Powder help

[tom e gun]

Need some assistance once again fellas. I usually use Pyrodex P as it is cheaper than other brands I see, but I purchased powder in the last couple days and the place I went to only had a couple RS type powders and then some triple & 3F so I grabbed that. I have never used triple 7 but have heard you folks here talk about it being hotter than others and that you need to use different amounts versus other powders, so I am curious as to how much to use. I have a .50 rifle that i normally use anywhere from 60-100 grains, an 1860 Army using approx 25 grains, a Dragoon which I haven't fired yet, and a Walker that i usually dont use much more than 40-45 grains in. (All amounts used are with the pyrodex P powder) Any help on adjusting these loads for the use of the triple 7 3F would be much needed and appreciated as I am trying to go shooting tommorow with some friends and would like to be prepared. Thanks as usual in advance gentlemen!

-Tom

 

[NCWanderer]

I don't use Triple 7 myself, but I've read that it's recommended to load 15% less.

 

[hawksnest88]

I've been shooting 777 in a 44 Rem. I use 24 grains by volume, I weigh BP at 24g, then use that spout for 777. Works great, I like the easy clean up. I also shoot BP, and Pyrodex P. I have 10 BP revolvers. Bill

 

[mykeal]

hawksnest88 is doing it wrong, although for the charges he's using there should be no problem.

777 should be loaded at 85% of the volume of real black powder. One way of saying that is to reduce the 777 load by 15% of your real black (or Pyrodex) load.

Thus hawksnest88's 24 grains/volume of real black should be .85 X 24 = 20 grains/volume of 777, not 24. Unless he's shooting a target model Remington off a rest I doubt he'd see any real difference, however.

tom e gun's rifle would use 42 to 85 grains/volume of ffg 777 to get the same performance as he gets with 50 to 100 grains/volume of Pyrodex RS.

Assuming he uses Pyrodex P in the pistols, the equivalent fffg 777 loads would be 21 grains/volume in the 1860 Army, 34 grains/volume in the Dragoon (I'm assuming a nominal load of 40 grains/volume of Pyrodex P in that) and the same in the Walker. You could round those up or down 1 or 2 grains for convenience.

 

[tom e gun]

thanks mykeal! thats the kind of info i was hoping for

 

[hawksnest88]

24g is a reduction for my 44, I normally shoot 27g of Pyrodex or BP.

 

[Hellgate]

I would not recommending stoking the Walker or even the Dragoon with full chambers of 777. I know of one Walker that sent the barrel assembly down range while shooting full chambers of 777. The arbor came apart at the wedge cutout. I shoot 777 in the rifle in .357 mag and it is significantly more powerful than BP or any of the other subs. The velocity is between BP and full tilt smokeless loads based on noting the sound delay on steel at 100yds. 777: POW....ding! vs (BP or subs): POW........ding! 777 is corrosive to brass so I use nickeled brass but you need to soak, rinse, dry, and tumble after each use just like BP or any of the other subs.

 

[tom e gun]

thanks for the post hellgate, i was thinking the same thing, that i would definately not try doing chambers full with tht 777 hell, i haven't even done em full up with pyrodex, i would rather keep these fellers shootable and in shape for a good while i think the most i used in the walker so far since owning it was about 45 grains pyrodex p and thats still a mighty fine smoke, fire, and boom

 

[Hellgate]

Tom e,
I took my Walkers to a CAS match and was shooting 50grs FFFg +wad+.454 ball and managed to develope excessive cylinder gap. I was having a great time with all knds of smoke & fire right there but a lot of it was coming out the top. Fortunately, just the wedges were getting crushed nad at $9 each + S&H I was back in play. Now my Walker load is 44 grs of FFg +wad+.454 ball. Still plenty of boom & smoke. They're .44-44s.