pyrodex

[tedmo]

Any one shooting pyrodex in a Ruger Old Army. I usually stick to Swiss but got FFG and FFFG pyrodex recently with a box of bits i bought. I know you use it equivelent by volume to b/p but have read somewhere that Ruger recomend 20grns for target shooting which seems quite a lot to me. Also is it the same load as 777.?
Tim

If we go on the principle that the ball must sit on the powder (BP or Pyrodex) and slightly compress it to leave no air gaps then the load recommended by Ruger seems sensible if you assume no wad or filler. However if you use a thick wad under the ball then you can use less powder and still compress it. Take the argument further and use an inert filler like semolina or soap-powder, then you could use 10 grains of Pyrodex and top up with enough filler so that the seated ball was a couple of mm below the chamber mouth compressing the powders beneath it. You are only trying to get the ball through a piece of card at 20-25 yds, and you can fine tune the load so you get the tightest group that you and the gun are capable of producing. Reproducibility of load shot after shot is a key factor. A plus factor in reducing the Pyrodex/BP quantity is the reduction in recoil which may help some people to tighten their groups. On a cost basis semolina is a lot cheaper volume for volume than Pyrodex or 777 or Swiss so you can save a bit on your shooting cost too!

777 and Pyrodex do not have the same reduction factors.