I have read in several places that the pinnacle of black powder development took place in the mid to late 19th century, which makes a great deal of sense. I have also read that today's black powder doesn't compare in quality...power...to that powder. There are reasons for this, cost, it's more dangerous to go that extra mile and there's no demand for that ultra-high quality. That does indeed make sense. However, since I can't actually compare black powder as used by the British in 1853 to today's Swiss 2F I have no way of knowing. I do know that Swiss does perform better than other brands of powder I've used, so not all black powder is created equal.
What do you think? Is today's best black powder, Swiss? As good, as powerful, as the best black powder used by the British in 1853?