Where to buy BP?

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Quincy12

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I recently decided to get back into muzzleloading and bought an Uberti 1851. Called a couple of my local shops and learned that almost no one carries the real thing anymore. Also found out that beside Goex and Pyrodex, there are a number of other choices now. So I have two questions, first, where to you buy it?

Second, do any of the subsitutes work consistantly with #10 caps? What seems to work for you when shooting a .36 cal. revolver?

Thanks,

Quincy
 
You can order real black powder by various makers like Goex, Schuetzen, or Swiss from several vendors. Grafs and Sons and Powderinc come to mind. I can get powder from a few places not far away so I haven't mail ordered it before.

Having said that, I've never had a problem using Pyrodex in cap and ball revolvers or other percussion guns. Both Pyrodex and black powder have to be cleaned carefully. I shoot flintlocks often and they require the real stuff so I just standardized on black powder but it's a lot easier to find Pyrodex.

Jeff
 
I buy from Grafs. I don’t have anyone to go in on larger orders. I used to buy nothing but 3F Triple 7 from BassPro. But years back when things became hard to find I was directed to Grafs. I found that buying from them and ordering 3 lbs at a time offset the Hazmat and shipping fees. Now I mostly use 3F Olde Eynsford from Goex.

The Olde E is a little more than a dollar compared to standard Goex but is an energetic powder like Swiss and Triple 7. This may not be a big deal to you if you aren’t a hunter, though I’ve read from those who’ve used both claim it to be cleaner, and it certainly wouldn’t take as much to achieve the same velocity.

If you want an American powder stick with a Goex offering. Grafs powder is slightly cheaper and is rebranded Schuetzen, which I read is a good powder.

I’m not aware of difficulties igniting any of the powders with percussion caps except for Black Horn 209 which requires 209 shotgun primers.
 
Its best to get someone to go in with you and buy a case of powder and split the cost. I like to buy from powderinc. Buy a 25 pound case and the shipping and hazmat are included in the price.

I don’t have anyone to go in on larger orders.
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What part of Tx are you in Rodwha? I am in Burleson just south of Ft Worth.
 
My bp club puts a large order in every year. We all stock up. The club buys several pounds to use as prizes.
I think they get it from powder valley. We all share the hazmat fee.
We also stock up at friendship, indiana at the NMLRA shoots held there.
 
I use American Pioneer Powder 3F substitute powder.
It's easy to clean with water, doesn't contain sulfur and has never failed to ignite in a revolver for me.
Once in a while I'll swab the bore but that's about it.
After shooting I coat the entire gun with pharmaceutical grade mineral oil until ready to clean it up with soap and water soon afterward.
The more it's compressed the more energetic it is.
I do try to keep the powder away from any moisture and humidity by keeping the lid on the container.
And lube is not needed [or recommended] in order to use it in revolvers.
I tried it and liked it.
It can also be found at some local gun shops.

Right now Brownell's offers free shipping [Promo Code FN4] @ $13.99 per pound but one would still need to pay hazmat.--->>> https://www.brownells.com/reloading...ulated-black-powder-substitute-prod81656.aspx
 
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Armored farmer said:
My bp club puts a large order in every year. We all stock up. The club buys several pounds to use as prizes.
I think they get it from powder valley. We all share the hazmat fee.
We also stock up at friendship, indiana at the NMLRA shoots held there.
Click to expand...

Just outside of Austin (NW).
 
Locally, there are a few Ace Hardware stores that carry it. Not the cheapest, but easiest! Regarding load, my 1851 Navy (Pietta) likes 20 gr 3F Goex just fine! Enjoy!
 
i gave up trying to get real BP. Can't justify that much of my income in a purchase for something to be used over YEARS. Got a good deal on MZ Black. No one around here sells BP and an order is just out of the question though it is what I would like. 3# will last me a long time.
 
Rodwha I guess we are a little too far apart to split an order. No matter I have 30+ pounds now. But I am forever interested in stocking up. Its why the last couple of panics had no affect on me or shooting all I wanted.

