Powder Brands Used?

[Hanshi]

Just thought I'd start a thread on the powders we all use or have used in the past.  If you burn any subs, that's included as well.  I'll go first.

Started out with Dupont in the 1960s (still have a can of 4F).  I also seem to remember a G-O? and something with a C-H?  Burned lots of Elephant, too.  But for a long time, now, I've used Goex and Jack's Battle Powder (made by Goex).  I haven't used Pyrodex except for once in the .45 Colt and was not impressed. 

I found all of them - although some were obviously better than others - to be quite satisfactory and have no complaints.  Accuracy was always good as was the power.

There remains Swiss, KIK, Grafs, OE, Schuetzen and possibly others.  Post your favorite(s) and evaluate any of the above per your experience and opinion.  Such as; how do you like Grafs, KIK, Schuetzen, OE, Goex, JBP or (the costly) Swiss, etc.  I had to give all my powders away, to a flintlock friend, when we moved as they wouldn't ship, lead too.  WAITING TO HEAR FROM Y'ALL.   

[hotfxr]

Pyrodex or any other non-real-black-powder "muzzle loader propellant" shall never touch any barrel I own. All I use is Goex, which is all I have been able to find around the contiguous states, and some private label powders, mixed in the ancient and time honored recipe going back to the 9th century.  You might remember those days.

[old salt]

I was given a pound of Pyrodex, fired one round and threw the rest out. A good friend gave me an almost full can of Dupont that had been his Dads. His dad had passed away some 30 years before.
I now use Goex and nothing else. Buy it a case or two at a time. It makes it cheaper that way.

[William]

Just thought I'd start a thread on the powders we all use or have used in the past.  If you burn any subs, that's included as well.  I'll go first.  Started out with Dupont in the 1960s (still have a can of 4F).  I also seem to remember a G-O? and something with a C-H?  Burned lots of Elephant, too.  But for a long time, now, I've used Goex and Jack's Battle Powder (made by Goex).  I haven't used Pyrodex except for once in the .45 Colt and was not impressed.  There remains Swiss, KIK, Grafs, OE, Schuetzen and possibly others.  Post your favorite(s) and evaluate any of the above per your experience and opinion.  Such as; how do you like Grafs, KIK, Schuetzen, OE, Goex, JBP or (the costly) Swiss, etc.  I had to give all my powders away, to a flintlock friend, when we moved as they wouldn't ship, lead too.  WAITING TO HEAR FROM Y'ALL.

My very first muzzle loader was a Lyman Trade Rifle that I bought at a local gun store that also had an indoor range.  After buying everything else that I needed, the only type of powder they had was Swiss, so I bought a pound and went to the range to see what it was all about.  My first shot put a .54 hole in the bulls eye at 100 yards.  I shot it off and on over the next few years but after moving to a new city and not able to find a place that sold real black powder I went to Pyrodex, both powder and pellets.  By that time I was in my :MAGNOMITUS" stage and thought I could hot rod my TR.  I tried the unmentionable projectiles, lead conicals, even sent off for some expensive but equally inaccurate specialty slugs that promised to blow a mine shaft hole in whatever I was hunting.  That was also around the time that I was getting into Cowboy Action shooting and had purchased a brace of 1858 Remingtons.  I still was using Pyrodex in the revolvers and it was at that time that I came to hate Pyrodex.  Inconsistent ignition, accelerated corrosion & rust, everything that frustrates a person.  For shooting in the black powder cartridge category I switched to Triple 7 which I also used in my muzzle loader.  It gave enough smoke and boom to satisfy requirements and was quite easy to clean up afterwards but it was too easy to load too much into a cartridge and would start splitting the brass after 3-4 reloads.  It would be nearly a decade later that I stopped CAS and began to focus more on muzzle loaders.  It was then that I bought another TR as well as a Lyman GPR along with Goex.  I eventually worked up a load for the TR using both 2f and 3f Goex and found that this .54 rifle "liked" 2f.  By that time I had acquired several other ML's including a Great Plains Hunter barrel with it's fast twist that was mounted on a Cabelas stock.  I had to cut about 5 inches off the barrel due to the previous owner having not seated the load in the breech, causing a bulge in the barrel.  Despite being short, this rifle would put a 220 grain Lee REAL bullet in the bulls eye every time using 95 grains of 3f Goex.  Recoil wasn't pleasant though and I have since sold it.  Oh, I tried Jacks's Battle powder, which only comes in 3f granulation.  Even though it's made by Goex I've never gotten good consistency from it so I get rid of it by just plinking an "close enough" shots.  Plus, I found that their customer service is terrible and can't hold a candle to other powder outlets like Powder Inc.

One last thing about the Pyrodex pellets; they are difficult to ignite, even in a revolver and are rendered inert when contaminated with the least amount of oil or water it comes in contact with, same with the powder.  That is my experience and I don't wish to argue or debate about it.  Since I am familiar with Goex I have no inclination to try other powders, even Swiss which I first used so many years ago.  As always, your mileage my differ.

[Hanshi]

I also disposed of my gifted Pyrodex in the backyard.  Never did any of that stuff go in one of my muzzleloader barrels.  6 .45 Colt cartridges were the extent of my association with Pyrodex.  Never tried any of the others.  In the past 15 years or so I've ordered two cases of Goex and a case of JBP.  Prior to that I bought it from our LGS. 

