Newbie question on the black stuff....

[Daryll]

So I'm an experienced shooter and reloader, but a noob on black powder... (so new, i haven't yet bought a BP firearm or powder...)

My question is on the powder.... is all 3fG the same, or do different brands have different characteristics..?

If I was reloading .38, I could pick 20+ different powders and they'd all be slightly different min and max loads, densities, and characteristics...

But is Henry Kranks 3fG the same as Swiss 3fG..?? (they're the only brands I've seen discussed here in the Uk.. and Goex(?) in the US.)

...And are guns powder fussy..?? some will work better with HK's, others are more accurate with Swiss..?

TIA

Daryll.

[loiner1965]

they are not all the same......personally i only use swiss powders which by all acounts about 15% more powerful in the same quantity as others
cheaper bp tend to be more charcoal and dirty , smelly
each to their own though

[tacfoley]

they are not all the same......personally i only use swiss powders which by all acounts about 15% more powerful in the same quantity as others
cheaper bp tend to be more charcoal and dirty , smelly
each to their own though

True - you pay a premium for Swiss powder because, well, the quality of the charcoal they use is far higher than that of other brands. Curtis & Harvey used to be THE best British brand, but they are long gone. There used to be a brand here in UK called 'Black Silver' and that was quite good, but my 45gr load of Swiss in the Musketoon feels like, and shoots like, around 60gr of that stuff. I'm told that Kranks is OK for plinking, but nobody I know seems to use it in competition. Anybody remember 'Elephant' brand? Guess I'm showing my age, now.

Tests carried out over in the US, where HUGE amounts of BP are fired every day, let alone every year, show that Swiss BP is roughly 10 - 15 per cent more 'energetic' than the current most-bought US brand - 'GoEx', made by Gearheart Owen - they have other brands, too, but consider that at the annual Friendship meet in Indiana, they might go through about a quarter TON of the stuff, both main brand suppliers are
laughing all the way to the bank.

And does the same amount of powder but different brands make any difference?

You bet your life it does. As noted, Swiss has a different burn rate - 'tis just more efficient. A pal let me fill up my ROA with HK's stuff, using my 25gr nozzle- it felt like I'd loaded around 18 -20gr, and going back to Swiss, which is a lot more 'snappy', was very welcome. However, ALL guns are different, even the same model from the same maker, and you might find that your Pietubertisoli just shoots better with a similar load of one rather than the other - that's the fun of BP shooting - the ability to alter the load simply by swapping out a nozzle.

[DesG]

I use Swiss for comps and anything smaller than .5” as it is excellent powder but costs around 75 to 80quid a kilo. I use kranks or similar in my cannon and bigger guns like the 577 musketoon, but you certainly tell the difference with the feel of the shot and the amount of crud left behind. A friend of mine did some interesting comparison pics with his .5 cannon. Maybe he’ll post them on here. I got a couple of kilos of bop at the show for 48quid a kilo which is somewhere in between Swiss and kranks in quality. Vesuvit LC is the make I think.

[tacfoley]

I use Swiss for comps and anything smaller than .5” as it is excellent powder but costs around 75 to 80quid a kilo. I use kranks or similar in my cannon and bigger guns like the 577 musketoon, but you certainly tell the difference with the feel of the shot and the amount of crud left behind. A friend of mine did some interesting comparison pics with his .5 cannon. Maybe he’ll post them on here. I got a couple of kilos of bop at the show for 48quid a kilo which is somewhere in between Swiss and kranks in quality. Vesuvit LC is the make I think.

'bop'?

[DesG]

'bop'?

autocorrect is a wonderful thing! The o is silent in bp, about the only thing that is.

[tacfoley]

autocorrect is a wonderful thing! The o is silent in bp, about the only thing that is.

k. I thought it was a brand black powder with which I was unfamiliar.

[MrChipShoulder]

I use Swiss for comps and anything smaller than .5” as it is excellent powder but costs around 75 to 80quid a kilo. I use kranks or similar in my cannon and bigger guns like the 577 musketoon, but you certainly tell the difference with the feel of the shot and the amount of crud left behind. A friend of mine did some interesting comparison pics with his .5 cannon. Maybe he’ll post them on here. I got a couple of kilos of bop at the show for 48quid a kilo which is somewhere in between Swiss and kranks in quality. Vesuvit LC is the make I think.

Here you go, these are the pics Des was talking of.

https://ibb.co/LdSZ7BR
https://ibb.co/2h9cJK5

The overly dramatic pic was 60grains of Henry Krank fine (cheaper powder)
The gas torch flame was 60grains of Swiss 4f (expensive powder)

[Peter Dunkley]

Here you go, these are the pics Des was talking of.

https://ibb.co/LdSZ7BR
https://ibb.co/2h9cJK5

The overly dramatic pic was 60grains of Henry Krank fine (cheaper powder)
The gas torch flame was 60grains of Swiss 4f (expensive powder)

Just watched those canon piccys are you sure the load is only 60 grains? I load 65 in my 12g cartridges and nowhere near as dramatic!

[DesG]

Just watched those canon piccys are you sure the load is only 60 grains? I load 65 in my 12g cartridges and nowhere near as dramatic!

Very short barrel. The powder hasn’t time to burn before the ball is gone.

[Peter Dunkley]

Very short barrel. The powder hasn’t time to burn before the ball is gone.

Thanks.

[series2a]

Ive used Pyrodex P and RS in a .58 cal no problem
Swiss is the best if you want Accuracy
Kranks isn’t the best as the quality varies
I use P in my revolver and cleans up with water.
Pyrodex can be bought without a BP certificate and can be stored on a shelf.
I use Swiss in my Tryon .45 with great results.