There is no substitute for real black powder. 777 has a higher flash point than real black powder, thus possible hangfires. It burns no cleaner. A friend gave me a partial can of 777, to try. I'll stick with real black powder. If you are looking for cleaner burning, try FFFG black, in your muzzleloader. Reduce your loads by 15% from usual FFG loads. I shoot patched round balls, with real black powder, and have no problems with fouling. I also clean my muzzleloaders with water, with a little dish soap added, so there is nothing new here. Black also gives instant ignition, and must be used in flinters. From what I see at the gunshop, black is about $7.00 less per pound than 777. Yes, 777, pyrodex, etc. is easier to find, Wal-Mart, Etc. , but there is a reason for this. These black powder substitutes have a higher ignition point than real black, and are classified differently, thus these stores are able to sell them. There is a reason that black has been around for 500+ years !