ffffg pressure query....

[mtngunr]

Can anyone here point me toward pressure data on 4f? Been shooting it for years in a ROA (warranted safe with as much sporting grade BP as it can hold), quite vigorous load....apparently very high velocity. Particularly interested in .45Colt performance vs. 3f or 2f.....3f gives higher velocity/pressure than 2f, well documented, as well as burning cleaner....which naturally has me thinking "why not 4f?".....tried it in MY gun (you're on your own, pal), but am wondering what's going on inside......can confidently state CCI 350 magnum primer flattening is on par with Buffalo Bore max-SAA ammo.....

 

[Iggy]

Deleted as deemed irrelevant and immaterial.

 

[mec]

Back in the 60s or early 70s, a friend shot his brass framed navy almost exclusively with 4f because he believed that it left less fouling in the bore. No problems
I haven't used it very much, but this Gator powder is kind of a bargain basement priming powder sold by clarksville rod and gun. It contains granulations of 4 f and flash grade granulations whereas more sophisticated 4f would have the smaller granules screened out. Eichenberger, the proprietor said that the stuff is very popular with flint lock shooters. We played with it just a little bit and it actually produced lower velocities than FF in this pocket police and a pocket navy loaded with a grain less goex 2f powder.

15 Grains Goex FFFg 774fps 60 spread

 

[Curator]

Lyman's Black Powder Handbook circa 1989 listed loads using 41 grains of both C&H and Goex FFFFg and .457 round ball in the Ruger Old Army. Velocities were 1021fps and 1035 fps. No pressure data was given.

 

[mtngunr]

As much as I appreciate the concern of cautionary "oooh, don't do that!" posts, unless there's any data to confirm (or deny) such worries, posters will be wasting valuable typing time.

I have the older Lyman BP manual, and think velocites might be a bit faster with newer Goex.....however, primer flattening with 28gr/4f and 35gr/3f looks about the same...and I suspect the Goex 4f isn't much different than Swiss 3f in pressure/velocity, folk blasting away with the more vigorous Swiss all the time....but WOULD like to confirm such before proceeding with a true casefull.....

Thanks for the brass frame results, Mike....anecdotes are greatfully accepted....

 

[AntiqueCollector]

I've considered loading it in cartridges made for smokeless to see how it works but haven't gotten around to it yet...I'm sure in a Ruger Old Army it wouldn't cause a problem, but I would be a little cautious in lesser quality guns.

 

[mtngunr]

Total agreement on the lesser-quality part....the cast steel cylinder in a ROA is massive....SAA cylinders are of much thinner wall....the gun I'm playing with is a USFA, so the quality is there...it's a 22,000psi gun, but truthfully don't want to be going there...a little higher than standard SAAMI for the .45 Colt would be fine....pretty sure being BP, that's where it would be, even with 4f, but......

 

[scrat]

Be carefull on those no name brand powders and unheard of brands. I heard a few weeks ago about China importing black powder into the U.S. and being relabeled for sale.