Recommended Black Powder?

[Schofield3]

Hey guys; Looking to find out which brand of BP for pistols everyone likes - First time out shooting BP and I bought some of those Pyrodex pellets for pistols, I wasn't impressed but don't know if I should be. Also it seems like the 30 grain pellets were weak, Would I be ok with 40 or 50 grains of powder? thanks again!

the pistol is a Uberti 1858 NMA .44 (i'll post some photos as soon as I get a chance)

 

[[email protected]]

The "Brand" of Black Powder I use and perfer for over 40 years is Goex.
Another good one is Swiss. Probably the best.

 

[mykeal]

Unlikely you will be satisfied with pellets in a pistol. They do not have a good reputation in that type of gun.

30 grains is plenty for a pistol, although some guys have to load as much as they can and will go up to 50 grains just for the boom.

[email protected] gives good advice. Goex is the most popular real black powder, while Swiss is generally considered the 'premium' brand (and the prices show it). Other loose powders (substitutes, not real) that get decent reviews are Pyrodex, Triple Seven and American Pioneer. Blackhorn 209 is generally used only in in-line rifles.

 

[Chawbaccer]

Another nod for the real stuff, Goex. I've been using it since it was G/O

 

[trickshot]

I love the smell and smoke from shooting real black powder.

I used to use Goex and it worked good, but after trying Swiss I never want to use anything but Swiss. It burns a lot cleaner which allows me to fire more shots before wiping out the bore, and cleaning the gun is easier after I'm done shooting.

 

[Smokin_Gun]

Yup the Holy Black Powder is the way to go ... ain't nuttin' jus' like it.

 

[Acorn Mush]

Put me in the column of supporters of the real stuff! I've used GOEX and before that, DuPont. Also used Scheutzen, Graffs, and even some Elephant. Haven't tried but a few of the subs and have always gone back to the real stuff. It is much cheaper and it always ignites.

I see you hail from New Mexico. Hop on over to Hobbs and visit the nice folks at Coonies. They can fix you up with the real stuff. Also ask if you can visit his "museum" in the back.

 

[arcticap]

Would I be ok with 40 or 50 grains of powder? thanks again!
the pistol is a Uberti 1858 NMA .44

Some pistols will experience hammer blowback at about 40 grains.

 

[Schofield3]

Thanks for all the input guys; I figured I'd like real powder more and looks like GOEX is the stuff to get!

@ Acorn Mush thats sounds cool, I haven't been towards Hobbs in a long time. that museum must be pretty neat

 

[Hawkeye748]

The Real BP is the way to go. The only substitute BP that I will even consider is Triple 7, but since I buy the real stuff, no need to use the substitute.

Vote is for Swiss and Goex. If available, Schuetzen (sp?) is also an excellent real BP. Goex is the only American made powder, I believe. There is another out there but I have no experience with it.

 

[Schofield3]

Here's some photo's of the new toy!





I'm really liking everything about black powder shooting so far

 

[scrat]

Thats purtty i remember when mine looked like that. Like others GOEX however when not available then 777.


Then when not available. I make my own

 

[Voodoochile]

That Uberti will handle up to 40gr. of FFFG Goex & a .454 ball nicely or up to 35gr. with a 200gr. conical but to be honest the happy loads tend to be in the 25-30gr. FFFG Goex & a ball with that revolver.

 

[Acorn Mush]

Schofield3, if you plan on visiting Coonies to buy powder, be sure to call the day before and tell them what you want. They have to retrieve it from an off-site storage facility and bring it in to the office for pickup. The office is in a residential area and local regulations prohibit them from keeping powder in stock there.

They may have a five-pound minimum order quantity. Its worth it though, because you'll probably be adding to your arsenal soon after you get a whiff of powder smoke from your revolver. If not, the stuff never goes bad. Just keep the cans tightly capped and store in a dry location, away from excessive heat and you'll have powder to last you for a long time.

In addition to GOEX, they also carry Swiss powder. It is considered "the best" and therefore expen$ive, and a number of folks really like it. Personally I can't justify the significant additional cost for my type of shooting.

