Author Topic: This Hobby Use to be Easy...a rant (Read 1238 times)

Swampman · « **on:** October 09, 2008, 07:55:51 AM »

It seems like every time they come out with a new powder, projectile, primer/cap, or gun there's all kinds of problems with it. Half the stuff can't even be used in some guns. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen. Remember when we just had 2F & 3F? Most of the reproduction powders are too unreliable to even be used for hunting IMO. If we could use smokeless in FL, I'd just get a Savage and be done with it.

coop2564 · « **Reply #1 on:** October 09, 2008, 08:33:30 AM »

You have a good point Swampman but on the flip side if you have the time and money you can just about find a powder and load that will make any gun a tack driver instead of having to settle for a gun that is not what you hoped for. All the options can be a curse or blessing I guess.

Swampman · « **Reply #2 on:** October 09, 2008, 08:40:21 AM »

Quote from: coop2564 on October 09, 2008, 08:33:30 AM

You have a good point Swampman but on the flip side if you have the time and money you can just about find a powder and load that will make any gun a tack driver instead of having to settle for a gun that is not what you hoped for. All the options can be a curse or blessing I guess.

Of course you then have to find a gun that will shoot the hundreds of dollars worth of stuff you bought that doesn't work in the gun you have.

Buckskins & Black Powder · « **Reply #3 on:** October 09, 2008, 08:53:00 AM »

pyrodex and powerbelts. never failed me in any of the inlines ive owned.

traditional with 1:48 twist or faster- powerbelts and pyrodex.

Slow twist traditional- pyrodex and a .015 and .490 or .530 round ball. And if its flintlock, Goex 2f.

Graybeard · « **Reply #4 on:** October 09, 2008, 11:49:12 AM »

I've NEVER popped a cap on real BP. I've used only Pyrodex since the day I got my first muzzle loading rifle and haven't changed yet. I use only Buffalo Bullets or the clone Hornady Great Plains bullets as projectiles. It's as easy for me today as it was when I shot the first round.

coop2564 · « **Reply #5 on:** October 09, 2008, 04:24:01 PM »

Of course you then have to find a gun that will shoot the hundreds of dollars worth of stuff you bought that doesn't work in the gun you have.

[/quote]
Thats no lie I have about $300 worth of ammo still from trying to make my handi SL .243 shoot finally give up!

john keyes · « **Reply #6 on:** October 09, 2008, 06:24:20 PM »

Life is pretty easy for my setup. I have a sidekick and use pyrodex and sabots. The only thing I have to worry about is will I ever get the breech plug back out.

flintlock · « **Reply #7 on:** October 10, 2008, 01:42:55 AM »

Goex FFF still works in a inline...I have used Pyrodex R-S, when I found it on sale for $5 bucks a pound, Goex still runs $11.55 a pound at the local distributor...

Either Barnes MZ copper bullets or the 250 Hornady SSTs will do all that needs doing to a deer...

Swampman · « **Reply #8 on:** October 11, 2008, 02:48:31 AM »

I have lots of Goex 3F, 2F, and Pyrodex RS. I just wish all the new miracle subs weren't so problematic.

bubba · « **Reply #9 on:** October 16, 2008, 06:23:10 AM »

in my optima elite (yes I know it is not safe) I use goex 2f and a lead bullet I mold in a harvestor sabot. I guess if it works why mess with it. If you have goex and pyrodex and they work, why try to switch it? I took a nice whitetail last year with the optima elite with that load and this year so far I have taken one deer with my huntsman and good ol goex. newer does not mean better. The only reason I am not using my elite is my nephew has it and is using it.

Swampman · « **Reply #10 on:** October 16, 2008, 07:25:58 AM »

Not having to clean the gun after spending 16 hours in the woods would be nice.

Two Bears · « **Reply #11 on:** October 19, 2008, 06:38:47 AM »

I have been using Goex 3F for a couple years now and works great in my inlines and flinters, cap locks.

BTW, the Goex is NOT inflated in price like all of the replacement powders that have come out so it won't cost you 30 bucks to buy a small jug of powder. Its bad enough that the bullets that are "marketed" for inline muzzleloaders are so inflated in prices that its almost embarrasing and the manufactures should be ashamed of themselves.

Boy, I feel better now.

Swampman · « **Reply #12 on:** October 19, 2008, 09:48:06 AM »

I've been using Goex FFF & Pyrodex RS because I have a lot of it. I think I'm going to get me a 50 caliber conical mold and a round ball mold. It's just seems funny that all the new stuff has so many draw backs and idiosyncrasies.

glwenzl · « **Reply #13 on:** October 19, 2008, 10:41:31 AM »

Sorry to hear you issues with the new stuff

I must have been lucky…. Been out of the ML’ing shooting for a while and recently got excited about it again…. Had no ideal what I was going to shoot in my ML-700 (all I had was 2F-3F and some sabot 44 cal XTPs)

Stumbled on to the new Hornady FPBs at Wal-Mart and decided to give Pyrodex a try…. Boy was I in for a nice surprise!!! This new style stuff is pretty cool in my books….. Doubt I even try my BP in this ML’r (will save it for my TC Hawkins and my old handgun)…

Like I said it may have been luck but all worked well for me with this new fangled stuff…. I guess the Pyrodex is not really new, but it is for me…. Found out later there are two kinds of Pyrodex powder and the one I have RS is supposedly not as accurate as the Select??? Heck I can’t imagine it getting any better than I have it right now!

