New Faster Obatex Black Powder From South Africa

[Patocazador]

Follow-up:

This thread is about Obatex powder which is not real black powder as I understand it. It appears to be something on the order of Triple Se7en in that it is more powerful than black powder and has higher pressure spikes.

The new black powder in So. Africa is called ZAR and is brand new. Here is an excerpt from a discussion about it:

"Re: Johan Greyling -High Quality Black Powder available for sale- no shortage anymore

Originally Posted by richardtl
I bought a tin today of 2F from Blunderbuss and I am keen to give it a try.

I will stake my name to the quality of the ZAR black powder made by Johan Greyling , it is my task to burn the Willow wood charcoal without oxygen to ensure a high quality product...this is why I will stake my name to the ZAR product, I know how much work goes into this process..."

 

[Flintlock717]

Be careful what you ask for. A friend of mine and I went to the eastern cape of South Africa in June 2017. We wanted to hunt with .54 caliber flintlock rifles. We have 70 years of black powder experience between us. We had done our research and decided to try Obatex instead of skirting the regs. and bringing shot shells filled with Swiss black powder. We were both highly disappointed in the Obatex powder. Poor ignition and inconsistent performance really dampened our spirits. The only way I could get the Obatex to ignite was by mixing it with Sanadex. I at least managed to get the flinter to put down a wildebeest. I hope the product has improved since then. Thank goodness I took my 1874 Little Sharps in 38-72 as a back-up. My buddy took his 7mm STW as a back-up. We had a great experience hunting in spite of not being able to use our flintlocks effectively.