Pyrodex. Good,bad or Ugly?

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raa-7

raa-7

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I basically got into bp shooting about 6 months ago.I started shooting with Pyrodex and I remember my first shot with this substitute powder.I knew right away that I totally loved shooting cap n ball and bp shot gun as well.At first I just got a couple pounds of P and RS Pyrodex and used it.I thought it was great because thats all that was available to me at that time.Now I use the real bp which is better because it's powerful,fairly cheap,and easy to clean my revolver (NMA Remy) and the satisfaction from being able to make it.I,ve heard so many people say that Pyrodex is crap,and Pyrodex this,and Pyrodex that. So I just want to know what you all think about it and why,because when I started out shooting with my revolver,I just thought it was awesome :D but now I like the real deal better ! What do you all think about it ?Thanks for reading. -ron-
 
I bought a Lb. of Goex Black Powder with my first revolver about 25 yrs ago and my LGS still stocks it, so I've never tried Pyrodex and I've never had a complaint with the Goex.
 
I don't think anybody really prefers it but the reality for some people is that real black powder is difficult or expensive to get or there are severe legal issues with how much they can have on hand (which makes ordering online very expensive - imagine buying a pound at a time and eating the hazmat each time). I use 777 in percussion and save my limited supply of the real deal for flintlocks. And you know, I can't tell the difference. Big cloud of smoke, satisfying boom, the other people on the line want to know what it is, and I get to operate cool old guns.

That being said if I lived someplace more sensible I'd buy a case of the real deal and be done with it.
 
im not a fan of pyrodex, it works to some extent but not like real black powder.it would be my first choice if i couldnt get real black.
 
I use 50 Lbs of BP per year. The BP distributor is only 7 miles from my house. For use in C&B revolvers I prefer the 777.;)
 
The Pyro is a little harder to ignite in the C&Bs. It likes to be compressed. No problem with BP letting off. I use Pyro mostly in BP shotshells. Sounds and behaves like BP and is cheaper.
 
Pyrodex...

Somewhere between Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach. (Bad and Ugly, respectively.)
 
Wow, people really don't seem to like pyrodex. 777 and pyrodex are all that are available in my area because you have to store real BP in a bomb bunker if you want to sell it in your store. I did manage to get hold of half a can of goex some years ago and liked it pretty well but I really can't complain about pyrodex...that said, I do have some stuff on the way in to make my own BP (Brushhippies make your own blackpowder vid on youtube made me do it!)
 
Pyrodex is a good and consistent BP substitute. Its also inexpensive compared to some other BP substitutes. Pyrodex is somewhat dirty but not as dirty as blackpowder.
 
Pyrodex is better than nothing. That said, I bought it once and have kept with black powder after that. Rotten eggs > dirty socks.
 
I have shot both Pyrodex (RS) and regular BP (fff) in all of my BP percussion firearms and never had an issue with either one.

I did try some Pyrodex pellets (30 grains) in my Pietta New Army and my Uberti 3rd Model Dragoon. The Pietta handled them without a hitch, but I did get some ignition delay with them in my Dragoon.....
 
I am relatively new to muzzle stuffers and have only used Pyrodex RS so far. Except for a few misfires due to my lack of proper loading procedure (didn't pack it) I have been happy. I hope to make my own charcoal kiln this winter so I can follow Brushhippie's homebrew footsteps in the future though.....
 
I bought Pyrodex when it first came out because I thought it was supposed to be an improvement over BP. It failed to ignite at critical times while hunting and absorbed moisture just as bad if not worse than BP. I still have almost all of the Pyrodex I bought back then. It won't do anything now but sizzle a little. It won't go bang. I think it's BAD!
 
I used some Pyrodex "P" for loading .357Mag rifle rounds for my Frontier category CAS events. So far so good as it gives me the needed fog cloud and the rifle barrel seems to swab out and clean up nicely.
 
re: legal issues. It's a California thing. http://wiki.calgunsfoundation.org/Ammunition_and_Black_Powder

You can only have a pound at a time, which as you might imagine is a giant pain if you run flintlocks. Additionally it's gotten so difficult to sell it that in the bay area - population 6 million - there are zero stores that carry it. So you can't just pop out someplace and pick up some more without driving most of the way to Yosemite.
 
EljaySL said:
re: legal issues. It's a California thing.
Click to expand...
Ok, thanks.

Lots of folks from other states (that aren't affected by CA's laws) read this forum, so it might be a good idea to be a bit more specific in the future. Most (but not all) other states regulate black powder storage requirements with fire or construction codes, and they're somewhat more liberal.
 
Also lead is an issue. All of the storm drains in southern california are marked as draining to the ocean and please don't pollute. I picked up wheel weights when riding my bicycle to work. One day a tree hugger asked me why I had them . I explained the storm drain and toxic lead lead draining to the ocean harming the fish. Oh she said thats a good idea. She asked me what do you do with the lead then? I told her that I cast it into bullets for hunting. The look on her face was priceless.
 
col.lemat said:
Also lead is an issue. All of the storm drains in southern california are marked as draining to the ocean and please don't pollute. I picked up wheel weights when riding my bicycle to work. One day a tree hugger asked me why I had them . I explained the storm drain and toxic lead lead draining to the ocean harming the fish. Oh she said thats a good idea. She asked me what do you do with the lead then? I told her that I cast it into bullets for hunting. The look on her face was priceless.
Click to expand...

I love it!
Sounds like you are a REAL Conservationalist
 
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