PYRODEX...pros/cons

[CAGerringer]

With the scarcity of blackpowder, has the Leadership considered the viability of allowing the use of Pyrodex?
And before someone pipes up and says,"I can get plenty of blackpowder", I live in Jacksonville FL and there is NONE to be had!
Respectfully,
Charlie Gerringer
Old Dominion Dragoons

[Maillemaker]

Likewise, there is no real black powder to be had where I live. I buy it mail order. If you buy 10-20 pounds at a go the hazmat is not of much consequence.

Here are some sources for buying powder mail order:

Back Creek Gun Shop https://www.blackpowderva.com
Powder Inc. https://powderinc.com/
Grafs and Son https://www.grafs.com/

As of right now, your only options are typically Sheutzen and Swiss.

I am not a fan of Sheutzen powder in muzzle loaders. I found it to be noticeably dirtier than Goex. Some people have said that it works well/better in cartridge guns.

Goex should be coming back online this year, they say.

I used Pyrodex when I first got into muzzleloaders. It works fine to make a bang. I found the fouling to be more corrosive than real BP so you will want to clean quickly after use.

There may come a time when the only option is Pyrodex, but I think membership decline is going to hit us before powder shortages do.

[CAGerringer]

Thanks, Steve.
I tried an online sale of Goex that turned out to be a scam. Took ages to get my money back from Visa, and a 'Royal Pain in the A$$' all around.
I'd gladly support Mr. V at Back Creek, but the idea of re-sighting every gun in with Swiss is daunting.
I saw your graph for the best load of Goex, in an Uberti 1858 Remington, on another site. (Which I used to great effect.) Do you have any equivalency graphs for Swiss?
I figure if anyone does...it will be you! (I'm not messing with you, that's a complement.)

Respectfully,
Charlie Gerringer
Old Dominion Dragoons

[Maillemaker]

Online scam sites for BP supplies are indeed rampant right now. A big tip-off is if they allow you to put hundreds of items in your shopping cart. Or if they only allow PayPal Friends and Family option, or only accept Venmo or Zelle. Big red flag.

I have never used Swiss so I have no load data for it.

I'm down to my last 8 pounds of 3F Goex. I'm hoping I make it until Goex is back in production again. If not I'll switch to Swiss and have to re-bench everything.

Steve

[Jim_Burgess_2078V]

I inherited some Pyrodex pellets with a Ruger Old Army revolver which as we all know is not legal for N-SSA competition. It is still a great gun for revolver practice and I found the Pyrodex to work quite well (one hole groups) with round balls and no filler or wad. The advantage to Pyrodex is less fouling but it is just as corrosive, if not more so, than black powder.

When GOEX became unavailable I bought a jug of Swiss #4 (1-1/2 Fg) powder from Jackie and I'm currently using it in my M1842 smoothbore musket and original M1842 single-shot pistol. I'm using less of it than my old FFg GOEX loads and getting equivalent results. I'm also using it in my .44-40 black powder cartridges for my Henry with little difference in my sight picture from my old FFFg GOEX load. This past weekend I tied it in my original M1860 Spencer carbine (56-56 cal.) and finally got the carbine to group - at least off the bench (trigger pull too heavy for off-hand grouping).

At the January board meeting I asked Jackie if he had seen any GOEX in the pipeline and he said he should be getting some in by mid-summer. My remaining supply of GOEX for my musket and Sharps carbine should hold out until then.

Jim Burgess
15th CVI