Powder. Comparison

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Idaho shooter

Idaho shooter

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Meridian, idaho
I am currently using Swiss 2f, and am considering switching to Goex Should I consider going to 3f in the Goex to compensate for the Swiss being a little hotter. What are your thoughts, shooters? More, this powder will be used in my .54 Pedersoli hawken
 
In fact difficult to say exactly, because for a caliber .54 you are supposed to use the swiss powder #3 and this powder is an 2Fg (that we use over the caliber .50 and also for the caliber .54 and over and for the big smooth bores (Like B.B .75 or like that) the #4 ). The swiss #2 is an 3Fg and a bit to hot for that caliber...

Are you sure that the Goex is less efficient than the swiss powders ?

I'm interested by this subject: in Europe we use only swiss powder and I'm interested by the comparison Goex/swiss #3 or other (there are four qualities of Swiss powders and the OB priming powder for the last one)...

I don't find the swiss powders so hot but I use them everyday and I perhaps have the habit of those powders...

Anyway the swiss #3 is a 2Fg and really not hot, just normal for one caliber .54 (it's what I use in my Sharps Pedersoli .54 paper)...
 
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I wouldn't do it.

You want 2F powder for a .54 rifle. It burns a bit slower, which is what you want in a rifle. For pistols, the faster burning 3F is best.

Goex is good powder. Swiss might chrono a bit faster and burn a tad cleaner, but the target or game animal won't know the difference when hit with the same amount of Goex, plus it's cheaper.
 
After I use up my present inventory of Goex I don't expect to ever buy any more of it. I think it produces significantly more fouling than most other powders. I prefer Schuetzen in a "real" black powder. Pyrodex works well for me also in cartridges and percussion rifles, but not in percussion revolvers...I get a "pop-bang" effect in revolvers that is disconcerting.


Either Schuetzen or Pyrodex 2F works fine for my .54 Hawken, as several deer can attest.
 
Goex, plus it's cheaper.
Click to expand...

The swiss powder is too expensive and it's right to say it is not a low cost powder like french or german powders.
For us it is the best of all continental powders so we take this one. Don't have equivalent to Pyrodex or other substitute.

It costs on average 90 euros equal to 102 USD for one Kg. How much cost the Kg of Goex or Pyrodex in USA ?
 
Erwan,

Buying from Powder, Inc., in Arkansas,

GOEX is about $16.50/lb (not kg)
GOEX "O.E." is about $ 17.50/lb
Scheuten is about $ 16.50/lb
Swiss is about $23.25/lb

All these prices require minimum purchase of 25 pound case, but prices include shipping and HazMat Charges in the "per pound" price.

Swiss black powder is the number one choice of the national-level NMLRA & N-SSA, and international-level competition shooters, and anyone who wants to win matches.
 
Powder Valley offers Pyrodex RS for $14 per lb plus $25 hazmat fee. I see Pyrodex on the shelf in local stores for $19 per lb. My last bulk order of Schuetzen was 2 years ago, at $15 per lb.

Here in the US these powders are in 1 pound containers, so 1 kg should be a bit more than twice as much. But you knew that!!
 
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Erwan,
2.2 lb = 1 Kg....
You do the math but basically I would say that your are paying three times the cost for powder than we do in the USA.
 
Idaho shooter said:
I am currently using Swiss 2f, and am considering switching to Goex Should I consider going to 3f in the Goex to compensate for the Swiss being a little hotter. What are your thoughts, shooters? More, this powder will be used in my .54 Pedersoli hawken
Click to expand...
If you go from Swiss to Goex's Olde Eynford powder about the only thing that would change is how much money you spend on powder. OE burns cleaner and leaves a softer fouling than Swiss.
 
I take I-70 when traveling east back home, and Graf and Sons is located not far off the interstate.

Since I'm already taking the drive, I can stop in to Grafs and pick up orders I've placed online. That way, I get to nix the costly hazmat and shipping fees for my real black powder.

