What Black Powder do I need to buy?

fourfingersofdeath · October 26, 2009, 09:45:39 AM

I am heading into Sydney later in teh week and want to pick up some Black Powder on the way. It is hard to get in the country, I haven't found anyone selling it so far.

I will mostly be loading 44/40s, both rifle and revolver as well as 12Ga shotgun for cowboy action and a 44 Cap and ball Remington clone for plinking and target work. I will be also be shooting 45 Colt and 44 Specials at times. In addition to these, I have two 45/70s (actually I have a few more as well, but only two that I will be shooting black in), a Marlin Cowboy for Pat Garrett matches and a Browning BPCR for long range and BPCR.

I have a fair bit of FFg and that is all I have used so far. Do I buy more FFg and stick to that (I thinking it wouldn't be that easy, surely) or do I buy some other grades?

What are your suggestions?

Thanks, Four Fingers (newly indentured apprentice to the Dark Arts).

PS, I forgot to mention Wano seems to be the only brand available at the moment. There is a shop selling Pyrodex, but I am not a bit interested in the substitutes, thanks anyway.

Pitmaster · October 26, 2009, 01:18:21 PM

As an FYI, Powder, INC is selling Goex for less than $14 lb in 25 lb lots. Includes shipping and haz mat fees. I ordered 25 lbs Thursday afternoon and it arrived an hour ago. 'm splitting it with 2 other guys. We did buy Pinnacle in 3FFF.

Ranch 13 · October 26, 2009, 01:28:36 PM

For the cartridge guns I'ld stick with the Wano 2f unless you can get goex 3f for the short rounds, and Cartridge for the 45-70. 1f for the shotgun would be my pick , 2f works just fine.

44caliberkid · October 26, 2009, 02:57:21 PM

My suggestion is similar to the above. 2f for shotgun and 45-70, but I'd get some 3F for the 44-40, 45 Colt, and the cap and ball pistolas.

To Pitmaster: Four Fingers is in Austrailia, Powder Inc. won't do him much good. Like your avatar though.

Pitmaster · October 26, 2009, 08:29:44 PM

Quote from: 44caliberkid on October 26, 2009, 02:57:21 PM
My suggestion is similar to the above. 2f for shotgun and 45-70, but I'd get some 3F for the 44-40, 45 Colt, and the cap and ball pistolas.

To Pitmaster: Four Fingers is in Austrailia, Powder Inc. won't do him much good. Like your avatar though.

Learn somethin' new every day.

From the Avatar

yeti76620 · October 26, 2009, 09:22:21 PM

Hello again Fourfingersofdeath! We discussed before 'bout my Pard and I bantering around the Holy Black and his smoking bumble bee round falling a few feet in front of the muzzle. In his persistence to convert me to the "Dark Side", I know what he's been doing for the past ten years as a true Frontiersman. He shoots 45 LC cartridge in a '66, Roooger Old Armies, and a dbl 12ga. The rule of thumb is FF for long gun and shot dbl then FFF for pistols: however, He says 'DA Hell and makes 2.5F with a 1:1 FF:FFF for all and it works just fine. The FF for the smoke and the FFF for the wallop to test the target welds. The 45LC are filled almost to the brim and a 265g boolit, 12ga square load with 1.5oz #7 shot, then the Rooogers loaded to compare to those horse pistol rounds (Rooogers ONLY for these pistol rounds) wouldn't try it with Italian horse pistols. Goex is his preferred but the Slovenian brand KIK is really good too. He's got that smokin bumble bee figured out and the caps falling off issues solved so I might be persuaded to cross over or NOT. Good luck and HAVE FUN!

Yeti76620

fourfingersofdeath · October 26, 2009, 09:25:13 PM

Yep, the haz mat shipping and storage regs are so hot here, virtually no one will ship out of the metropolitan area of the capital, Sydney that I can see. ost shops don't sell it as you have to keep smokless and black separated by 50 metres I think, most shops aren't that big. Most of us buy from club armourers, work from home dealers, etc. You can't buy more than 10 kilos at a time either (or have that much in your possession). Most of the guys who sell it, get it when they visit the big smoke, get one lot going in and one lot going back.

I'll pick up a few kilos of FFFg on the way through later in the week and have a play with it later on when I get home.

fourfingersofdeath · October 26, 2009, 09:29:09 PM

Quote from: Pitmaster on October 26, 2009, 01:18:21 PM
As an FYI, Powder, INC is selling Goex for less than $14 lb in 25 lb lots. Includes shipping and haz mat fees. I ordered 25 lbs Thursday afternoon and it arrived an hour ago. 'm splitting it with 2 other guys. We did buy Pinnacle in 3FFF.

By the way, we are paying $AU48 a kilogram for Wano and glad to get it (1 kilogram equals 2.2lbs roughly). I have one tin of Goex I bought a few years ago, it is 500Gms or a bit over a pound and it was $38 at the time! OUCH!!!!

yeti76620 · October 26, 2009, 09:33:30 PM

Quote from: Pitmaster on October 26, 2009, 08:29:44 PM
Learn somethin' new every day.

From the Avatar

Yeah Pitmaster, that avatar reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: "Sell me all your women...how much for that little girl?"eyerrrr matey!

Yeti76620

Noz · October 27, 2009, 08:37:08 AM

This ain't rocket science.
The FFg will work well in any of the application you suggested.
Stick with one granulation.
Simpler that way.

Dick Dastardly · October 27, 2009, 09:49:07 AM

What Noz said. Given all the hoops you have to jump thru, having more than one granulation only compounds your problems. FFg will do your work. If you can do face to face purchases, that's your best bet. Cash on the barrel head, plain brown wrapper and no questions asked or answered.

Best of luck.

DD-DLoS

Deadeye Dick · October 27, 2009, 10:09:35 AM

+1 what Noz and DD said.

yeti76620 · October 28, 2009, 05:27:06 PM

Well there ya go 'ol Fourfingersofdeath for it surly seems like a big consensus for the FF. This is truly a good grind for a bunch of smoke and a really good boom. My Pard adds the FFF for some "horsepower" and a bigger boom. The horsepower is why I shoot smokeless and the bypass of the particulars of shoot-n the Holly Black but I do partake in the joys of the exhibition of all that soot!

Don't know if it's possible to blow up Italian steel with the Black like the smokeless does but it might so I suppose that the FF is good unless ya got Rooogers. Rooogers are made out of really old Buick leaf springs!

FFF is more powder for more power due to finer grind. I might be wrong...maybe...don't think so though.

Yeti76620

fourfingersofdeath · October 29, 2009, 02:58:14 AM

Got nearly 8 lbs of FFg, so it looks like I'll standardise on that.

I will go hunting with black in my 45/70 Cowboy when I get my Gould mould. I won't bother experimenting until I get into casting the Gould boolits.

Thanks for the help,I can't believe it was so simple, I was all set to dazzle myself with science.

PS, I might get some cracker powder for the shotshells. A lot of guys here use it (black powder for fireworks) in shotshells for cowboy as the demands of cowboy shotgunning aren't all that fancy and it is a cheap alternative.