When did using 3fg become so popular?

[Kansas Jake]

I went back to 2f in my 50 when shooting stouter loads. The kick is less sharp.

 

[tenngun]

3 f will produce the same velocities with lighter charges. However it produces higher breech pressures. I wonder if when dealing with forge welded barrels that failures increased in larger calibers. Often old ‘pea shooters’ had inch thick barrels back in the day.
The guy who sold me my first rifle sold me a can of 3 for it. I had been shooting some years when I learned I was supposed to use 2 in .50s.

 

[hawkeye2]

So where was the "crossover" to 1Fg? It's pretty common in fowling pieces. Is it a caliber thing or more a function of the weight of the shot load?

It's a function of the pattern. Some guns may shoot tighter with 1f but it's something that can be found only by experimentation rather than by a chart in the back of a catalog where a lot of us got our start.

 

[hawkeye2]

My wife and I use 2f in our rifle-muskets under minies, same load. I have found 2f to work better in our applications. Otherwise I generally use 3f.

 

[Eutycus]

I think BullRunBear beat me to it with his last sentence. He used the words "availability and economy".

 

[SDSmlf]

For what it is worth, have used fff Swiss for everything, it just works for me. Found it to be the best, except possibly for 12 gauge, and in reality, it works pretty good with it too. Finding that f Swiss may be a tad better, but only on the pattern board. 16 rounds of trap with each and only five birds separates the two. I don’t shoot trap that consistent with modern shotguns. Need to look at Skychief’s loading method before I decide what may work ‘best’. Jury is still out, at least for me.

 

[BrownBear]

Back when I started shooting muzzle loaders the accepted practice was to use 3fg in guns under .50 cal and anything over .50 to use 2fg. I've always used 2fg and have never had issues. When did the change in attitudes toward 3fg in larger calibers take place? Am I the only person still using 2fg.?

From what I've seen, it pretty much coincides with the growing difficulty in getting black powder. Guys had to use what they had on hand and got to experimenting with it. And discovered that it often worked better than 2f in their guns. At least that explains how I came onto using it. Results in many cases have been so good that it can make the recommendation for 2f look like a bunch of folderol. Along the same lines, I dinked around with 1f in smoothbore shot loads, and got a heck of an improvement in patterns over the 2f I was SUPPOSED to be using. It's all I'll use with shot loads now, no matter how much guff I get for doing something so improper.

If the internet has done a single thing in my mind, it's helped guys spread the word when they find something good. And actual shooting tests rather than accepting holy gospel about holy black has spread pretty fast. There's a lot of talk in historic literature about good and bad black powder, but darned little about actual grain size. From all I can tell all the whoop of proper grain size is right there with canoe guns, and has very little if any foundation in fact.

 

[Rifleman1776]

If the internet has done a single thing in my mind, it's helped guys spread the word when they find something good.

Well stated, BB. Since the days of modern muzzle loading began it was unquestioned gospel that only 2Fg was to be used in larger caliber and 3Fg in smaller. I bought into that mindset for many years because those who originally mentored me in this avocation were experts and champions. But, at some point my thinking came back to be my own and I tried new ideas. Using 3Fg for almost everything was one of those things. Properly loaded it will give desired results in calibers/gauges from .32 cal. to (in my experience) 11ga. But, I do use 2Fg in my 20 ga. smoothie and Brown Bess because I have it, it works and I would rather use it up than just buy more 3Fg.

 

[renegadehunter]

I started with ff when I got into shooting BP, I have a .54 and went by the ff for over .50 & fff for under "rule". I was able to find an accurate load for both PRB and conicals with it. Since I like to experiment I picked up some fff a while back. In developing a PRB load with it I found that my rifle actually prefers a hotter charge of fff over the ff by about 5 grains. Groups are about the same between the two. I do feel that I get quite a bit less fouling when using fff, but my rifle still prefers to be swabbed every shot so it's really a mute point. I have made antler powder measures that are for my rifle's ff preference and that sways me to just buy ff when I need more.

 

[E. B. Leland]

My choice of granulation is result based. For instance, my 20 ga. throws much better patterns with fffg than with any ffg loads I have tried to date. On the other hand, the 12 ga. and .50 rifle are both definitely ffg guns.

Give ‘em what they like.

 

[WRustyLane]

Well, when I got my flintlock I went by the manufacturer's suggested powder recommendations and have always used 2fg powder for the main charge in my Pedersoli .50 cal. I did try some 3fg in a smaller amount and it shoots about the same as my 2fg powder, usually GOEX. So I buy 2fg for the flintlock and 3fg for the cap 'n ball pistol and of course 4fg for my priming powder.

 

[Stony Broke]

I completely gave up on ff some years back as fff seemed to work as good and sometimes even better in all of my muzzleloaders.

 

[smo]

I use both 3 and 2, depending how I feel that day.
Life is short. I buy many pounds of powder and cast round balls. Pretty much do what I want to every day. That was the idea of life when I started one, anyway. Not sure of how mine will end, but it wont be while worrying 3f or 2f.
Just go shoot. It beats workin'!

My “ Plan of the Day”, is not to have a plan!

Just go shoot... it could be 1,2,3 or 4 Fg , I‘ve got all the bases covered... lol

 

[Dave Orchard]

I use 3fg in my 26"/24 ga.
Patched ball loaded in funneled muzzle(wiped between shots most times) or 3/4 to 13/16 oz of #7 or #6 shot.
Most always 70 gr. 3fg, which seems to equal 75 gr. of 2fg & burn cleaner.
I often use 3fg to prime with as well.
Dave

 

[Huntschool]

First.… I dont own any muskets or other military reenactor guns. All mine are one off from .40 up through a .620 fowler . I shoot 3fffg GOEX or OE in everything. I have a .620 early Virginia gun (old Getz barrel) and a 32 octagon tapered SMR being built. I suspect both of those will shoot well with 3fffg. My wife shoots a drastically modified (stock, nose cap, shape) original percussion CVA Mountain rifle in .50 and uses either 2ffg or 3fffg. Loads for me range from 30 gr up to 90 gr for the .40 (its got a slow 1:66 twist Getz barrel), up to 110 gr for distance and longer range hunting in my .54 real Hawken replica, also a 1:66 twist. The smoothbore fowler likes 80 gr of 3fffg behind a patched .610 ball and 65 gr behind a 1 oz. shot load. I have shot a good bit of GOEX 2ffg in the Hawken but liked the 3fffg better

I started back in the day when all that 3fffg for .45 and below and 2ffg for .50 and above was in vouge.... Bunch of crap.... Oh yea, I use 4ffffg for prime.... I dont want a closed frizzen while I am loading and I darn sure dont want a touch hole big enough to prime the pan anyway. Fact is I dont want to have anything to do with paper cartridges or military arms save for perhaps the Whitworth. Just how I am.....

 

[Runewolf1973]

I use 3F because I like to prime with the same powder. Already gotta carry enough stuff to shoot black powder. I don't need or want to carry a priming horn on top of everything else. Same reason I don't use a short starter. Sometimes less is more.