Swampman · « **Reply #14 on:** October 19, 2008, 10:50:25 AM »

I don't really consider Pyrodex new stuff since it's been around for 30+ years. It's exactly like blackpowder, except it's harder to ignite and clean up.

Buckskins & Black Powder · « **Reply #15 on:** October 19, 2008, 11:08:36 AM »

I shot about a dozen rounds through my kentucky flinter today with straight pyrodex P. I got a couple hang fires before i adjusted the pan prime. It just wanted a dusting. I was pretty amazed at how well it shot with pure pyrodex in the barrel. I used 4f goex for pan charge. Knowing this now allows me to spend time with this flinter and do it on easy to buy powder.

Time to relax and cool down then go clean her up.

Chris Potts · « **Reply #16 on:** October 19, 2008, 04:39:56 PM »

I started with pyrodex pellets and a tc bullet/sabot pack because that was what they gave me at the store when I bought the gun. Since then I've started casting and use my own cast bullets in harvester crush ribs. Saves a ton of money if you shoot much. I also switched to FFFg blackpowder. I don't really see why people ever thought they needed subs. Holy black works great. I guess that it is better for shipping and storage for the suppliers. 209 is non corrosive so I guess that is something, but I've never found it that much of a pain to run a couple of wet patches down the barrel at the end of the day. I doubt that I will stop using blackpowder any time soon.

As a side note I also cut my charges way down. The 45/70 was considered a powerful cartridge in is day with 70 (or even less) grains of powder. I cronoed loads from 50 to 70 grains and I don't think that any of them lack the power to put a deer down handily out to at least 100 yrds.

Chris

Swampman · « **Reply #17 on:** October 19, 2008, 11:48:57 PM »

To properly clean a black powder rifle takes at least 1/2 hour if you hurry. A couple of patches just won't get it. I spend 1/2 hour on my bolt alone. 3F Goex can't be beat except for the cleaning part. Cleaning at your leisure would be nice.

Some rifles may take 10 different projectile combos to find one that shoots good. Fortunately mine have been pretty easy to find one that worked.

Semisane · « **Reply #18 on:** October 20, 2008, 03:19:22 PM »

Quote

To properly clean a black powder rifle takes at least 1/2 hour if you hurry.

You've got that about right Swampman, maybe even 45 minutes at a leisurely pace.

After my 50-shot session Sunday with my Great Plains flintlock, I wiped the bore with three or four Windex patches, followed by an alcohol patch, then an oil patch, and wiped the lock down with an oil patch. So I needed to do a thorough cleaning today, and decided to check the time at the beginning and end of the cleaning session. Here's how it went.

1. In my junk room (computer, guns, gun stuff, hunting clothes, magazines, unused tread mill, etc.) I removed the lock and barrel and took the touch hole liner out of the barrel.

2. Took the lock and touch hole liner to the kitchen and gave them a scrubbing in the sink with a tooth brush and dish soap under hot running water. Took them back to the junk room and set them aside to dry.

3. Took the barrel and cleaning rod and old towel to the kitchen. Filled a half gallon plastic tub with hot water and squirted some dish soap down the bore. Took the barrel, rod, and tub out to the patio, put the breech end in the tub of water and pumped the heck out of the bore with a patch on the cleaning jag. Then flushed everything out with the garden hose and wiped it dry with the towel.

4. Back in the junk room (my wife calls it "his cave") I ran a few dry patches down the bore, followed by an alcohol patch, then a RemOil patch. Wiped the outside of the barrel and the lock with an oil patch, and the metal parts on the stock, and put everything back together.

TOTAL TIME = 31 minutes. And you know what? I enjoyed every minute of it.

Swampman · « **Reply #19 on:** October 20, 2008, 04:40:34 PM »

My wife is waiting for me to take her to dinner and shopping when I get home.

Chris Potts · « **Reply #20 on:** October 21, 2008, 12:31:48 PM »

Quote from: Swampman on October 16, 2008, 07:25:58 AM

Not having to clean the gun after spending 16 hours in the woods would be nice.

I was referring to just using couple patches in this situation. I was assuming that you were referring to cleaning when your out hunting. If I was going out the next day and had only emptied the gun I usually just run a couple wet patches a dry one and one with bore butter. Actually I did that two weekends ago after putting 30 rounds through my encore. A week later I pulled it appart for a more thorough (yes about 30 minutes) cleaning and everything look fine. The barrel was nice and shiny. The breech plugged was a little fouled but came out easily. A little light scrubbing with a tooth brush and it looked like new. i don't think that I would have gotten away with only a couple patches if I was shooting heavy loads. I am only use about half of the powder that I used to use. And the fouling there is significantly less fouling. I also run and wet and dry patch down between each shot so the fouling doesn't really build up that bad.

As far as getting the right combo. I may just be lucky but I didn't shoot a five shot group over 2" at 50 yards. Most were at or under 1". Accuracy wise I had similar results when I used to use pyrodex select. I was shooting the harvester hardcast 330 gr lfn with pyrodex. With the geox fffg I was using a 230 gr. lfn that I cast for my .45. I think that going to a heavier bullet would probably give better accuracy. But the loads I tried gave me what I consider to be very acceptable accuracy for the ranges that I am hunting at. Plus they don't beat the snot out of me.

Chris