What Is Your Favorite Brand of Black Powder and Why?

[Kevin Tinny]

Hello:

I agree with all prior comments.

Based on fifty years of BP use for hunting, target and skirmishing with revolvers, shotguns, bench guns and awfulhand rifles, the biggest issue for me was that B-P brands change ingredients, sources for ingredients and even strength for the same "F" size. The manufacturers adjust batches to create the same strength, but SWISS seems much better/closer, however they do it.

Added 07DEC18:
The lot-to-lot "strength" variation (TOLERANCE) for GOEX WAS 7% YEARS BACK. Yep!
That figure was shared with me by the then GOEX owner, Frank Fahringer.
It may be different NOW, but hopping between different lots might introduce the need to retest your favorite accuracy load because strength tolerances CAN be significant with our light loads. I have been told by very experienced and capable black powder cartridge long range shooters that at most, the charge change from lot-to-lot with their heavier loads of SWISS has been a single grain.

Just my opinion, here:
With a BPCR, 70 gr charge of SWISS, a 1gr shift would be 1.5%, but for a 40gr GOEX "musket" charge, 7% change could be as much as 2.8gr. Hmmmm.
For me, 2.8gr is the difference between an ok musket accuracy load and a great one.

Started w DuPont, then Curtis and Harvey, Meteor, GOI, GOEX, Elephant and now Swiss.

All, EXCEPT SWISS, had enough variation in a key ingredient, uniformity of granulation and muzzle velocity extreme spread (ok SD, too) that the only way I could manage velocity consistency was to SIFT out the dust and under sized grains. Sifting removed as much as a whopping 15% in some batches of well regarded brands, except for SWISS, which was remarkably clean.

I accept that we skirmishers are not chasing 200-yard X's and do not wipe between shots, but sifting removed enough dust and fines to cut chrono muzzle velocity EXTREME SPREAD in HALF.

Sorry, but using a chrono for black powder involves some tricks. I have used three models of OEHLER's and Dr. Ken shared some important B-P tips that current chrono mfgr's don't include in their directions. A blast shield is necessary to prevent the " detached pressure wave ahead of the bullet" (thanks Tony Beck) from triggering the start screen. Yep, for sure! This can MASK issues and STILL register nice, uniform velocity spreads. There are special "shadow-graph" photo's showing this detached pressure wave AHEAD of MINIE's in one Lyman Handbook edited by Ken Ramage in the 1970's.

Anyone that has simultaneously shot over a good chrono (with a blast shield) at a 100 yard target has seen what +/- 30 fps (instrumental) will do to vertical. It can be an inch or TWO at our relatively low velocities.

I am amazed at how well we shoot with no wiping, dumping powder into a muzzle and seating over fouling. Still, sifting helped me a lot.

Swiss is so clean that for over 20 years, I have neither had to sift nor recalibrate for lot number changes. Ok, what ever SWISS lot-to-lot variation correction wisdom John Bly might add about long ranges over 200, I accept. Yes, one SWISS lot years ago was "off".

Elephant was SODIUM nitrate based and very hydroscopic. A pinch left in a lid for a 45 minute relay at Friendship often produced a gooey glob from humidity. No amount of graphite coating would eliminate that. It was 20% weaker than GOI at the time.

I LOVED GOEX and shot it well if sifted. So GOEX is fine, but if'n verticals pop from the bench, even with WEIGHED charges, see if sifting with mom's kitchen sifter will reveal dust and fines (good for flinch lock priming). Up to you from there.

I choose to AVOID sifting and am happy with SWISS.

Most respectfully,
Kevin Tinny
Tammany Rgt, 42 NY

[Greg Ogdan 110th OVI]

Hey Pat, you caught us.

Egg, You're right but we still managed win, even without Rouch.

Greg

[John Bly]

Since I use a lot of Swiss 1 1/2 for my black powder cartridge shooting I decided to simplify things and use it for everything. I now use it in my Maynard, musket and smoothbore. A little load adjustment was necessary but now I don't need any 3F or 2F, just 1 1/2F. Life is easier when you don't have to remember all those different load combinations.

[RaiderANV]

Sir Bly......how many grains do you put in the Maynard??

[John Bly]

Pat, I use 23 grains of 1 1/2F Swiss. I'm going to fine tune it some more this spring when it gets warm enough to shoot.

[Maillemaker]

Wow, Kevin, great info!

Steve

[ms3635v]

When I started skirmishing in 1979 I used DuPont 3F. Then, when DuPont stop producing black powder, I began using GOEX 3F. I have used the GOEX all along and really have not seen the need to shoot anything else. I did, however switch to GOEX Olde Enysford 2F for my smoothbore. It burns cleanly and for the last two years have seen no reason to switch. Just my two cents worth. GOEX has always been reliable and doesn't break the bank to buy it. Even the Olde Enysford is just $3.00 a pound more than the standard GOEX.

[Hal]

The way I justify the price of Swiss is to compare it to the price that Bass Pro charges for Goex. It makes the price of Swiss a little easier to take.

[singleshot]

For the amount of shooting I do it will be Goex. Works great for me shooting the musket, I clean after each event, shooting the flintlock all the guys i know wipe between each shot. I have two guns in 50 cal. one with a Douglas barrel and the other with a Colerain that do not require cleaning after each shot. To each is own as they say.

[bobanderson]

...using a chrono for black powder involves some tricks. I have used three models of OEHLER's and Dr. Ken shared some important B-P tips that current chrono mfgr's don't include in their directions. A blast shield is necessary to prevent the bow wave BLAST OF THE POWDER (which can run AHEAD of the projectile for up to 30 feet) from triggering the start screen. Yep, for sure! This can MASK issues and STILL register nice, uniform velocity spreads. There are special photo's showing this pressure bow wave AHEAD of MINIE's in one Lyman Handbook edited by Ken Ramage in the 1970's.

I wish we had a utility on this board to start a new thread based on information in a prior one. This comment intrigues me no end. Because I've come to believe EVERYTHING Kevin posts is accurate, I wanted to learn more about this effect.
First, lets separate what exits the barrel behind the bullet. I had to make lexan blast shields because the plastic cover on the front sensor of my chrony was destroyed when I was testing cartridge gun loads. That was caused by the chrony being too close to the muzzle and the unburned powder and hard residue that is contained in the muzzle blast of a bp explosion.
The pragmatist in me says that no way can something leaving a barrel behind a bullet overtake that bullet, if everything is propelled by the same force. (It's like the old time Sharps shooter who insisted that pushing a bullet and loose powder charge into the chamber could allow powder to get in front of the bullet and into the barrel.)
I do know that the blast can affect a bullet as it exits because at that point the bullet is no longer supported by the crown. That effect is supposed to be limited to a tipping caused by uneven pressure at different points of the base. Out in the atmosphere, where everything is equally affected by gravity, barometric pressure, humidity and wind, I can't see that wave ever catching up to even the base of the bullet let alone passing it.

I tried searching for information from Ken Ramage, but it looks like he gets credit for editing the Lyman handbooks for many years. There were no specific articles or even pictures I could find about bow waves and chronographs.

Kevin, do you have any specific articles or photos to support your statement?

"Help me, Obi Wan. You're my only hope."