Anybody else using Triple-Seven powder?

[Bigdog57]

I like this new powder!  Tried it for the Christening of my new Pietta 1851 Navy, and it performed very well.  Four cylinderfuls, and nary a burp!  Good grouping, lots of smoke - a very satisfying bit of shooting.  I use a moderate load - 27 grains.  They say the 777 is a bit hotter than true BP or Pyrodex, but it felt good and not too hot at all.  Made an authoritative BANG!, but didn't over-stress the gun.  Worked well in the older 1851 Navy too, even though it is of less robust construction.
Cleaning was a breeze, for a BP gun.  Spent about ten minutes per gun, not hurrying.  A little residue made, but far less than Pyrodex.  Wipes right out.
I relubed the bore and cylinder pin with TC Bore Butter - the guns didn't gum up after several loadings like they would with gun oil and Pyrodex.

I am well pleased with the new 777.  

[Mark whiz]

I feel pretty much the way you do.   I too use 27gr with a .454 ball in my 1858 and get great results with it.  And since True Black is practically impossible to find around here, the 3fg 777 sure fits the bill nicely.  :grin:

[flchip]

Triple 7 here too BigDog I'm using 28 grains, wonder wads and .451 balls.

[rcsron]

I use the 777 in my Ruger Old Army with great results, my loads are 25 grs. and that seems what the ROA likes. Easy cean up is also very nice. A little soap and hot water and its clean. Less 10 min. cleaning time.

[Good time Charlie]

I have some 777 I bought a few months ago. It shoots very well. However at $25 a pound and I can buy Goex for $9 a pound That shoots just as well. I will be using Goex. Besides my flintlocks will not shoot 777! I had to buy some Goex to get them to fire and found it to shoot just as well as 777 and much cheeper.
                                                Old Charlie

[Cowpox]

I'm with Good time Charlie. I like everything about 777 except the price. I am amazed by the quick and easy cleanup, and the extra energy is a plus. We get it for about $20, compared to $10 for GOEX in West central Minnesota. As a result, I use it only in my cap and ball revolvers, and then, only when I am on limited time. In my percussion rifles, and my .32 flint lock(works well,but prime with GOEX ground very fine with a mortar and pestle), I see no difference in cleanup time, and if I want more power, I just dump a little more black. So I went back to Goex fff in the long guns. The Minnesota muzzle loading deer season starts soon, and I have friends who used 777 during last year's season, and swear they shot their rifles the first day of season, to get the oil dried out of the bore, reloaded, then went hunting. At the end of the day, simply took the cap off the nipple, then used Ballistol to wipe the bore on top of the ball, wiped down the lock and other external metal, then used the same load several days later to fill their tags, with no corrosion in the chamber. Sounds to good to be true, but I believe I will use 777 this year for deer season. I bought one of those disgustingly ugly black plastic, blued steel, Star Wars looking in line sewer pipes at an auction sale this summer. I didn't pay much for it, and had this experiment in mind when I bought it. I'll let you know whether or not I get corrosion . cowpox

[DonT]

Use it in my Rogers & Spencer 44 CB.  I use 23gr of Triple 7 (3f) topped of with cornmeal, then a wonderwad and finally a .454 RB.

They shoot great, clean easily and provide plenty of smoke and entertainment at our cowboy shoots...


DonT

[1860]

I'm kind of surpised, we go to the so-called trouble of using these revolvers but can't be bothered to clean them???  I tried Trip-7, it doesn't sound the same, smoke the same or smell the same as BP.  You can shoot just about all day with it, same as a cartridge gun using smokeless powders.  What's the point???

I like a cloud of smoke I can't see through, I like my revolvers to go boom, not bang, and I like the idea of having to clean them once in awhile.  Kind of reminds me to slow down, like they did in the old days.

I'm not slamming you guys who use it, like I said I'm just kind of surpised that it's so popular in these guns.  

60

[Ramrod]

I'm with 1860 on this one. And the most important thing is the smell of real powder. Gotta have it!
And I also say the same about 777, what's the point. Might as well get rid of the cap-n-ball and get a 1911.

