Which Powder to use?

[HJG]

Question, On a 50cal. Percussion Rifle, I would like to get some input on what type of powder to use. Goex or Triple Seven.... ~Thank you~

 

[Kansas Jake]

Goex FF or FFF. Other brands of regular black powder too.

 

[Grenadier1758]

GOEX would be the first choice. What powders are available where you live? Because sometimes real black powder can't be found in local gun stores or even the big box stores due to black powder storage regulations. In that case Triple Seven will have to do.

 

[HJG]

GOEX would be the first choice. What powders are available where you live? Because sometimes real black powder can't be found in local gun stores or even the big box stores due to black powder storage regulations. In that case Triple Seven will have to do.

Thank you! A gentleman told me that Triple Seven will not fire sometimes because the No. 11 cap isn't hot enough. He recommended to use GOEX FFG

 

[Carbon 6]

Thank you! A gentleman told me that Triple Seven will not fire sometimes because the No. 11 cap isn't hot enough. He recommended to use GOEX FFG

Nothing ignites as easily or is as reliable as real blackpowder. Substitute powders are all harder to ignite, some are very hard.
777 is not a bad powder at all, it has it's uses. You may find it works just fine for you, or you may find it problematic. I like it very much for some applications.

 

[Grenadier1758]

You didn't say what rifle you are intending to shoot. That can make a difference too.

The gentleman is reasonably correct. Triple Seven is much harder to ignite than a real black powder such as GOEX. But it can be done. You would need a #11 Magnum cap and one of the nipple designed to direct a hot flash through the nipple to the main charge. These are the Hot Shot, Spitfire and Red Hot nipples. Be sure to get the nipple with the correct thread for your rifle.

 

[oldwood]

Goex FFFG and FFG..........Black Powder Matters

 

[Justin.44]

@Grenadier1758 If using 777, would RWS 1075 caps be comparable to #11 magnums for ignition?

 

[Omahkapi'si]

I am shooting Triple 7 in a Pedersoli .50 cal percussion. So far so good. #11 CCI caps. Went with this powder as it is readily available to me and will ship in Canada same as smokeless powder. I would have to travel 2 or more hrs to buy BP. I have some Pyrodex RS as well but have not shot it yet. Might not as I have read lots of negative stuff about clean up & corrosion. However, won't get into cleanup here, there looks to be many, many, many threads on cleaning how-to's.

 

[Carbon 6]

There are several options for solving the ignition problem,

1. A duplex charge ( I don't recommend)
2. A different nipple, (hot-shot etc.)
3 A modified nipple (enlarged flame channel)
4. More powerful caps, (Magnum, Musket, and 209.)

 

[Grenadier1758]

@Grenadier1758 If using 777, would RWS 1075 caps be comparable to #11 magnums for ignition?

The RWS 1075 caps are hotter than the CCI #11 cap. I'm not sure if they are as hot as #11 CCI Magnums. I do know they a little less priming compound in them. I have a EuroArms New Model Army The CCI #10 #11 and RWS 1075 caps don't fire because of the short cone. The CCI Magnum caps do fire.

 

[Bent Sight]

I am shooting Triple 7 in a Pedersoli .50 cal percussion. So far so good. #11 CCI caps. Went with this powder as it is readily available to me and will ship in Canada same as smokeless powder. I would have to travel 2 or more hrs to buy BP. I have some Pyrodex RS as well but have not shot it yet. Might not as I have read lots of negative stuff about clean up & corrosion. However, won't get into cleanup here, there looks to be many, many, many threads on cleaning how-to's.

When I first started shooting sidelock muzzleloaders a few years ago, Pyrodex RS was all I could find locally. I've fired several pounds of it using whatever caps were available, CCI, Winchester and Remington # 11 caps, through three different rifles and one handgun. I haven't needed Magnum caps to reliably shoot 25 to 30 rounds in a practice session or a match.

Black powder will require a bit of a drive to buy it in person, but Triple Se7en is available locally, so I have been shooting it lately. Once my dwindling supply of Pyrodex is used up, I am going to use Triple Se7en or black powder. If someone gave me a pound of Pyrodex, I would not turn it down though.

 

[Eutycus]

Availability is a big factor. So far it's been Pyrodex.

 

[BillRob]

A couple decades ago I missed a nice antelope because of a hang-fire using pyrodex in a .54 cal TC Hawken rifle. I switched back to Goex fff and have never looked back. (I did try hot caps as well as hot-shot nipples but I could never get instant combustion.) If I had to drive a couple hours to get BP instead of a substitute, I would fire up the old truck and enjoy the drive. Best wishes either way!

 

[Howard Pippin]

Question, On a 50cal. Percussion Rifle, I would like to get some input on what type of powder to use. Goex or Triple Seven.... ~Thank you~

After purchasing a new percussion sidelock last winter, I decided to try to use 777 as it is much more available where I live, at least the hardware store that's only 30 miles away, can order it for me and they can't do so with holy black. A little research told me to increase the hole in the nipple a tiny bit, and I bought a new stainless nipple to do this with, and I just use regular caps as when I tried Magnums they would stick in the hammer, was using Remingtons, last time I went to the closest dealer, which is 120 miles away, he had CCI which is just fine too. He doesn't handle holy black. Don't let them scare you off, in a precussion 777 work just fine and is actually hotter with easy cleanup. I can generally shoot up to 15 times without swabbing.
squint

 

[Omahkapi'si]

in a precussion 777 work just fine and is actually hotter with easy cleanup. I can generally shoot up to 15 times without swabbing.

Agreed, I put 9 through mine the other day with a dry patch through it a couple of times to just clean up some fouling. Could have shot more.

 

[Crow-Feather]

Powder inc. 5 pounds for a little over 100.00. If you worry, bury 4 pounds in the back yard. I prefer 3f as I believe that it better obturates the ball into the patch.

 

[jambuster]

In the past i used Pyrodex RS with my TC renegade and it shot well but the crud ring was all but impossible to get out of the barrel. About 3 years ago I bought a new Lyman GPR 54 and started using Graff fffg. It shoots well , is very consistent in quality, and Black Powder is much easier to clean than Pyrodex . I would never use a substitute again and black powder can be shipped straight to your door.

 

[ord sgt]

Goex FFg for my .69 calibre. Goex FFFg for my .45 and .50 calibre flinters and percussion rifles and pistols.

 

[BillRob]

Regarding the idea of increasing the size of the nipple hole "a little" - that is probably okay but for me it would be hard to know when "a little" is too much, especially with my eye just a few inches away from the nipple. As far as how many shots between cleanings - there is no doubt that BP substitutes will allow more shots. When I was shooting rockchucks with my muzzleloader, I would have appreciated getting eight or ten shots before I had to swab out the bore - and if I got a hang fire, it really didn't bother me too much. But when I am going after big game, with all the time and money that it takes - and considering that if I am lucky enough to get a shooting opportunity, it may be the only one of the year, as long as it is available the ONLY propellant that I will use, and recommend is good, old-fashioned black powder.