Velocity - Pyrodex RS VS Alliant Black MZ

[FrontierMuzzleloading]

Traditions St.Louis Hawken .50cal - 1:48 Twist - 28" Barrel - .020" Bridgers Best Patches - Frontier's Anti Rust & Patch Lube - .490" Round Balls.
https://i.servimg.com/u/f50/18/40/56/85/100_3215.jpg (https://servimg.com/view/18405685/1378)

Chronograph set at 20 feet distance.

80 grains Volume

Pyrodex RS:
1,718
1,769
1,772
---------------
Alliant Black MZ
1,525
1,538
1,528

And for fun, I wanted to see what would happen if I left the bore dirty. What kind of results would I get?

1,596 FPS. This round ball also impacted 3" higher than the other previous 3 shots.

Next time, I will be testing both powders on dirty bores and see which powder gives me the best accuracy, velocity and consistency # wise.

Now just because Alliant Black MZ has REALLY good SD between shots, as long as you are swabbing the bore between each shot, does not mean, its the more accurate of the two powders used today.

In this rifle, the Pyrodex RS load easily wins the Accuracy battle at 100 yards despite the larger SD numbers.

[Gray Fox]

Since real BP is only available by shipping it in I have used Pyro RS, Select and Pistol grades for the last 30 years or so. I have had excellent accuracy and consistent velocity in my T/C and Lyman rifles as well as Pietta Colt and Remington replica revolvers. I'm just getting ready to try loading some Cartridge Grade in .38-55. My trusty Pyrodex Loading pamphlet suggests that I should get in the neighborhood of 1,350 fps with a 250 grain boolit with 42 grain weighed charges of either RS or Cartridge grades. I may also try some P grade as well as fffg KIK black powder for comparison. Historically, many shooters used fffg granulation in .38-55 and .38-56. GF