You can call me a nut, a freak, a fanatical purist, but I just don't run anything but REAL black powder through my guns.

No, these days it isn't NEARLY as easy to find as Pyrodex and the other subs, but if you look around you can find it. Have faith, and get the real stuff. :cool:
 
Tangent here but... There is a great, well a very nice comparison of homemade BPs with all sorts of data. Extremely useful in the homemade BP manufacturing process. [Even if there are over 50 species of willow! stupid willow trees.] And we all know that in smokeless powders there are endless categories and comparisons. I get totally lost when I read post such as these as I have no reference point to understand the differences. I'm always hungry to learn, or just hungry, so if you know of "The Bible of BP" please share. Meanwhile it's lunch time here and there's a new BBQ joint in town. Thanks for the mini thread hi-jack.
 
Cooldill said:
I take I-70 when traveling east back home, and Graf and Sons is located not far off the interstate.

Since I'm already taking the drive, I can stop in to Grafs and pick up orders I've placed online. That way, I get to nix the costly hazmat and shipping fees for my real black powder.

You can call me a nut, a freak, a fanatical purist, but I just don't run anything but REAL black powder through my guns.

No, these days it isn't NEARLY as easy to find as Pyrodex and the other subs, but if you look around you can find it. Have faith, and get the real stuff. :cool:
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I don't care for the subs either. Grafs is Schuetzen powder which is good stuff.
 
Don't overthink black powder shooting. It would take an expert long distance rifleman to be able to determine any performance differences in the various brands and granulations of black powder.
The subs will smell differently, smoke differently, flame differently but loaded by volume as you would black powder they perform essentially the same. Only 777 will be different. The only bottle of it I have ever bought I gave away after a half a dozen shots. Did not like anything about it.
 
There is a significant difference between standard Goex and their Olde Eynsford, which gives very similar performance (by volume) as Swiss. Triple 7 powder also gives very similar velocity as Olde E and Swiss (by volume).

As I am a hunter and require my .44/.45 cal percussion revolver to perform at a high level (.45 ACP/Colt or better). Were I to use standard Goex I'd get .38 Spl performance which isn't even close.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LP_dwo2nThA
 
I used to use quite a bit of Swiss 1.5Fg in both my .54 flintlock RB rifle, & a .32 caliber percussion bullet rifle. About three years ago I switched to KIK 1.5Fg & can honestly say I haven't noticed any difference in performance or cleanliness.

By the way, Erwan, KIK is made in Slovenia but I haven't run across many Europeans who have heard of it. Do you have any experience with it?
 
BullSlinger said:
As I have said in the past, I use them all. Black Powder, Subs.... I would use dog poo if it would go bang and make the lead go down range.
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Yep! And it would take a far better shot than me to tell the difference.

As for fouling between the brands,, guns gotta be cleaned anyway.

Elmer Keith in his standard reference work for hand guns notes that FFG be used in 36 and 44 caliber revolvers I think my annual order to Graf and Sons for 10 lbs of their branded powder contain a mix of 2 and 3 f powder.
 
I thank the people who did answered me about the black powder price in USA...

This confirms what I was thinking about: here the powder is a state monopole so we have the price: big and plenty taxes over...

Perhaps taxes are they the basic price and a little bit money more for the gunsmiths. Anyway we have just to pay... :D

Few time ago Pyrodex had come (three weeks ago I think): now it is again forbidden to sale for everybody, then I don't talk about T7: only swiss and french black powder are only available, all other are strictly forbidden...

Back to the future.... :D:D:D

Thx everybody. ;)

Erwan.
 
Don't use a powder that you aren't sure...

The Swiss #2 is a good powder for rifles small bores until 50, it can be used in pistols and revolvers but it is not energetic enough for the handguns.

For rifles over .50" you need to have Swiss #3 (like for the Sharps in .541" (45-70 is used with #2))...

If that can help you for control: the granulométry of the swiss#2 is from 0,4 to 08mm...

(from Google) http://i58.servimg.com/u/f58/15/64/26/07/tablea12.png
 
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