Newbie to Black Powder Cartridges

[indian joe]

For what it is worth, 20 years ago Lee Shaver and I were talking in Raton about duplexing smokeless powder with black powder for Longrange match events (800, 900, & 1000yds). It was legal for NRA matches then as well as in the Canadian matches.
He had told me he experimented using his match load three ways. Putting the smokeless on the bottom/BP on top. Putting the BP on the bottom and the smokeless on top and last he mixed it all up and dropped it in the case. His observation was, it all shot the same.

I have used it both smokeless under BP and mixed. I could not tell the difference. I quit there.

One other quality duplexing may help with is making poor powder shoot better. I learned this shooting with Dennis Bruns last century.


-There are a lot of right ways to do this..... Have fun and be safe.

Chill
Maybe the capitals gave the wrong impression there -----when I load duplex (dont use it much now) they are layered - I never tried mixing it - just more work again and I am inherently lazy.

Your second point is the most relevant one I think, duplex loading can make crappy blackpowder relatively easy to live with

Which gets to my third point - I make some nice willow charcoal powder that shoots clean so dont see the need for duplex much anymore

fourth point - my testing with decent quality powder gave better extreme spread numbers with straight blackpowder than with Duplex loads (it makes sense - why else would the hotshots that run things have ever allowed its use in longrange events ?!!)

I was surprised by the pressure data thats been quoted - I dont have any way to test that so had assumed that because I was seeing an increase in velocity over the chrony then it followed there would be an increase in pressure ? fair assumption as far as it goes ? and errs on the side of safety -- not the case ? thats good news!

[Vettepilot]

Common misconception. Regarding velocity and pressure it's the pressure curve that counts; not just peak pressure.

Vettepilot

[Chill Wills]

common misconception. Regarding velocity and pressure it's the pressure curve that counts; not just peak pressure.

Vettepilot

bingo