Just ordered my first BP gun, and did not go with the shotgun. Am very excited about receiving my CVA St. Louis Hawken in .50 Cal. next week.

Am lucky to have a source for Black Powder locally, but am wondering if this is the way to go. Any opinions?

In my B.P rifles B.P has always given the most uniform results. It may not be as convenient as the others but always produces the best groups if used properly.

Prior to buying my inline a little over a year ago. I hunted with my T/C Renegade for almost 20 years. Heck it's still in the gun safe just in case I need it again. I always used BP and always had good results.

The only reason I use the pellets today is for the convience, nothing more. People use pyrodex and 777 because it cleans up easier. In my opinion BP is just as accurate if not more then the others. It's just a little dirtier to clean up after. Try the BP and see how it works for you. If you like it, stick with it.

Good hunting

[ 02-24-2003, 03:16: Message edited by: Fisher ]

Can't knock BP's accuracy, it's good stuff for that,
and better than a couple of the new substitutes in
my experience. If you can get it, you are one of
the "lucky" few. I never cared for the messy
cleanup, and the fact that you had BETTER get it
cleaned in the evening after you shoot, never
allowing your rifle to set overnight for the rust
factor. On the other hand, Pyrodex can be just as
bad. Clean Shot loses it's power if stored too long.
H777 works good for many, but doesn't shoot for
diddly in my barrels. Of everything I've tried, the
underdog works the best, both for accuracy and
cleanup -- Clear Shot by Goex.

But like Fisher said, try it, ya might like it.
You can probably get it for half the price of
any or most of the substitutes.

Generally speaking, BP does give the best SHOOTING results, BUT, it also requires a lot more work to keep the gun clean enough to continue shooting, when at the range, and much more work when you get home, to keep the gun clean and corrosion-free!!

It seems to me that some of the supposed differences between black powder and Pyrodex for example, are more a matter of opinion and preference than fact in ML rifles and perhaps cap & ball revolvers as well. Layne Simpson and Sam Fadala have written pages about this. I have one T/C Hawken wi. three different bbls. (two are .440", one is .490); one Mowrey .50cal.; one Ruger Old Model Army rev. and one Replica Arms New Model Army rev. All shoot equally well with either BP or Pyro. The revolvers shoot about as well as my .38spl. & .357mags. at 25yds. (at least 3 shots touching from a rest) Are there differences between the two? Yes! First there's the matter of availability: Pyro. is often easier to find, but it ain't cheap. Secondly, Pyro. fouls significantly less than BP, but it does foul. For the best accuracy, I follow Fadala's [and Dutch Schultz's] advice and swab between rifle shots. In the revolver, I swab after 5 or six shots. Moeover, Pyro. fouling is a bit more difficult to remove from the bore, but proprietary solvents will do the job as will "home brewed" moose milk. Lastly, I suspect that a given volume of BP, e.g., 70 "grains" FFg will -> more velocity than an equal volume of Pyro. RS. (I have a chronograph, but frankly have been too lazy to set it up to test my hypothesis.) Because of this apparent or perceived difference in velocity, I prefer Pyro. P to RS in my rifles, including my .45-70. However, if BP was easy to find locally, I'd prefer it to Pyro. P ...Maven

Thanks for the help and information. I expect there are many avid shooters like myself who essentially operate alone, especially in the specialty type things. Your information helps.

Must say, I really enjoyed pulling the trigger on the rifle. Don�t know why I was surprised but hit what I aimed at off hand. I shoot mainly off of a bench, or with support. Living within a few miles of several pioneer trails, it most certainly gives me even more respect for folks using these as tools in the past. Also, never gave hunting with a BP much of a thought. After spending the better part of the past two days learning to load and shoot, starting to think about taking advantage of our early BP deer season next year.

BTW�..I decided to try Pryrodex in loose form.

Jayboid,
Once you get started and out hunting you will wonder why you waited so long to try it. I started shooting BP back in the late 70's. I have had one ever since. Ohio has two BP seasons. One is early in mid October and the other one is late in December. I prefer the late season because it's colder and the possibility of snow is greater. There are also fewer people out in the field because of this.

Good hunting and enjoy your new BP rifle. Keep us up to date on how you like it.

If you can get it go for real black powder. I have shot pyrodex in sveral grades and I have noticled it fowling my bores any less than real black. What I have noticed it that black is far easier to clean up after than Pyrodex and real black is less corrosive than Pyrodex. Pyrodex has far more corrosive salts in it than does Black. However, Pyrodex and the other subs are often easier to come by as they are classified as propellants while black is classified as an explosive and has more storage restrictions and requirements for retailers. All clean up with plain water as the residue is water soluable. Black also has half the ignition temp as any of the subs on the market. So if you are experienceing slow ignition or frequent missfires the problem is often solved by using real black.

We sure were impressed with Triple 7 FFg. Large increases in velocity - - - AND less recoil. BP is not readily available here . . .

Except for two major difficulties, real BP is best. These difficulties are: Pain to clean up after shooting; Requires "bore wiping" between shots in order to reload!!

Anybody out there like the pellots? I have never
tried them but was considering them because of the
ease of reloading.