[kawhead71]

I just stumbled upon this forum, and I've been reading it for about an hour now. I've been through a lot of different forums in the past, and invariably got sick of all the whining and fighting that goes on. Most forums are just places for people to let their internet bravado run wild. Not here. Even when y'all disagree with each other, it doesn't degenerate into a bunch of name-calling and schoolyard nonsense. At least not in the twenty or so threads that I've read this evening. I appreciate that. Thank you.

My BP question: What does everyone think of the BP "sticks" that some companies sell? Apparently it's some kind of pre-compressed BP that eliminates measuring your charge in the traditional way. I know very little about BP guns, but I'm willing to learn.

[Roswell 1847]

I feel the same. I only joined recently and the members here are some of the most studious and helpful in the field of shooting sports.

[dwave]

Welcome to the forums kawhead71. Now you question about the preformed charges, I don't use them myself. They don't work well in sidelock rifles and I don't believe the extra cost is really worth it. I always use loose powder of either 777 or Goex Black Powder.

[adrumm]

I think they are designed more for the inline modern BP rifles that use the shotgun 209 ignition. I have one, but have not tried the compressed plugs yet.

[Roswell 1847]

Haven't used any BP sticks but I can tell you that the original .303 British cartridge used a compressed hollow stick of Black powder. The idea wa that the hollow interior would act in the same manner as the solid fuel rocket motor, it would burn at a fractionally slower rate than a simple charge of Black Powder in the form of grains or flakes, this giving a similar pressure curve to that of progress smokeless propelents. The result was higher velocity at the same pressures.

[Ratshooter]

Welcome to the forum but don't be fooled. Every once in a while the boys have a go at each other but not often. Do a search on shooting cats and dogs and you will see. Thanfully they are locked pretty quick.

For the most part this is an excellent site. I never thought i would post on a forum but once i started i couldn't stop. It wasn't just replying to a post but starting my own thread and getting what has to be some world class advice. Not only that but sometimes sombody makes a comment and has me laughing my a** off.

[Wildfire]

Hey there, And Welcome.
No powder sticks here. How do you adjust your load with those?
Loose powder only. Just my oppion . But I'm an accuracy nut. :)

[scrat]

Welcome to the forums. The whole entire high road is like this from, rifles, handguns, shotguns, reloading. Im really fond to say that i believe we have the best of the best when it comes to members and topics.

[Pancho]

Welcome to our computer disfunctional family. I agree with wildfire loose powder for me. It seems my guns shoot best between the arbitrary sticks and pellets.

[Snaggletooth]

I tried the sticks. 100 of them cost me 16.00 at Bass Pro. I tried them. They were 25 grain sticks. Easy to load and all that. Ive since gone back to BP. I think I still have a CVA Bison loaded with them. Its been a couple of years now. Think I'll take it out tomorrow and see if they will pop.

[target1911]

Welcome Home....so to speak....lol

[Deamon]

I have to say the same this forum is very appealing due to its lack of immaturity.

Now to the question at hand, are they sticks like spaghetti sticks or like like little cylinders or rectangular blocks? If its little cylinders or the rectangular blocks I believe thats a Pyrodex product for in-line muzzleloaders. If it looks like spaghetti thats enws to me!

My vote goes for loose powder, Goex all the way.

[DogBonz]

Sadly, I know nothing about BP, but welcome to THR.

There is a lot of good info and knowledge here and, as you pointed out, almost no internet BS. Ask a question and you will get a honest response, even if it is a "I know nothing about xyz" just to bump your post to keep it fresh.

well, welcome any way,

-Fred

[bigbadgun]

Welcome to the Forum
Loose powder is best gotta be able to adjust.

[mykeal]

My 2 cents on "sticks":

Usually called pellets, they are most popular amongst the inline shooters as they make loading easier. There are 2 complaints heard fairly often: they're inconsistent and they don't give the ability to "fine tune" your load.

The complaint about inconsistency is that they seem to be compressed differently from pellet to pellet; thus you get different results from what should be the same load each time. There are many things that could cause this, however, and I've little experience with them save some demonstrations I gave for my hunter safety classes.

The issue about lack of flexibility is real, and is the reason I don't use them. I like to be able to load 60 or 70 or 75 grains depending on the rifle, the range and the target; pellets limit you to increments based on the size of the pellet: 25 or 30 or 50 grains, usually.

[kawhead71]

Thanks for the input. I know cordite was utilized in factory loads for many years, and it was often loaded in big-bore safari rounds in stick form. I didn't see the advantage in using it in a black powder piece. My thoughts were that powder would allow the load to be adjusted and would probably compress behind the ball (when loaded) and allow more consistency. Y'all just confirmed my doubts. Thanks again.

[Seancass]

i dont shoot BP enough to say anything good or bad about pellets, except they're quicker.

as far as being polite goes, we just fake it like others fake being tough online. helps us keep from getting banned.:D

[1911RjB]

lol.. welcome i've ony been here for a short period of time, but i have learned alot from reading the forums here. much better then some of the other sites i've been on.

[Wildfire]

Hey again.
There you have it from experianced BP shooters. Loose powder is more accurate because you can adjust your loads to what your gun wants.
You may also have noticed that none of these shooters go with the magnum loads. Why wear your gun out , beat your brains out and not be able to hit your target ?
Most shooters that have been into BP for any real length of time have learned this. And found the value of accurate loads and know that 70 grains with a well placed shot will kill an animal just as fast as 150 with a not so well placed shot.
I am an Accuracy nut 100%. Magnum loads never interest me. When useing pellets or (Sticks) your options for fine tuning are not there.
BP guns even of the lower quality arms can be just as accurate as center fires. It's up to you. Have fun with your quest.:)

[Cap n Ball]

Sticks or pellets I've never used either. Loading like cleaning is a sort of ritual. I've grown to see it as almost meditative. I feel really relaxed and good afterwards.

One of the main reasons for the polite and sensible tenor here is due to the subject. No one wants anybody to get hurt using faulty advice. Its not like we are comparing Chevys to Fords or beef to seafood. There is also the fact that many of us if we met would like each other as people and fellow sportsmen.

[Redd Flynt]

I had to try the extruded pellets once. The up side is they do speed loading time a little. They are more transportable in that a powder flask is not required. There is no fumbling with a measure. The big downside is the cost.

I just prefer to use loose Black Powder. Obviously a lot of folks use the pellets or the stores would not stock them.

[Rachen]

Try the liberal forums. Mention pro- capital punishment, more laws to keep violent felons in jail, and of course, pro gun issues, you might just get cussed at.

Liberals are anything but.
More likely term for the uber-liberal types are FASCISTS. Anybody ever read A Clockwork Orange? If not, get a copy. It is liberalism gone out of control.

[bigbadgun]

One of the main reasons for the polite and sensible tenor here is due to the subject. No one wants anybody to get hurt using faulty advice. Its not like we are comparing Chevys to Fords or beef to seafood. There is also the fact that many of us if we met would like each other as people and fellow sportsmen. Well Put cap n ball well put

[Duncaninfrance]

My dear fellow. So pleased that you like our home from home - which it is from time to time:)
Since joining I have received a lot of help from many members, all of which was most useful. I hope that you will enjoy the same.
One think that I do think warrants saying is that we all like to see photographs of other peoples pieces so don't be slow in posting them if you can.
Enjoy your stay