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Thread: What Is Your Favorite Brand of Black Powder and Why?

  1. #1
    Southron Sr. is offline
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    What Is Your Favorite Brand of Black Powder and Why?

    So which brand of black powder (Goex, Schutzen, Swiss, Kik, Diamondback, etc.,) is your favorite?

    WHY is it your favorite brand???

    Inquiring minds want to know....Please post your reply below.

    THANKS!!!!

  2. #2
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    Goex

    Been using it for decades, its a good, reliable powder.


    I do however use Swiss for SB and Revolver, as it burns cleaner.
    Semper Fi,
    Rob Freeman
    Col, USMC (Ret.)
    1987-2019

    The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor. - Vince Lombardi

  3. #3
    Greg Ogdan 110th OVI is offline
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    Olde Eynsford. Clean, powerful and, if you know where to buy, Not really expensive. Don't ask, it's a secret.

    Greg

  4. #4
    Don Dixon is offline
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    When I joined the U.S. International Muzzle Loading Team in 2003 I knew that we would be traveling overseas, so I asked what powder and caps would be consistently available where ever we went. They said Swiss powder and German caps. i bought several cans of Swiss FFFg and shot it over my chronograph against loads from six different lots of GOEX FFFg that I happened to have. The Swiss loads had half the standard deviation of the best lot of the GOEX. Several of the GOEX loads had really bad standard deviations. While standard deviation isn't everything, it is a good initial tell on whether a lot of powder - black or smokeless - will perform, and generally you want the narrowest standard deviation you can obtain. I also found that Swiss fouled much less, and that I could somewhat reduce my loads and achieve the same results (i.e, 25 grs of Swiss FFG in my Remington revolvers vice 30 grs of GOEX FFFg). As I've purchased each new lot of Swiss, I've continued to shoot it over my chronograph. The lots have been remarkably consistent and I've never had to change the sights on my guns, either the ones I shoot for the N-SSA or have shot for the international team.

    Regards,
    Don Dixon
    2881V

  5. #5
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    I've only every shot Goex and Schuetzen. Bought the Schuetzen once when Back Creek was out of Goex. I found it to be a very dirty powder and was unable to shoot the Moose Wilkinson with it as shots got crunchy on loading after about 3 shots.

    I'd like to try Swiss but hate the thought of having to re-do all my load workups with it, though they say you can use less Swiss so it's a wash cost wise.

    Steve

  6. #6
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    I use Swiss. Yeah, it's expensive, but it burns clean. With lube made from 50/50 beeswax/olive oil, I get no hard fouling. It's not uncommon to get a clean patch on the third one. To me, that beats the heck out of brushing dry hard fouling out of a bore or having trouble getting a bullet down the bore after only 2-3 rounds. I've heard some say that soft fouling just gets pushed to the bottom and will plug the flash hole, but I've never experienced it.

  7. #7
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    Swiss for pistols, Goex for musket/carbine. Like Don, I shoot Swiss for the International events...and those are my serious ones. And when we go overseas, it's Swiss that's available. But I've got Goex in stock, and use it for the long arms. I don't shoot those nearly as seriously as the pistols.
    Support the USIMLT! Help your fellow Skirmishers go for the gold! www.usimlt.com

  8. #8
    bobanderson is offline
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    Post

    When I first experienced Swiss, I was a Black Powder Cartridge Silhouette shooter, using Goex Cartridge grade almost exclusively. Goex had a plant explosion (several, I think) that led them to producing a sub-standard lot of Cartridge which they chose to sell rather than wait until the good stuff was available. That case of powder was so underpowered, there was a 5' drop when comparing old vs new at 600 yards. When Goex refused to replace the bad lot, I went to Swiss, even though it was way overpriced. (I always shop price.) When I called GOEX to complain about the substandard Cartridge grade, their response was to have a fast talking "expert" call me and waste about an hour of my time telling me about how superior their products were. That was the last time I bought Cartridge, or even Goex for a while. I actually tried Elephant powder (we called it Elephant droppings) which was even more underpowered but extremely consistent velocity meaning great accuracy.
    Then I became a skirmisher, about 12 years ago, and started buying Goex 3f in bulk. Being naturally inquisitive, the first thing I did was compare Swiss 1 1/2 & 3f and Goex 3f. I shot them over chronographs and off the bench to compare velocity, standard deviation and accuracy.
    In a nutshell, there was no advantage to paying the higher price for Swiss. My musket (3 band Enfield) and carbine (Garrett Sharps) shot equally well with both powders. Because I still shot BPCRS, I kept the Swiss as it was clearly superior in accuracy and velocity at long range, even though it had hard fouling. We had discarded the blow tubes and were wiping between shots then, so fouling was not an issue. I also have a superior lube recipe I've used for about 15 years that works great in all of my BP guns. I'm sure it makes my powder choices easier to live with.
    Then Goex introduced their alternative to Swiss, a powder they called "Express". They advertised it as hotter and cleaner burning with softer fouling. Again I trotted out the Chrony and compared Express to Swiss and Goex 3f. Turned out they were right about the softer fouling and better velocity. Being a cheap B*****d, I was thrilled that it was also about 25% cheaper than Swiss. I enthusiastically switched my BPCR guns to Express. I also discovered Express was a superior powder for my Civil War smoothbores. The cleaner burning and softer fouling led to long shot strings in my H&P and Macon conversion smoothbores.
    Then, the unthinkable happened. Goex announced they were discontinuing Express and replacing it with Old Eynsford. I was so worried that the new product would be different than Express, I bought up all that Back Creek Gun Shop had. (To this day, I have a private stock of Express used exclusively for my smoothbores. I may have to eventually go to OE, but not now and for several years to come.) A powder dealer told me that OE is the same formula as Express, but I have nothing but hearsay to prove that.
    As a side note, The Express, and in my limited experience, Old Eynsford, is so clean burning, I have stopped using lube in my smoothbores for two full seasons now. I can shoot 20 shots in a string and the last ball loads almost as easily as the second one. There are better scores being shot than I do, but I was #1 on the 1st Michigan hit times for smoothbore for a long time and just recently fell to a close #2. Some of that might be because I've been teaching my teammates my method of preparing smoothbore loads. I don't know if my mates are using my method exclusively, but as a team, we are winning in our region and placing well at the Nationals.

    To sum up, I use Goex bulk 3f in my rifled CW guns and Goex Express in my smoothbore. Even if I had a bigger budget for powder, I see no advantage to be gained by using Swiss in any of the black powder guns I use. (I haven't shot BPCRS for at least 3 years now.)
    Last edited by bobanderson; 12-04-2018 at 08:21 AM. Reason: Grammar
    Bob Anderson
    Ordnance Sergeant
    Company C, 1st Michigan Volunteer Infantry
    Small Arms Committee

    "I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a hand on.
    I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."
    - John Wayne in "The Shootist", 1976

  9. #9
    Greg Ogdan 110th OVI is offline
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    The Secret

    Everyone seems to want to know what the secret is to the winning ways of the 110th. Here it is. the A team uses Goex exclusively. Now you all know.

    Greg

  10. #10
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    RaiderANV is offline
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    Come on Greg. I heard ya'll let it sit in a dark closet to age for 3 years before opening.
    Never squat with yer spurs on!!!

    Pat "PJ" Kelly #5795V
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    MAYNARDS RULE!! & starr's DROOL!
    Hence the rust. MAYNARDAE LAUS DEO!

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