[Mark whiz]

Nothing wrong with 1911's ................. I added one to the collection a few months back.  :grin:

I DO like the whole experience of shooting true black - but it is very difficult to get around here.    So to re-create the smell.............I just eat TacoBell take-out a few hours before shooting!  :eek:  :-D

[Bigdog57]

The smell, the 'bang' vs. 'boom', okay - ya got me there.  But the smoke?  Plenty smoke!  I tried shooting something on the 50 yard berm, and had to wait for the smoke to clear to see if I'd hit it!  Oh yeah, we're smokin'!  :grin:

After spending thirty years off and on, cleaning these things - the easy cleaning of 777 is much appreciated.

C130E - Hi, Jerry!  Fancy meeting you over here!  

Had something kind of odd happen the last time shooting.  Checking my targets, I found a Wonder Wad stuck in one of the .44 holes!  Guess if I had to use it for defense - I'd be plugging the holes I'd shoot in the bad guy!  

This is getting to be a real thrill.  Now I'm looking at front-stuffer rifles . . .  :shock:

[Ramrod]

This is getting to be a real thrill.  Now I'm looking at front-stuffer rifles . . .  :shock:

Carefull, sometimes it turns into an obsession! Seriously, though, try a traditional longrifle, or a Hawkin style mountain rifle if that pleases your eye. You will be hooked. And nothing goes better with a cap-n-ball revolver than an 1861 Springfield, or an 1858 Enfield musket. And a .58 cal horse pistol would be cool...

[Cowpox]

I promised to let you know how my experiment with leaving a dirty chamber loaded with 777 for the whole season came out. I would like to tell you I shot my deer with that inline loaded with 777, but I carried my .54 Deer Creek mountain rifle every other day, loaded with Goex 2fg,and a patched RB. That was what I had today when a blind, deaf, retarded Whitetail spike, with a head cold so he couldn't smell , wandered into my self imposed (60 year old eyes and open sights ) 50 yard range limitation. Two weeks ago tomorrow, I took both rifles out to the range, and made sure they were sighted in. I went home, and cleaned both rifles, then dried the bore on the inline, put a musket cap on the nipple and fired it. then I put 55 grains equivalent of triple seven in, stepped out the door, put on another cap , and fired it to make sure there would be no oil left to foul the charge, then went back in, and loaded it with another 55 of triple seven and one of those green sabot .50 bullets. I then used three patches, barely damp with moose milk to clean the bore above the load. The third patch was pretty clean, so I wrapped a dry patch around a .50 cal. bore mop and dried the bore. I dampened another patch with straight Ballistol, wrapped it around a new mop, and ran it up and down the bore 4 or 5 times. I carried that rifle every other day, and wiped the bore with Ballistol every night it was carried.  Tonight when I got home, I cleaned the .54 , then went out and shot the charge from the inline. Took the breach plug out, and pushed a wet patch through. It came out the muzzle looking brownish, so I thought it had rusted. I cleaned the bore with hot soapy water, dried it, patched it with Ballistol, and checked the bore, especially the chamber, with a bore scope. Nothing. No sign of rust or pits. Actually, I came up four days short of a whole season,but it had been loaded for thirteen days, 4 hours. My friends who did this last year weren't exaggerating. Looks like I can try the same with my traditional rifles next year. cowpox

[Fiveshooter]

:grin: I have burned up a few pounds of 777 in my Old Army revolvers. You get a good deal more velocity out of the stuff than with black powder. You will also get a higher velocity spread. With the Old Army revolvers I like a full chamber of whaterver I am using for propellant. For the .45 caliber Old Armys I use 36 gr. for my conicals and round balls. For the .50 caliber Clements Old Army I use 50 gr. for conical or round ball. All measured by volume. I use wonder wads for the round balls and just a good B.P. bulet lube for the conicals. Full charges of 777 have given me very good accuracy in all my Old Armys. I think corn meal and Crisco are for cooking, NOT shooting :-D . The only complaint I have with 777 is the price is rediculously high.  BTW I get much better ignition with Remington caps than CCIs. The Remingtons also give a bit more velocity.

