arcticap
Member
Every powder has its advantages and disadvantages.
Pyrodex P is more potent than black powder but I think that it is harder to clean and requires more elbow grease.
I generally don't use water to clean Pyrodex but opt to use solvents instead.
Solvents tend to evaporate and clean better without activating the corrosive effects to the extent that water does.
And I apply Bore Butter after cleaning which helps dissolve any hidden residue left in the nooks & crannies, to be swabbed out 1-3 days afterward so that fresh lube can be reapplied.
The patches will then usually reveal some minor carbon traces and I may even repeat the last step over again.
I think that Pyrodex P is more potent than even Swiss on the basis of weight.
That's because Pyrodex P weighs 25% less than Goex, yet Swiss is 10% denser than Goex which means the weight difference for Swiss may represent 35% less volume.
IMO it requires less weight of Pyrodex P to equal the velocity of any given weight of Swiss.
And because less Pyrodex powder weight is needed relative to the weight of Goex, IMO Pyrodex P will produce less residue overall.
By cleaner I mean that it very well may leave less carbon, creosote and other sticky residues that are specific to Goex.
But that lesser amount of Pyrodex residue does harden soon after shooting, is probably more corrosive in conjunction with moisture, and can be considerably more stubborn to effectively remove.
Those are some of the advantages and disadvantages of Pyrodex P from my perspective.
Pyrodex RS doesn't burn as clean as P, isn't as potent, and may present more ignition problems in some flash channels.
Pryodex P is the powder that I use the most for rifle shooting.
I would probably be remiss if I didn't add that I think that Pyrodex is safer than BP.
Not so much for the experienced shooter, but for young kids and newbies loading rifles.
I think that it's less likely to spark a cook-off.
When my kid was young I would let him load his rifle with Pyrodex which I wouldn't consider letting him do on his own if using real back powder.
My conscience simply wouldn't allow it.
Pyrodex P is more potent than black powder but I think that it is harder to clean and requires more elbow grease.
I generally don't use water to clean Pyrodex but opt to use solvents instead.
Solvents tend to evaporate and clean better without activating the corrosive effects to the extent that water does.
And I apply Bore Butter after cleaning which helps dissolve any hidden residue left in the nooks & crannies, to be swabbed out 1-3 days afterward so that fresh lube can be reapplied.
The patches will then usually reveal some minor carbon traces and I may even repeat the last step over again.
I think that Pyrodex P is more potent than even Swiss on the basis of weight.
That's because Pyrodex P weighs 25% less than Goex, yet Swiss is 10% denser than Goex which means the weight difference for Swiss may represent 35% less volume.
IMO it requires less weight of Pyrodex P to equal the velocity of any given weight of Swiss.
And because less Pyrodex powder weight is needed relative to the weight of Goex, IMO Pyrodex P will produce less residue overall.
By cleaner I mean that it very well may leave less carbon, creosote and other sticky residues that are specific to Goex.
But that lesser amount of Pyrodex residue does harden soon after shooting, is probably more corrosive in conjunction with moisture, and can be considerably more stubborn to effectively remove.
Those are some of the advantages and disadvantages of Pyrodex P from my perspective.
Pyrodex RS doesn't burn as clean as P, isn't as potent, and may present more ignition problems in some flash channels.
Pryodex P is the powder that I use the most for rifle shooting.
I would probably be remiss if I didn't add that I think that Pyrodex is safer than BP.
Not so much for the experienced shooter, but for young kids and newbies loading rifles.
I think that it's less likely to spark a cook-off.
When my kid was young I would let him load his rifle with Pyrodex which I wouldn't consider letting him do on his own if using real back powder.
My conscience simply wouldn't allow it.
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