Lee PrecisionLoad DataMidSouth Shooters SupplyReloading Everything
WidenersInline FabricationRepackboxTitan Reloading
RotoMetals2
Page 3 of 3 FirstFirst 123
Results 41 to 51 of 51

Thread: best black powder

  1. #41
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    IL
    Posts
    190
    I live in the UH great state of Illinois....where I can only have 5lbs of BP in my possession . I like Swiss and can get it in 5 lb lots from some dealers. If I get it from a nearby county I have to buy 50lbs of Goex and have 10 other FOID holders go in with me.
    Do I have a knife....Ive got my pants on don't I.

  2. #42
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    South Jersey
    Posts
    6,314
    Arnie, didn’t mention it, but Hogdon also was selling for a couple of years the C&H clone powder made in Ardeer Scotland … labeled as Made in Great Britain. Austin Powder Co also was selling the same “rifle” powder for several years. The Austin powder was what I used to compare 2Fg Meteor powder to… exact match, sieve ratio,density, velocity and fouling residue that verified the Meteor powder was the C&H. I have full cans of Meteor in 1.5, 2Fg and 3Fg … vintage 1973
    Regards
    John

  3. #43
    Boolit Buddy
    one-eyed fat man's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Elizabethtown, KY
    Posts
    193
    GOEX, for all its flaws exists because DoD uses millions of pounds in everything from primers for artillery and tank gun ammunition to the delay element in hand grenades. As long as the stuff meets the MILSPEC it will still be most widely available.

  4. #44
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    South Jersey
    Posts
    6,314
    One-Eye …. The one reason why Hogdon bought Goex is because of a Federal law that says any military black powder use has to be from a US Company. And when Hogdon bought Goex, the next month of January … they jacked the price of the powder up … and have done so ever since. From $16 a can to $33 a can
    Regards
    John

  5. #45
    Boolit Master veeman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    503
    Quote Originally Posted by echo154 View Post
    I live in the UH great state of Illinois....where I can only have 5lbs of BP in my possession .
    I didn't know that. oops.

  6. #46
    Boolit Buddy
    one-eyed fat man's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Elizabethtown, KY
    Posts
    193
    Quote Originally Posted by John Boy View Post
    One-Eye …. The one reason why Hogdon bought Goex is because of a Federal law that says any military black powder use has to be from a US Company. And when Hogdon bought Goex, the next month of January … they jacked the price of the powder up … and have done so ever since. From $16 a can to $33 a can
    Back in the Seventies, after the PA plant blew up and production was shifted to Louisiana the Army suffered some unwanted variation performance in artillery. It was eventually traced back to the changes in the charcoal from regional differences in maple trees. As to pricing, sole source equals monopoly...and we are not their primary customer.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	charcoal.jpg 
Views:	30 
Size:	86.1 KB 
ID:	287846

  7. #47
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    South Jersey
    Posts
    6,314
    One eyed… here’s the date of the Moosic plant operations move to Minden, LA…

    In the early 1970’s, the Belin Plant became a part of GOEX. GOEX continued to supply black powder for Military and Industry and for a growing Sporting interest. In 1997, GOEX moved to Minden, Louisiana to continue the tradition of manufacturing fine quality black powder. Fine quality are Goex’s words

    Thanks for the charcoal article. Another factor not mentioned for poor powder lots was the Moosic source of water. They used to draw it out of the river and they found chemicals in it and then had to use well water for the ball mill process.

    Further note on Goex charcoal …. They outsource the purchase of prepared yellow maple charcoal from several vendors. They don’t make their own charcoal and the only way to determine the charcoal quality is to test the prepared powder at the plant with a powder bomb tool. When they moved to Minden, Bill Bagwell, a Knowledgeable BP shooter used to test all lots at his ranch in Texas. But after Hodgden bought Goex, they fired Bill
    Last edited by John Boy; 08-25-2021 at 10:44 PM.
    Regards
    John

  8. #48
    Boolit Buddy
    one-eyed fat man's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Elizabethtown, KY
    Posts
    193
    Quote Originally Posted by John Boy View Post
    But after Hodgden bought Goex, they fired Bill
    They do it because they can. Having absorbed Dupont, Olin, and Accurate they have eliminated all competition in smokeless powders except Alliant. Oh well, they are cornering BP substitutes as well.

    Thanks for the correction on dates. I remembered artillery primer problems, an explosion, a move and mistakenly connected them.

  9. #49
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    South Jersey
    Posts
    6,314
    As far as I am concerned, Hodgdon is in violation of the Sherman Anti Trust Act
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherma...st_Act_of_1890
    Regards
    John

  10. #50
    Boolit Buddy Captain*Kirk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
    Location
    Waukegan, IL
    Posts
    421
    As of yesterday, with the announcement of the closure of the Fort Minden BP manufacturing facility, better get whatever brand you can find...and start looking for substitute alternatives.
    "Are you gonna pull those pistols, or whistle Dixie?"

  11. #51
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Posts
    1,606
    Quote Originally Posted by Riverside View Post
    Goex----Olde Eynsford or Swiss. Which is best?
    it doesn't matter now that the GOEX PLANT IT KAPUT. the fire put them out of business!!

Page 3 of 3 FirstFirst 123

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check