Screening black powder

[country gent]

I have seen the equipment for sale at several places for screening / Grading black powder by grain sizes. What are the advantages / disadvantages of doing this. Are there any real visible benifits to doing this?

[Don McDowell]

Just something to do if you don't want to go shoot...

[Chill Wills]

It is like Don said.
I have the stuff to do it and for the worst of the worst powder you can get rid of a lot of fines and 3f on a can of 2f but we are talking low end powder like the old Elephant of old KIK and it still does not shoot great. maybe just better plinking powder.
Any good powder does not need to be screened and does not become better for screening it in my experience.

I'm sure someone is about to say how screening makes all the difference but ???????? I don't see it.

[Don McDowell]

I'm not sure but I believe the confusion about screening powder may have come from Ned Roberts talking about screening powder for the schuetzen rifles, but what has got lost in the translation, he wasn't talking about screening blackpowder it was one of the early smokeless powders. He tells in his Schuetzen rifle book which powder it was, and how to mark the jars and what to load a couple of the more popular cartridges with the different screenings..

[nwellons]

I screened some 3F to get the small amount of 4F I wanted for priming my flintlock pan. I later decided 3F was just fine for priming my flintlock and I have even used 2F in the pan when that was all I had.

[Don McDowell]

When I was doing a living history thing with the NPS at Bents Fort, the only powder we could have was government issue, and what they issued was some stuff looked like cinders out of the bottom of a forge. About 3 of those big ol klinkers in the pan of my Hawken, would work just fine.

[Lead pot]

The only time I ever screened powder is when I first got the .43 Spanish. I used the blasting powder we had in the Machine Shed for splitting logs and blowing stumps. What ever went through the sieve I borrowed from Mon I used to load the case. That stuff needed screening the powder we now get dont need it.

[cajun shooter]

I have a set of stainless screens that are in different sizes for catching the different sizes. For the most part I will agree with the other postings. I have however screened a lot of fines from certain brands and lot numbers of BP. I have a can that is almost full of 4F fines from screening. I guess I should purchase myself a flintlock and use it for priming.
It will make a difference on your ES readings. I've never taken the time to compare the two in a group size test.
Screening is a different step that some shooters always take. Others do a step called socking which does a similar step. Socking however does not seperate the grain sizes the same as screening does. If you take a set of screens and run your powder through it you will end up with all the 2F on one screen, 3F on the next and your fines and 4F on the next one. The screen size of 20 usually catches all of your 2F sizes.

Back when Goex was making a powder by the name of Cowboy we all wanted to know what it was made of. The only way to do this is by running it through a set of calibrated screens. It was found to contain 2F and 3F and also 4F. I have the exact percentages written down but that is not needed for this answer.
Screening does let you know about your different powders and what is the difference between various lots and brands. If you have a powder that has 70% 2F and 30% 3F it will have a higher velocity than the powder with 85% 2F and 15% 3F. Your ES is also effected by these numbers.
If you are not worried about it and just load your rifle and say I shoot 2F then that works for you. Some persons including myself are driven by a need to know. Sometimes the information you have will buy you a cup of coffee if you add a dollar or so with it.

[Gerald C]

I screen also, but I use blasting powder that is a lot cheaper, after 3 screening in my 45-90 I get the same vel. as 1 1/2 KIK with the same load. I didn't do too bad at this past week at Alliance, got 2nd place in scope. screening has it's place
Gerald C

[Don McDowell]

Gerald, Jim sent me the score sheets , and you certainly shot well under some nasty wind and mirage conditions.

[mold maker]

I'm about to make my own BP. What advice about screening size would be appropriate for 45-70 loads in a TD? Would the same work well in regular BP rifles?

[Boz330]

I'm about to make my own BP. What advice about screening size would be appropriate for 45-70 loads in a TD? Would the same work well in regular BP rifles?

The only powder I screen is my HM powder since you can have the whole gambit of sizes. I shoot mine in a 40-65 and I found the best consistency and velocity with 3F which held on a 30 mesh screen. A lot depends on how you are making your powder though. For BPCR I found that I had to corn the powder to get enough in the case for equivalent velocity to store bought.
There is a sticky on the ML forum and a thread here on making BP but both are long but contain a lot of good info.

Bob

[jballs918]

gentleman, can anyone explain what the 2f, 3f and 4f standards are. the only things that i know is the number scale like 20 40 200 and so on. can someone toss up a conparsion maybe. thanks you

[John Boy]

can anyone explain what the 2f, 3f and 4f standards are.
Sporting Grade Black Powder -- "g" type powders

Powder Grade pass screen, holding, stays on, passing

Whaling 32/64" mesh 3% 4 mesh 12%
Lifesaving 6 mesh 3% 12 mesh 12%
Cannon 6 mesh 3% 12 mesh 12%
Saluting 10 mesh 3% 20 mesh 12%
Fg 12 mesh 3% 16 mesh 12%
FFg 16 mesh 3% 30 mesh 12%
FFFg 20 mesh 3% 50 mesh 12%
FFFFg 40 mesh 3% 100 mesh 12%