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777-FFg or 777-FFFg ?

StradivariusStradivarius Member Posts: 51 ✭✭
edited September 2012 in Black Powder and Cowboy Action Shooting
Hi guys, im having trouble making up my mind/who to believe [|)] - A gunsmith who i get help from sometimes told me i should use Hodgdons 777-FFg in my ORIGINAL 1858 Remington New Model Army and NOT FFFg.

Everybode els on the internet seems to think that one should use 777-FFFg in it. I have used 30 gr of 777-FFFg in my old ORIGINAL 1858 Remington New Model Army ( sold it ) and it did not blow up on me.

What do you guys with years of experiens using the same revolver think - 777-FFFg OR 777-FFg

Thank you all in advance for any help/tips [:D]
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    bartman45bartman45 Member Posts: 3,008 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    If you have access to real bp, such as Swiss, Schuetzen, or KIK, I would shoot what it was made to shoot.
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    navc130navc130 Member Posts: 1,202 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The Hodgen websit recommends FFFG for pistols and rifles .50 cal. and smaller. There is a built-in safety factor in percussion revolvers, in that the longer the bullet is (heavier weight), the less powder you can load. The original conical bullets were only 155 to 185 grain weight, as I recall. They had very short bearing surfaces. As you stated, flat base conicals are hard to load straight. You do know that there is a ideal relationship between the chamber diameter, bullet size and barrel groove diameter. The ball should be .005+ oversize to seal the chamber, and ideally about .002 larger than the groove diameter when it enters the barrel. Soft lead compensates for size differences by sizing down or expanding under pressure when this relationship is not exact.
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    44caliberkid44caliberkid Member Posts: 925 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Personally, I would not use 777 in an original firearm that is over 120 years old.
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    StradivariusStradivarius Member Posts: 51 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hello again guys, and thank you for you input. The thing is that over here one needs a gun licence/permit in order to buy " Real Gunpowder " where as Hodgdons 777 is licensfri ........ The rule is Gunpowder is " explosive " and there is very strict rules for transporting and storing it. Hodgdons 777 is not classed as an explosvie but as a " Inflamable " and there is no rules at all about transporting/storing it.
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    anderskandersk Member Posts: 3,627 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Hodgdon 777 is a great product. It is a Black Powder substitute. So there is not reason at all to not use it in any BP gun. Hodgdon 777 FFFg is finer and burns hotter and faster than FFg. So you use a bit less. Some folks say to start with 10% less than FFg. I've used it for seven years now in a variety of long guns with no problem at all.

    I may even try it in my Kentucky flintlock pistol, except the guys at the club here keep telling me it is not hot enough for a flintlock pistol. And I don't need more ignition problems!

    Hodgdon 777 is a whole lot easier to clean up than BP.
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    GatofeoGatofeo Member Posts: 230 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Contrary to widespread belief, Hodgdon 777 is NOT a black powder substitute -- at least not like Hodgdon Pyrodex P.
    I would NOT use 777 in your original Remington. It's stout stuff, and will produce higher pressures than black powder if used in the same amounts.
    Hodgdon says to reduce 777 loads by 15 percent, compared to FFFG black powder. Hodgdon is the one with the instruments to measure pressure, and I believe them.
    Anything else is just guesswork. Just because a gun isn't damaged right away, or blow up, doesn't make the load safe. This holds true for smokeless, as well as black powder.
    If obtaining and storing black powder is too much of a hassle, try to get some Hodgdon Pyrodex in P (pistol) grade. This is a true black powder substitute, intended to be used volume-for-volume alongside real black powder.
    Hodgdon 777 can be tricky to use, since you must reduce its volume by 15 percent to approximate black powder pressures. If you don't, you're creating a 15 percent overload and such an old gun may be damaged, perhaps to the point of injuring the shooter.
    But hey, don't believe me. Visit the Hodgdon website, read about 777 and Pyrodex P. They're the folks who make the stuff.
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