[Cowpox]

You are correct fiveshooter, The advantages of 777 are notable, but the high price is a downer. I still shoot the black stuff most of the time because 777 lacks that pleasing flat thud that black makes. I even kind of miss the sewer smell of the black. I understand why you fill those Rugers full, but on my Colt and Remington style reproductions, I had the fixed sights altered to shoot to point of aim at 25 yrds with 3f Goex. Filed notches deeper in the hammer, put in taller front sights, whatever it took. When I loaded full with 777, they tended to shoot a little low, even though the recoil was sharper. I suppose because the ball gets out of the barrel quicker. As a result, I started reducing my loads, until I was up to point of aim again. I can still seat the ball on the powder, so I don't have to use your corn meal. That gained a few shots a pound. Plus, 777 is more bulky than black, so you get a few more shots per pound by volume, so that all helps get the price a little closer to black. The big thing is, when I know I won't have time to go through the whole "take out every screw" cleaning process that black requires, it is nice to shoot 777 and just give it a lick and a promise without worrying about it being a piece of rusty junk when you get back to it. As you noted, the extra power is nice, although, the muzzle blast requires ear protection. With black, I am comfortable shooting without muffs, but that 777 hurts the ears when I use a full charge. Especially in my .44 Remington, and even worse in the Walker.
I also agree with you on those Remington caps. Starting last summer, a local chain of farm supply stores in this area (Minn) called Mills Fleet Farm, had a closeout on number 11 Rems. The number 10s stayed at the usual $3.65 per can, but the 11s were priced $1.90. They were usually out, but three times I got there first, and ended up with about 40 tins of them. Of course I have already used about half of them, but it was fun while it lasted. Cowpox

[Bigdog57]

A little while back, I did my own test using the 777.  I cleaned the new Pietta .44 1851 after shooting, but let the older 1851 Navy go for a full week without cleaning.  It sat in the range bag, in the car - and we had a couple days of soggy rain - ah!  Nothing like a few days of high humidity to really test it!
After a full week - just a couple little flecks of rust - on a well-worn thirty year old gun, that ain't bad!  No increase in bore pitting either.  Cleanup was quick and easy, as BP guns go.
I won't let 'em go like that normally, but it's nice to know that we have some 'wiggle room' on cleaning them.  It's not as time-critical as with BP or pyrodex.

[Cowpox]

I agree Bigdog, While 777 is not traditional, it does have several advantages over black. In my book, the biggest plus is the room it allows for cheating. I am pretty religious about taking care of all my guns after use, but sometimes you hit circumstances that are out of your control. "S**t happens." Back in the 70's through the early 80's, I drove a tractor trailer rig hauling livestock. One sunny day in late june, We went out shooting gophers. I used the 1860 Army which was the first cap n' ball I owned. When we got back, My wife informed me the dispatcher had called a couple hours ago, and wanted me right away. I had to settle for dousing the revolver with Outers gun oil, and because June in Minnesota always has high humidity and dew points, I put it in a sealed freezer bag. I was gone 6 days, and almost cried when I went to clean that pistol. It was pitted around the front of the cylinder, in the chambers, and in the bore. The outside surfaces turned out to be mostly surface rust and cleaned up pretty well. It still carries the scars, but remains usable and accurate. I only use 777 when I know cleaning time might be a problem. It takes some of the guilt out of not cleaning, when you know the price will not be the high one black powder would demand. We go to central South Dakota 2 or 3 times a year to shoot prairie dogs, and when the young dumbs ones are up, I like to play with them using my .32 flintlock and cap n' ball pistols. We stay in campers where we shoot, and I used 777 for the first time this year. It was nice not having to boil water and tear everything apart. I just used a cleaning rod and moose milk, and gave them a good cleaning when I got home. No rust.  I still mainly use black, but there are times it is real handy to have a jug of 777.  Cowpox