[flintboomer]

I use 777 for hunting loads unless I'm shooting a flintlock, all target loads are 3f GOEX although I have one rifle that prefers 85 grains or 2f Shuetzin. I don't have a source for Shuetzin and that rifle shoots 50 gr 3f GOEX almost as well.

I used Pyrodex for a while but kept wondering why my rifles were rusting and starting to pit until I finally realized that it was the Pyrodex. When I stopped using Pyrodex I stopped having a rust problem.

[pilgrim]

    I do not shoot as much as I should,  being  semi retired. But whenever I shoot I only shoot GOES.  Several years ago I ordered 22 pounds of GOEX and 3 pounds of KIK.  Still have not tried the KIK.   I have never ever tried any black powder substitutes in any of my traditional muzzleloaders.  I have and will always use Blackhorn 209 in my Modern Muzzleloader,  Blackhorn 209 is that good.   I was told recently that I could use Blackghorn 209 in my caplock rifles by simply replacing the nipple with a special nipple that uses 209 caps.  But that will not happen any time soon.

     Like William, I have tried many varieties of projectiles and just wish I had stuck with round balls and not got so over involved in molds for conical s etc/.  including sabots.    But I always jump in with both feet, whenever I decide to do something.   Sort of like marriage,  for better or worse.

[russell shaffer]

I've been shooting Black MZ lately.  It is $9.99 a pound at Sportsman's Warehouse and a pound goes a long way since it's bulkier than real black.  I don't have any flintlocks so ignition isn't a problem.  The stuff is at least 2f in size so it won't flow through a small flask spout very well but it shoots just fine for me in a 45 and a 50.  It makes a real nice cloud of smoke and cleans up really easy with no sulfur stink.  Some people will say that if you can't smell the sulfur it is no good but I can live without it.  The best thing other than price and availability is lack of fouling.  I can shoot all day without swabbing or losing accuracy, but I'm no super target shooter anyhow so I might be wrong about the accuracy for someone else.

[Watauga]

 Well Hanshi I starting my Muzzle loading experience and became addicted using Pyrodex in a Cap Lock TC Hawkins and an Ardesa Frontier then adding another Cap Lock TC Hawkins to the rack...I then found Heartless a Cap Lock Traditions Pennsylvania at a Pawn Shop and Took her home and have been using that Rifle the most from that day on,...When I started Reenacting,. I had Mongrel Convert Heartless to Flintlock... and have used Goex 3f from that day on... I have 2 New bottles of Pyrodex in the Powder Magazine and have not touched them for 7 +\- years??? 

[Hanshi]

Back when I started there were no such things as "subs"; it was black powder or no shooting.  I was simply conditioned to using black and never changed.   

[Fredredcj]

Flontboomer, shipping is expensive but Back Creek gun shop in winchester va. has shuetzen 2 and 3f. Its about hour and half from me and About month ago I went there to pick some up. Very nice people and said they ship nearly every day. Wish I would have purchased some shuetzen to try but I bought several pound of swiss and goex.

[flintboomer]

Flontboomer, shipping is expensive but Back Creek gun shop in winchester va. has shuetzen 2 and 3f. Its about hour and half from me and About month ago I went there to pick some up. Very nice people and said they ship nearly every day. Wish I would have purchased some shuetzen to try but I bought several pound of swiss and goex.

I have access to Goex through my Muzzleolading clubs and a friend who occasionally buys the bulk bags, plus I used to win powder at shoots where there was a prize table.
Until this year I woud go through 5-10 lb a year but since my wife retired I had to cut back on the shooting and do more with her. I probably only went through 2-3 lb this year. She doesn't shoot and complains that I am always gone even if it is only once a week.

[Fredredcj]

I can relate with the not shooting part but because of work instead of wife. Think she appreciates not hanging with me lol. I havent burnt even one grain yet this year

[graybear]

I started with fffG in my latest incarnation as a blackpowder shooter back in the late 80's. Since then, I've used Cleanshot (works good in my wife's .32), Pyrodex P & RS, (at least it didn't kill my grass), I couldn't get good consistent ignition even in my Pedersoli dbl. bbl. 12 ga. which is about as close to direct ignition as you can get. Jim Shockey Gold, I couldn't get accuracy so I'm using it in my shotgun just to get rid of it. Now my muzzleloaders are using GOEX, 2f, & 3f w/4f for my flintlock pans, and usually Triple7 for my caplock rifles, handguns, bird hunting w/ my Pedersoli 12, and I've even loaded up some 405 gr. and 500gr. 45/70 lead loads in my Repro Pedersoli Sharps. I also use 777 in my .50 cal TC unmentionable.
    These are simply my experiences with my firearms. If you use other powders and are happy, Congratulations. If you want to try some of the synthetics to see you results, go for it. One of the fun parts of our hobby is experimenting and seeing what results you get with your pieces. Go make some smoke.

[CampbellClan]

I started out using 777 in the late 80's early 90's maybe. Then was introduced to Swiss, elephant and DuPont and the powder I mainly use now, Goex. I still have a lb of DuPont I've been saving. Along with some of the other posters on this topic, I am guilty of not shooting as much as I should this year..due to a move and being very busy right afterwords. Cleaning up a much neglected outside yard and picking up after a backyard mechanic, who obviously had no trash service for years is VERY time consuming to say the least!!! The inside of the home is very very nice...outside is finally getting there after months of picking up junk and a few roll offs later...