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Loose Powder or pellets
BIGHEAD T
Member Posts: 120 ✭✭
Is 100 grains of Loose the same as 100 grains of Pellets?? I have heard people say yes and no. Some say 100 grains of pellets is the same as 85 grains loose. Someone knowledgeable please enlighten us.
Comments
now just to throw you off a little i have heard that 777 is a hotter powder by about 10% than pyrodex or regular black powder , maybe thats where you are getting the difference from
Here is a short two part answer but you should read the article and one from earlier this year.
Part one: Is 100 grains of Loose the same as 100 grains of Pellets? No there are measureable differences between Loose and Pellets no matter whose Loose and Pellets you test.
Part two: Does it matter? Unless a couple 100 fps is important for you the performance is similar enough that for situations where 100 grains is enough gun it will not matter as long as you don't change from Loose to Pellets or vice or versa without checking you sights again.
What I really found interesting was that you could have an even larger change in velocity just by changing brands of Black Powder. 100 grains of Swiss FFg BP 1879 fps, vs. 100 grains of Goex FFg BP 1647 fps.
I believe that all the data is based on volume equivilants
This article is full of great data covers four different BP's, seven different Substitutes and six types of pellets with velocities and pressures.
All the good info is not on the internet.
Tim
If you use 2 pellets of Pyrodex or 100 grains (volume NOT weight)you will get the same basic performance out of the rifle. You will not have to change your sights from one to the other. They are both going to shoot to roughly the same point of impact. One thing you need to know is that you must tamp the loose powder down tight in order to get reliable ignition. If you don't -- you are going to get a "hang-fire" and its going to be a * to undo.
Now as to "REAL BLACK POWDER" I like Swiss best of all, but it is a law unto itself. It will generate more pressure than an equal amount of some other brand of black powder and certainly more than black powder substitutes. My next choices in order of preference is Elephant (almost impossible to find) Schutizen and dead last Goex.
As an aside 777 seems to generate higher pressures than any of the other black powder substitutes so back it down at least 10% and back down the Swiss by 15-20% when you start with it.
As an aside again: THANK YOU "DTKNOWLES". I don't get the American Rifleman, but my brother does and I will get him to send me his copy when he finishes it. I have tried to get pressure curve data from the black powder substitute makers for years and they won't give it to me for "liability" reasons. The only "real" black powder maker that would give me the pressure curve data was Goex. I need that data to load black powder shot shells. I have several old Damascus barreled "Ladies" in my safe that weighs almost a ton - over a ton with my guns in it. I love to hunt with the the old fashioned way. I guess I just want to return to a more simpler time when business was done with a handshake and no paper work.
Go to www.dixieslugs.com and look under the "Tech Notes" you will see a beautiful 6 wire "Star" Damascus barrel old girl. She use to be mine but I traded her off to Mr. Gates for his original "Dixie Terminator" mold. It is a custom designed, propritary mold and was equal value as the shotgun. He has been in the ammo industry and has forgotten more about ammo than any dozen of us put together will ever know. The Dixie Terminator is designed for BIG dangerous game. Some of the African guides are using a Remington 870 with a rifled barrel to back up their clients. It is the only thing that will stop an elephant or Cape Buffalo in its tracks. His "Tri-ball" load is for deer, antelope, and other "thin skinned" game. It will out do ANY Remington or Federal buckshot you can buy. I have never seen any smooth bore shotgun that would not put all 3 .60 caliber balls into a piece of typing paper at 40 yards. That is like 3 hunters using .60 caliber rifles and all shooting the deer at the same time. If one .45 ball will put a deer down, just think what 3 .60 caliber pellets will do to the deer. Ammunition is the least expensive and most important part of any hunt. His ammo is not cheap and you will not find it in any retail store. He deals directly with his customers - and I will tell you he has a "sh&^load" of repeat customers.
I guess I better shut-up or the moderators will be on my case for using up too much bandwidth.
Best Regards[:D]
Steve Adams
AdamsQuailHunter on GunBroker, Shotgun World, Bear Tooth Bullets, E-bay and Yahoo
"Tailgunner1954" failing a Wasserman isn't a big deal, but suppose you fail the HIV or Herpes type 2 or Hepatitis type 2. They are all acquired the same way as syphilis is.
That slug is VERY impressive when it's sitting in one of Ed Hubels 12gaFH cases, and even more so when it's recovered after firing.
To the OP, I found that two 50gr Pyrodex pellets to be roughly equil to 100gr volume of 3F GOEX powder, but ahead of the normal for cal 2F in the velocity dept.
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AQH
You are the first person in the year since I added that line that understood it. BTW, it's a sigline that I "borrowed" from a poster on another forum.