
My experience with course powder was wounding of small game until I put about 30% more volume of powder in to shot just to get velocity up enough to kill something!
3&4f for me any day. Frugal measures and good velocity. If I want low pressure I use an airgun.
Pressure rocks, it's goood. Give me pressure. Gets the job done.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Part of the reason is the litigious areas of The States where some of us live. I don't like to use 3Fg with a very heavy shot load.

I've found 2Fg is great from my 20 gauge SxS caplock, with an ounce of shot, but it has choked barrels. Those us with cylinder bores in flintlocks sometimes, shall we say, shoot heavy shot loads. So you're right, I probably should go up to 95 grains or maybe 110 if using the 1Fg.....

LD

 

[bud in pa]

I have tried 1F in my 20 ga.. I used 1 oz. of shot and got excellent patterns and penetrated the tuna can at 25 yds. It did much better than 2 f in my smoothie.

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

I never really got the larger bore needs courser powder thing.

Change that from larger bore to the longer barrel and you’d see a HUGE difference and improvement!

Based upon posts by others here - expressly for longer barrels - and I tried it in my 62 to 75-caliber smoothies (shortest barrel in the lot is 48”) and I saw great improvement in grouping, consistency, and reduction in fouling (by a more complete burn) in barrel lengths up to 60”. One day had > 35-shots out of my 75-cal, 60” club butt using 100-grn paper cartridge loads. Won 2nd place in the woods walk only to a longrifle ... just couldn’t miss that day!

 

[Rat]

I use Goex 1fg in my Bess "carbine" and have come to like it. I'm sure it does work better in a longer barrel though. It does seem to like a heavy charge, my Bess really knocks the turkeys dead using about 110-120 grains under 1&3/4 ounce of shot. I use 140 grains under a patched ball. She certainly speaks much louder than "pop". !!! I also like the way 1f packs up against the touch hole.

I used to use 2fg Swiss, with lighter charges, and it did make for a clean burn and more shots before wiping, but for hunting that's not a concern, and with or because of the price of Swiss I just use it in my Jeager anymore. I sure like Swiss, but my pistols and .58's seem to get along fine with Goex 3fg, and I wonder if the quality of Goex hasn't improved quite a bit over the years. ??

 

[Britsmoothy]

I use Goex 1fg in my Bess "carbine" and have come to like it. I'm sure it does work better in a longer barrel though. It does seem to like a heavy charge, my Bess really knocks the turkeys dead using about 110-120 grains under 1&3/4 ounce of shot. I use 140 grains under a patched ball. She certainly speaks much louder than "pop". !!! I also like the way 1f packs up against the touch hole.

I used to use 2fg Swiss, with lighter charges, and it did make for a clean burn and more shots before wiping, but for hunting that's not a concern, and with or because of the price of Swiss I just use it in my Jeager anymore. I sure like Swiss, but my pistols and .58's seem to get along fine with Goex 3fg, and I wonder if the quality of Goex hasn't improved quite a bit over the years. ??

That is my point, I had to put that much in to make it work.
I can use 2/3 of the volume with finer grades and less shot to get the job done.
It just doesn't make economical sense to me.
Each to their own of course. I am simply relating my experience with it.

 

[tenngun]

Part of the reason is the litigious areas of The States where some of us live. I don't like to use 3Fg with a very heavy shot load.

I've found 2Fg is great from my 20 gauge SxS caplock, with an ounce of shot, but it has choked barrels. Those us with cylinder bores in flintlocks sometimes, shall we say, shoot heavy shot loads. So you're right, I probably should go up to 95 grains or maybe 110 if using the 1Fg.....

LD

You can’t drive a shot load to fast or it blows it apart. However you have to be fast enough to get a kill, the soup or tuna can is a good indicator.
I’m missing your point on litigiousness.
Would you not have about the same effective range with 3F or 1F? Or were you thinking of possibly hurting the gun?

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Some of the folks that shoot smoothbores exceed the recommended or max loads. IF you blow up your barrel, pushing that smoothbore beyond its limits, tough to win a court case against the company that sold it to you. Whether Pedersoli or India made barrel, I'm not going to launch 2 ounces of shot with 110 grains of 3fg from any of my 20 gauges.

LD

 

[tenngun]

I see.