I use American Pioneer Powder 3F substitute powder.
Click to expand...

I have read APP powder is the same as Alliant MZ. I just bought 6 pounds from Sportsmans Warehouse for $10 a pound. With hazmat and free shipping IIRC my order was just under $80 to my door. I have only shot it on one range trip but really liked it. I wish I had kept it all for myself instead of selling two pounds to my bud.
 
I don't use Pyrodex or the other substitutes, but Walmart seems to always put all their hunting stuff on 50% or more off clearance sale (including Pyrodex and Triple Seven) after hunting season closes which is only a few weeks away around here.
So anyone who likes Pyrodex, or pellets etc, and a bargain might want to keep that in mind.
 
I have a shop in Springfield Missouri that carries Graf's Scheutzen and / or Goex.
http://www.cherokeefirearms.com/

If that wasn't available, I'd buy it from Graf's as they have the best prices on lower quantities (10lbs or less):
https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/category/categoryId/3501

Get into that 25lb order range and some of the other places have better prices - Powder Inc / Powder Valley.

Plinking with 100gr loads and my Lyman Great Plains - I can go through a pound of powder pretty fast (70 shots).
 
Most Bass Pro's carry real Black, but you have to ask for it, it's not on display and must be stored in a special safe, also check for local Re-enactors groups in your area, they usually by in bulk orders and I have gotten to add to their order, that's the cheapest way to get real black. That said, as stated above Walmart discounts heavy after B/P season and Pyro or T7 will work fine in any cap gun and I use it frequently. Sadly as a teen my brother and I would walk to our local hardware store and by Dupont Black for our .75 cal cannon and 44 kit pistol, they even carried the caps for the pistol. DSCN1091.JPG
 
Howdy

A lot of local stores stopped carrying real Black Powder because the storage requirements are more stringent than with the substitutes. This is because real Black Powder is an explosive, while the substitutes can follow the same regulations as regular Smokeless progressive propellants.

I used to buy my Black Powder a few pounds at a time at a shop about 45 minutes away. I did not mind the drive, it gave me a chance to see what goodies they had in stock. But then because of a licensing snafu they stopped carrying real Black Powder. The closest place I can buy it is about an hour away, but their prices are outrageous.

I go in on a 25 pound carton of Schuetzen FFg every couple of years with a friend. He orders it from Main Powder House and stores it at his house. I pick up a few pounds from him when I need it. Between the two of us, we will go through the 25 pounds in about 2 years.

https://mainepowderhouse.com/
 
Black powder deflagrates the same as the substitutes. The Batfes have lumped black powder in with real explosives in their legislative wisdom. But they've left it open enough to include my Magnalume cookware if finely ground. That is what drives the difficulty finding it and the cost.

https://www.atf.gov/explosives/docs...ves-laws-and-regulations-atf-p-54007/download

Since this is legislative action by bureaucrats figuring it out is as fun as running a maze of twisty little passages all alike.
 
Where to get Black Powder. Oh boy the choices these days are really good if you do just a little looking online.

Enjoy your freedom my friend in NYC where I live the general answer is zero places and zero places to shoot.

Get some friends together maybe even from this forum and arrange a group buy for something like maybe swiss powder (why bother with lower quality get the best in this case) if you have to have it mailed to cover the hazmat fee. Split it up and enjoy.

Pyrodex .777 and other non hazmat qualified powders in general are a dime a dozen and available everywhere except here in NYC of course where you can be charged with a crime if you happen to like your glock to be pink or purple (they say it looks too much like a toy.)

As far a shelf life is concerned Black powder is known to be just as effective 100 years later (probably much more too) if properly stored. I can't say the same is true of substitutes some of which surely have a very limited shelf life.

As long as you have your black powder stored in a moisture free environment in optimum conditions it will probably outlast you.
 
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In my revolvers, all I use is Triple 7. Works great, and thus I save my real black powder for my rifles.
 
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