Powder comparison link

[4v50 Gary]

Comparison of three different types of black powder

http://www.norwestcompany.com/comparison.htm

Good read.

 

[Poodleshooter]

Excellent! Thanks Gary.
I haven't seen any workup on the Czech KIK powder before. It sounds like a winner. It's too bad that Elephant is out of business, even though that stuff did create some tough fouling. I always shot it one grade finer to compensate. I'd like to see some of the other powders out there compared such as: Swiss Powder, the same company's Schuetzen and some of the Chinese powder that used to be around.

 

[Ed]

I bought some elephant because thats all they had. I have left the range 3 out of the last 4 times with a stuck ball due to fouling. I'm using 65 grains in my .45 and 75 grains in my 50. Running cleaning patches, 2 or 3 down the bore after each shot. I bruised my hand on the ball starter last Wed just trying to get it started far enough to use the rammer. I think I'll try some swiss.

 

[Poodleshooter]

Hi Ed. Are you running wet patches down or dry? I use a spray bottle of soapy water after every 2-3 shots and that keeps the bore clean. I had to do it almost every round with elephant due to it's tendency to create thick dry fouling that compresses into a bricklike consistency.

 

[Ed]

I'm using wet patches after EVERY shot. I usually run 3 or 4 down the barrel. It comes out looking caked on to the patch. Real nasty thick stuff. It is just not worth it to me to have to do that much work to shoot, when something that will burn cleaner is avaliable. Maybe I just got a bad lot. It was loading fin first shot, and second was hard, but I bruised my palm on the ball starter and broke a ram rod last week. I know that I didn't double patch because I check on that before hand and when the rifle is clean it loads real easy. Both that I was shooting do actually. Anyone else had this bad of a problem? BTW Breaking a Hickory ramrod that I'd spent time staining and striping isn't fun. At least it didn't go through my hand.

 

[1911]

fwiw,

even some of the die hard re-enactors I know use a range rod at the range.

I have seen some hard core re-enactors get a wooden dowell a size slightly smaller than the bore and use it as a walking stick/loading rod.

The rod that is equiped under the barrel should only be use in the field and for general cleaning.As you pointed out is is very easy to break and can break off in your hand.

As cheap as fiberglass rods are nowadays I would get one that is fitted for your gun.They are available through most gun catalogs at gunshops and on line from cabelas and Dixie.

 

[Poodleshooter]

Hi Ed,
Here's one option: if you have a twist of 1-48 or less, try switching to unpatched bullets-minie's or maxiballs. I started casting precisely because my first experience in BP was with elephant, and I was unable to get repeated shots with patched roundball. I started shooting engraveable cast minie's and the seating problem went away.

 

[Ed]

I'm using a Green Mountain 1 turn in 60" on the .45 and a W.E. Rayl 1 turn in 72" on the .50. I still think it was probably just a bad lot.