I'm done with subs for good!

[FergusonTO35]

I just spent more than two hours trying to sight in my two side locks and my inline with T7. I used Pyrodex for years prior and gave up on it due to way too many hang fires and the fact that it's super corrosive. Some days T7 is great and other days it just sucks. A cleaning rod is currently stuck in one of the sidelocks, I believe the patch got hung on the usual T7 crud ring. This muzzleloader season is a bust, so I'm going to give away the subs I have left and start over with real BP.

Or, maybe lady fortune will smile on me and Kentucky will start allowing single shot cartridge rifles during muzzleloaders season, as a few enlightened states already do. I sent a message about this topic and my arguments in favor to the Commissioner of KDFWR. He didn't seem totally against the idea and said he would send it on to the wildlife director.

[Trapper-Jack]

If you want to go to the next level, check out the sticky at the top of the page on making your own black powder. It's a long read (370-some pages) but in my opinion, well worth it. I too shot Pyrodex until I got into the flintlocks. Then I used Goex and Kik powder until they went out of business. When Goex sold out a couple years ago, I panicked and began the journey of making my own black powder. Currently that is all my wife and I shoot. It's quite a journey but very satisfying, cheap once you get set up and it performs way better than the subs. The best part is that you aren't dependent on what's available on the self.

[centershot]

I just spent more than two hours trying to sight in my two side locks and my inline with T7. I used Pyrodex for years prior and gave up on it due to way too many hang fires and the fact that it's super corrosive. Some days T7 is great and other days it just sucks. A cleaning rod is currently stuck in one of the sidelocks, I believe the patch got hung on the usual T7 crud ring. This muzzleloader season is a bust, so I'm going to give away the subs I have left and start over with real BP.

Or, maybe lady fortune will smile on me and Kentucky will start allowing single shot cartridge rifles during muzzleloaders season, as a few enlightened states already do. I sent a message about this topic and my arguments in favor to the Commissioner of KDFWR. He didn't seem totally against the idea and said he would send it on to the wildlife director.

Aaaahhhh Grasshopper, you have seen the light! Only by the exclusive use of the Holy Black can one expect to find true enlightenment! Been there, done that, still got the T-shirt......

[LAGS]

I intend on having some T Shirts made with the letters BPM.
For Black Powder Matters

[Gtrubicon]

I do not prefer subs in my rifles, but in all honesty pyrodex p works very well in my revolvers.

[Milky Duck]

subs suck if aim is slightly off.... home rolled black powder is great fun..why anyone would even try subsonic in single shot is beyond me for big game..I use a few for finishing shots and vermin..but not for anything serious.

[pietro]

.

Once I tried black, I never went back ( to the subs) - and that was over 20 years ago.

[Sasquatch-1]

I use Holy Black in all my flintlocks. Like many naive amateurs, I tried using Pyrodex in my first rock lock with very poor results. I do have a Traditions Hawkens with a 1-48 twist made in the mid 1970's that loves Pyrodex RS. I have a little over a pound of it left that will be used exclusively in that rifle until it is gone. When gone I will use Black powder since I live within spitting distance of the N-SSA and the guy I get my powder from is right next door to them.

[Boerrancher]

Yeah the subs are garbage, I tried every one of them when they first came out, and found the same thing with each of them, corrosive before they are even burnt, and poor accuracy. If it is corrosive before it is burnt that means it is breaking down over time. If it were stable it wouldn’t be corrosive. Found out the hard way left a charge of pyrodex in the rifle for 3 weeks thank God it was an inline I didn’t like.

[FergusonTO35]

If you want to go to the next level, check out the sticky at the top of the page on making your own black powder. It's a long read (370-some pages) but in my opinion, well worth it. I too shot Pyrodex until I got into the flintlocks. Then I used Goex and Kik powder until they went out of business. When Goex sold out a couple years ago, I panicked and began the journey of making my own black powder. Currently that is all my wife and I shoot. It's quite a journey but very satisfying, cheap once you get set up and it performs way better than the subs. The best part is that you aren't dependent on what's available on the self.

Retirement project!

[FergusonTO35]

Aaaahhhh Grasshopper, you have seen the light! Only by the exclusive use of the Holy Black can one expect to find true enlightenment! Been there, done that, still got the T-shirt......

Yep, that's me all the way. These days BP is actually cheaper than smokeless even paying hazmat.

[FergusonTO35]

subs suck if aim is slightly off.... home rolled black powder is great fun..why anyone would even try subsonic in single shot is beyond me for big game..I use a few for finishing shots and vermin..but not for anything serious.

70-80 grains Pyro and patched round ball has accounted for several deer with the old CVA that me and dad built from a kit I would guess it's around 1600 fps. Very accurate rifle with a double set trigger.

[Hickok]

Pseudo black powder sucks!

[centershot]

I intend on having some T Shirts made with the letters BPM.
For Black Powder Matters

I'll take one, XL please!

[Jungle Dave]

I burn a lot of Pyrodex in my hammer shotguns, but that it the only use I have for it. Its cheap and fairly easy to find. Either RS or P, does not even matter in my 12's, whatever is on hand. Cleans out fine from the smooth barrels and no corrosion for years, BUT, and this is a big BUT, that is the only application I have for the stuff, and I would never use any sub in any other type of gun, as I've seen the results of the creeping devil corroding even after cleaning thoroughly other types of gun. But for my hammer shotguns, they digest the stuff like crazy and have never complained. Edit to say 'breechloaders'....NOT muzzleloader shotguns. I would never use the stuff in a muzzleloader shotgun either. Just making sure I differentiated between the two.

[FergusonTO35]

I have a can of Pyrodex P which has worked well in sidelocks in the past so I gave it a try. Immediately my rifle went back to its typically excellent accuracy and no misfires, so I guess Ill be hunting with that stuff this season. I did clean the rifle really well when I got home. Tomorrow I'm going to try it in my other sidelock with sabots and boolits. I guess this will work well enough until I get the real stuff. I have some Pyrodex RS I may try in my inline.

[lead chucker]

I used pyrodex with my first muzzle loader over 30 years ago. I worked good for me but i had never shot real black powder before didn't know much about muzzle loaders at the time. It was a TC Hawkins 50 side lock. If that was all i could get i would use it again. Never had a problem cleaning the gun after shooting it. I do like real BP better.

[ulav8r]

Checked at Walmart about 2-3 weeks ago. They had one sub, $83 for 8 ounces.

[Hannibal]

Interesting subject.

Apparently it's never occurred to those who want to limit 2A rights to items that were available at the time the Constitution was written that the potential nefarious uses for black powder and potential storage problems FAR exceed those of smokeless propellants.

[FergusonTO35]

Tried out the Traditions Pursuit inline today with Pyro RS. I think this rifle just doesn't like light bullets and/or sabots, still very inconsistent with them. May try those in my sidelocks some time. Switched to my 370 grain Maxis and she was immediately right on the money with 60 grains powder. It is as accurate as I can do with any rifle that has sights at 60 yards so I'm satisfied. Still gonna switch to BP when all the Pyro used up tho.

Ugh, while cleaning my sidelock today I got a patch stuck at the bottom. Tried to pull it out and the rod came out, leaving the patch and jag in the barrel. I mean, the actual threaded part that the jag screws into came off the rod as well. Any ideas on how I can get it out? Much as I love sidelocks, in lines certainly have their good qualities for dummies like me!