multiple powders ???

[moooose102]

hi, i used to own a knight .50 cal, about 7 years ago. sold it as i needed money, had a new son on the way. anyway, i just purchased a new cva optima. my question is this, i still have a very small amount of real black powder left, a new 7 or 8 year old unopened bottle of pyrodex, and a new just purchased bottle of tripple seven. can i shoot them one after another without cleaning the firearm? i guess what i would be concerned with is some kind of chemical reaction. maybe affect pressures and or velocities. at this point it will be just sighting in and target shooting, as the michigan deer season is over. i guess it wouldnt be terrible to have to run a clean patch between powder changes, do i NEED to? or is it totally UNSAFE to do this? thanx, d.s.

 

[dwave]

I have shot 777 and blackpowder without cleaning (not mixed, one then the other!) without any ill effects.

 

[Pancho]

You'd probably not have a problem but being the anal type that I am I'd at least run a spit patch between shots.

 

[arcticap]

You can safely mix them all and shoot them together if you really wanted too, it's only the powder residue that interferes with easy loading and better accuracy. Flintlock shooters do this with substitute powders to achieve ignition and they are called duplex powder loads.
Remember that a 777 powder loading needs to be reduced by 15% volume for BP and Pyrodex equivalent velocities.

 

[moooose102]

so if i shoot 100 grains of 777, it is equal to 115 grains of black powder or pyrodex? is that by weight, or volume?! definatly dont want to hurt my rifle, or me!

 

[dwave]

Volume.

 

[Roswell 1847]

When hotter 11 caps weren't available or replacement nipples for them some revolver shooters used a pinch of BP under a Pyrodex load.
I had many misfires with Pyrodex before getting no. 11 caps and nipples.