American Pioneer Powder

[versifier]

Anybody tried any of this in their front stuffers? They make some interesting claims for it.

[ourway77]

As far as being very expensive, I see no advantage over 777. My buddy bought some and we went to the range, he bought it in pellet form darnest thing the pellets are squre. Well we both shoot the same guns, his gun did not shoot the AMP powder well at all, I was shooting 777 2F same bullet way better group. But that could be that my rifle just likes what I feed it. One thing i did notice it seemed to leave a sort of white substance in his barrel and he never swabbed between shots, so maybe there is some valitity to all the claims. For me it's 777 all the way 2f loose. Every firearm are head strong alot like my wife LOL

[twotoescharlie]

burns clean and easy cleanup, that's about all it has going for it.


TTC

[RugerFan]

I had used 777 for some time (powder in my GPR and pellets in my inline). A definite improvement over Pyrodex. The only thing I didn't like was the infamous "crud ring" that collects just in front of the breech. I tried American Pioneer (powder, not pellets yet) on a whim and am now sold on it. Although I don't think it burns as clean as they claim, its still the cleanest BP substitute I've used and accuracy is excellent.

[Old Ironsights]

Wildly variable SD between loads.

Is one of the few fake powders that will ignite (very slowly) in a flinter pan.

Super easy cleanup - but then, so is real Black Powder.

Only thing I use it for is testing Flint Lock functionality, as I can "Foop" it in my basement shop without setting off the smoke detector of Wife.

[shooter575]

I just can't see anyone buying any of the subs when the real stuff is soo cheep in quanity. I just bought 25 lb box Goex for $244.00 Easy clean up.Once you work up a proper load you never need to re figure till that lot is gone.Maybe I am just lazy!

[Buckshot]

......................Shooter575, I hear ya! All they way with the real deal. But remember a lot of shooters don't have ready access to real BP. Also buying a 25lb case just isn't realistic for the amount of shooting being done.

I bought a couple cases back in 2002 and have about a case left. Every can I use now I save about $8 but the expense at the time gave me a nose bleed.

................Buckshot

[Powderpacker]

The label on the bottle of Pioneer I have (ffg) says "use no lubes". Does that mean you don't need to use lubes or 'DO NOT USE LUBES' ? If you can't use lubes it kinda limits the projectiles you can shoot.

[mooman76]

The label on the bottle I have (ffg) says "use no lubes". Does that mean you don't need to use lubes or 'DO NOT USE LUBES' ? If you can't use lubes it kinda limits the projectiles you can shoot.

Bottle of what? I would contact the manufacturer for clarification. If they so no lube. I would not buy it any more but I couldn't see it going that far. I would imaging they mean no lube nessisary because of a claim of no fouling but that is just speculation!

[RugerFan]

As I recall, the "no lube" statement was because the lack of fouling made lubing unecessary. I use American Pioneer in my .50 cal inline with plastic sabots/.429 bullets, so I don't lube anyway.

[bsn]

It burns clean and the sabots go down the barrel much easier than with 777 or Pyrodex. Accuracy in my .45 Disc Elite Knight is quite good at under an inch at 100 yards. The 2F is quite coarse and doesn't meter very well, the 3F meters much better.

[Powderpacker]

There was a dealer at the Indy 1500 show last weekend that had a good selection of American Pioneer Powders. I asked him about the 'use no lubes' thing on the label . He said he had been using the powders about as long as they've been on the market but never noticed the 'use no lubes' . He also said he shoots mostly well lubed minis, maxies & conicals and has never had a problem with the lube/powder combination. He checked through his dealer info sheets from the company and found nothing that said lube could not be used. So, I guess 'no lube' is just an option .

[jh45gun]

The stuff has a crappy shelf life after being opened it will not last a year and closer to 6 months is more realistic so if you get some shoot it up right away or it will be wasted.

[RugerFan]

The stuff has a crappy shelf life after being opened it will not last a year and closer to 6 months is more realistic so if you get some shoot it up right away or it will be wasted.

I disagree. I use AP powder and have never had a problem with the stuff going bad. As a matter of fact, I was at the range today shooting my MLs. Used AP powder that was from a bottle that had been opened quite a while ago and the stuff worked just fine.

[Howdy Doody]

I shot a lot of APP. Real BP is not available locally due to restrictions. I liked it for it's lube properties. However it clumps and it bridges in a measure and even in a flask, so you have to make sure you have the charge you want going. Then I tried the new Goex Pinnacle. Made by APP for Goex. It is black and it has the same no lube needed properties, but it doesn't clump and measure pretty well in a Lyman measure too.
You can shoot it (APP or Pinnacle or even 777 for that matter) with smokeless lubes, only liquid alox or no lube at all. I tried just that in a 1894 Marlin .38. 60 rounds and there was no leading and accuracy was good at about 35 yards or so. You get no lube star at the muzzle that way and it looks scary, but the stuff works. I generally just pan lube my bullets with a BP type mix, but I have experimented to see just what I can get away with.
Clean up,same as BP. I use windex with vinagar and my guns clean right up. The only drawback to APP/Pinnacle/777 is no flame. I don't particularly care for pyrodex. Just me I suppose, but I don,t like the smell or the way it gets corrosive if not cleaned up right away.
That has been my experience with APP.

[jh45gun]

Well the local gun shop black powder guy claims he has had the stuff go bad after opening. I had a bottle of the for-runner of APP (Clean shot) and it seems to have lost some of its zip after being opened for a while. I am about ready to go back to black. It is cheaper and has a lot better shelf life plus it does not leave a crud ring like 777 does.

[RugerFan]

Well the local gun shop black powder guy claims he has had the stuff go bad after opening. I had a bottle of the for-runner of APP (Clean shot) and it seems to have lost some of its zip after being opened for a while. I am about ready to go back to black. It is cheaper and has a lot better shelf life plus it does not leave a crud ring like 777 does.

Yes, I had heard about some issues with the old Clean Shot. AP works just fine for me though. I don't see how a powder could have a short shelf life if stored properly. I was happy with the performance of 777, but the crud ring got on my nerves. BP was not always easy to find so I went with what was available.

[jh45gun]

Yea ya got to go with what you can get. Fortunately for me the local gun shop stocks Black (goex) 777, American Pioneer, the New Pinnicle and Pyrodex so my choices are good.

[RugerFan]

Yea ya got to go with what you can get. Fortunately for me the local gun shop stocks Black (goex) 777, American Pioneer, the New Pinnicle and Pyrodex so my choices are good.

If you ever try Pinnacle, give us a report. I'm curious how it performs.

[jh45gun]

Will do I may buy a can and try it> I liked 777 but I just do not like the crud ring you get with it. So I think I am done with that either I will go with pinnicle and try it or just go back to black. Will have to ask the guy at the shop if he has gotten any good reports on it.