Coonies' folks are really great! When I visited I mentioned reading their ads in guns magazines way, way, WAY back (like 40 years). They treated me like I was a long-lost cousin.

Wishing you the best with your new toy.

 

[Black Toe Knives]

Goex!

 

[Smokin_Gun]

KIK is a good choice too ... I got 10lbs at Powder Inc. It's a lil hotter than Goex about just enough to mention.
Congrads on the Rem ... you should beable to get 38-40gr of bp in that chamber with just a RB pressd on top....goes boom real good :O)

 

[Mike OTDP]

Swiss is the most consistent. Goex is good, and priced reasonably. I don't bother with anything else.

 

[Fingers McGee]

Depending on what you are going to use it for, Goex, Grafs, Scheutzen, KIK, and Swiss, are all good. Swiss is better suited to long range precision work. for CAS I just get whatever's available/cheapest when I need some.

FM

 

[batjka]

I see a lot of people recommend GOEX. Yes, it is the real deal. However, it is weak. It doesn't even come close to the black powder that was used back in the days. Swiss comes much closer, it gives you more power. Go with Swiss if you can find it. Also, there's nothing wrong with Pyrodex P. It will give the power of Swiss, but it's a substitute. Much more easy to find.

So, Swiss or Pyrodex P. Stay away from GOEX.

 

[mykeal]

GOEX. Yes, it is the real deal. However, it is weak. It doesn't even come close to the black powder that was used back in the days.

What data do you have to back up that assertion?

 

[TomADC]

After shooting a can of Geox that I've had for 25+ years with out problems I ordered another 5 pounds. Don't need anything else.

 

[batjka]

Here's a quote from the musketeer.ch. The author had done extensive testing with different black powders, homemade and commercial. Check out the chart below:

"The influence of the kind of wood on the properties of black powder

In Switzerland, the only remaining powder mill (poudrerie d'Aubonne) buys black alder fromYugoslavia as a raw material for charring. It's delivered as fagots already peeled. By the way, the peeling isn't done as a favor to the Swiss powder miller; - since the bark is marketed by the peelers as a laxative. In the middle ages, mostly willow and hazel wood were used. Grape wood is also mentioned. But, as I tested in the 1980s, any wood will provide a good black powder. As the graph below shows, most of them beat the commercially manufactured powders (last three columns).

Fig. 3: The recipe of all these home-made powders was 100 parts saltpeter +17 parts sulfur + 16 parts charcoal charred at 400°C. The diagram shows the muzzle energy measured with a three band Enfield rifle Cal. 58 (blue columns) and a Mang Pistol Cal 38 (red columns).


To compare the test powders with commercially available powders the last three tests were done with ..1) Swiss black powder, grade 2 from the poudrerie Aubonne. ..2) American Goex powder, grade 3F, ..3) French powder "poudre de chasse" (hunting powder)".

 

[mykeal]

Thanks for the information. I must admit I'm quite surprised; those results don't match any chronograph results I'm aware of, either ones I've conducted or seen published. Swiss has always been a 'hotter' powder than Goex in every direct comparison test I've seen, but the amount shown on that chart is simply unheard of previously. It certainly suggests the premium price one is asked to pay here; the percentage is similar.

I have many questions about how the data was taken - the test setup, the measurement equipment, etc. Is that report published on the web so that I could go to it directly?

 

[110Redmen]

Goex is great stuff, no doubt about it. Then I tried Swiss. Never going back. Burns faster, cleaning is a breeze...and as far as the cost, heres an example...my competition load with Goex 3F was 55 grains (.54 cal). Swiss load is 40 gr of 3F. If ya do the math, you get more shots per pound, so it really isnt that much more, and ya save money on patches!

 

[Mike OTDP]

The gouge number that is normally used for Swiss #2 (3F equivalent) vs GOEX 3F is that Swiss loads are 10% less than the GOEX equivalent.

Swiss burns cleaner, but my primary reason for using it is simply that if you compete in a World Championship in Europe, Swiss is available...and GOEX is not.