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muzzle loaders

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brandon

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I was wondering if I sould use pyrodex or the real powder. I use one of the older style percussion muzzle loaders. Thakns for your time!
 
pyrodex pellets, are what i use, and it makes things alot more consistant, and reloading can be done quicker and easier. the pellets come in 30 and 50 grain pellets, allowing you to customize your loads to achieve the optimum accuracy of your particular muzzleloader.
 
For side hammer traditional style rifles I would recommend black powder for colder weather. I had problems with the gun not going off at the end of a cold day when I used pyrodex. Never had any problem once I started using black powder.
 
brandon, better stick with black powder (FFG) with #11 caps. i would recommend the pellets when u start using the 209 primer system.
 
I use pellets and have a #11 percussion ignition system and have yet to have a misfire! The main point is to keep the powder or pellets dry. In wet weather cover the end of the barrel. My muzzleloader also has a weather shroud, but I am not sure what to use with a hammer style gun. There are cap covers that you can get from various manufactures. I hunted opening morning of early muzzleloader with rain blowing in my face without the barrel covered and no weather shroud and had no problem firing!
 
Brandon, I've used a traditional style 54 caliber Hawkin for many years. I always use loose pyrodex powder. Once in a while my 1st shot at the range is a hang fire, but never any after that. So when deer season comes, I always make sure to take 1 shot after the last time I cleaned it. Personally I am not comfortable with the safety issues of storing real black powder in my house.

IaCraig.
 
I only use the Pyrodex Select powder. I have found that some guns shoot better with 90 grains or say 110 grains. You just need to shoot with differant grains and see which shoots better. I live about 15 miles from the Knight Factory and have talked to them several times on which to use powder or pellets. Everyone I talk to at knight that hunts say to use the powder. They claim the pellets will sometimes get the edges rounded off a little and will delay ignition from One pellet to the other. I will stick with the powder........
 
I've read some testing results at prbullet.com where they tested loose pyro against pellets. The loose powder was more consistant velocity wise. I personally see no advantage to pellets due to the fact you have to select proper size pellets, maybe 2 different sizes and drop them down the muzzle with the proper end down first. Loose powder you just pour a premeasured charge and you're ready for the projectile.
I personally use pyro select in a Encore and a Renegade and have never had a misfire. I'm happy with it and don't feel the need to change anything.
 
I had the joy of manually unloading my MK-85 this fall while practicing when I had a mild senility attack and thought I had double loaded it. When I pushed everything out of the breech end the pyrodex powder was compacted into a solid chunk shaped like the breech.

To me that compaction looked as good as the pellets as far as I'm concerned and the price difference out weighs any inconvenience that loose powder may have for me.

[This message has been edited by BW (edited 12-24-2001).]
 
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