Skirmish Powder

[Soot Sucker]

Hello All,

I received a 10 pound lot of "Skirmish Powder" from Powder Inc. It is advertised as having a Similar granulation to 1F Goex.



I found some interesting info about this powder. (Copy and Paste):

Hello,
I just called Powder Inc. The skirmish grade powder is a blasting
powder 4Fa, NOT 4FG. Blasting powder is a coarse black powder with
little or no graphite glazing. It works great in artillery. The guy
at Powder Inc says this skirmish grade is equivalent to 1FG. There
is web site out there that explains the grades of blasting powder
and the size of the corns. I cannot remember it now.
Tallyho,
Gregg

(Reply)
The Fa powder are properly called fireworks powder not blasting powder,
though for some reason this term is sometimes applied to the Fa powders, even by some suppliers. Blasting powder is a different animal and it is important not
to to confuse them. As Gregg pointed out Fa fireworks powders differ from the
Fg sporting powders in that they are not tumbled with graphite.
Both type 'g' and type 'a' black powders are made of the same ingredients
(Potassium Nitrate, Sulfer, and Charcoal) and milled the same way. The
difference is in the finishing process. Fireworks type 'a' powders are not
tumbled, or
tumbled only briefly, to knock off any sharp or long projections on the
granules. The sporting type 'g' powders are tumbled with a small amount of
graphite, with modifies and slows the burn rate, and gives a small measure of
resistance to moisture absorption. As black powder is a surface burning
explosive
(individual grains burn from their surface inward as opposed to detonating all
together like modern explosives) the graphite coating can reduce the rate of the burn, but only slightly. *Note that grain/granule sizes are not identical
between type 'a' and type 'b' powders, that is FFg is not the same size grain as FFa. I use FFa in my cannons as it is the same grain size as type 'g' cannon
powder. As Gregg indicated this Skirmish powder is 4Fa fireworks powder and is
size equivalent to Fg sporting powder. The 'a' powders are larger grained for
the same F (grain size) rating.
BUT IMPORTANT** Real black powder blasting powder, known as type'b' (Fb,
2Fb, etc.) is a different chemical composition and should NEVER be used in black powder weapons. Type 'b' blasting powder is a Sodium Nitrate based (instead
of the Potassium Nitrate in sporting and fireworks powders) black powder and
delivers a higher shock value than the type "g" and 'a' powders. This higher
shock value can damage or burst firearms and artillery barrels. (end)

[threepdr]

Soot Sucker, what do they charge per pound for the Skirmish powder?  We are looking for a cheaper source than what we normally shoot.  We will go through a case of powder for a big reenactment with our Three pounder.  Thanks

[CAV Trooper]

SS,

Great info. I'm really looking forward to a range report on what, if any, differences there might be between the Skirmish Powder and regular 1f. I've also got an event coming up in February that will burn a lot of powder. Since this stuff is cheaper, if it works as well as regular Goex, it will definitely be the way to go.

[Soot Sucker]

I took a few shots today in one of my golf ball mortar. No problems and seemed to burn nice and clean. The granulations are coarse but even in size.  I need to do more testing....time will tell.

The price for 10 pounds was $7.10 per pound plus haz-mat and shipping.
Price for 25- 50 lbs is $5.60 plus haz-mat and shipping.


Dave

[Blaster]

Soot Sucker, wonder if something is wrong with the web site of Powder Inc. Each time I try to gain access, all I get is "this page cannot be displayed".
Anyone else having this problem with the Powder Inc site?? :x

[Double D]

Blaster,

Thanks for reminding me, I needed to change that link, it will work now.

Here it is:

http://www.powderinc.com/

[Blaster]

Well, thank you DD.  The Powderinc web site comes up now.  Blaster

[glock29]

The "sodium nitrate" based blasting powder sounds more powerful to me....would you get a larger "bang" for the same amount of powder ?
Less powder Fb = More powder Fg  for the same cannon bang?

MORE power sounds BETTER (not worse) to me !

[Cat Whisperer]

MORE power sounds BETTER (not worse) to me !

Safety will ALWAYS be one of the first rules on this board.  

Perhaps you've never seen a cannon explode, I have from about 15' away.

I make no appologies for that position, it is merely taking a responsible position.

[Double D]

Glock29,

Did you read what Soot Sucker posted

The Fa powder are properly called fireworks powder not blasting powder,
though for some reason this term is sometimes applied to the Fa powders, even by some suppliers. Blasting powder is a different animal and it is important not
to to confuse them. As Gregg pointed out Fa fireworks powders differ from the
Fg sporting powders in that they are not tumbled with graphite.
Both type 'g' and type 'a' black powders are made of the same ingredients
(Potassium Nitrate, Sulfer, and Charcoal) and milled the same way. The
difference is in the finishing process. Fireworks type 'a' powders are not
tumbled, or
tumbled only briefly, to knock off any sharp or long projections on the
granules. The sporting type 'g' powders are tumbled with a small amount of
graphite, with modifies and slows the burn rate, and gives a small measure of
resistance to moisture absorption. As black powder is a surface burning
explosive
(individual grains burn from their surface inward as opposed to detonating all
together like modern explosives) the graphite coating can reduce the rate of the burn, but only slightly. *Note that grain/granule sizes are not identical
between type 'a' and type 'b' powders, that is FFg is not the same size grain as FFa. I use FFa in my cannons as it is the same grain size as type 'g' cannon
powder. As Gregg indicated this Skirmish powder is 4Fa fireworks powder and is
size equivalent to Fg sporting powder. The 'a' powders are larger grained for
the same F (grain size) rating.
BUT IMPORTANT** Real black powder blasting powder, known as type'b' (Fb,
2Fb, etc.) is a different chemical composition and should NEVER be used in black powder weapons. Type 'b' blasting powder is a Sodium Nitrate based (instead
of the Potassium Nitrate in sporting and fireworks powders) black powder and
delivers a higher shock value than the type "g" and 'a' powders. This higher
shock value can damage or burst firearms and artillery barrels.

Emphasis added.

[glock29]

I humbly stand corrected !