In Part 3, we will look at the answer to the question, What is the best powder for my muzzleloader?
The answer to this question depends on the availability of the powder, the gun that will use it, and the results that are desired.
For Absolute Accuracy
Black powders of appropriate granulations are preferred followed by Pyrodex Select, and for hunting, Pyrodex Pellets in guns designed to use them.
Hunting With In-Line Rifles
Except for some old designs such as the Thompson/Center Arms' Scout pistol and rifles, Pyrodex Pellets are easier to use. Pellets give fine accuracy with saboted bullets, BlackBelt or PowerBelt bullets and T/C's MaxiBalls if a Wonder Wad is used between the pellets and the MaxiBall.
Hunting With Older Side-Lock Percussion Rifles
Although a few newer side-locks have been designed to use pellets, the majority of percussion sidelocks will only shoot reliably with granular powders. For targets, I prefer black powder or Pyrodex Select. For hunting, Clear Shot would be my first choice, followed by Triple Seven, Pyrodex Select, Pyrodex RS, Goex FFg black powder, and then Clean Shot.
Hunting With Flintlock Rifles
For priming, FFFFg black powder works better than anything else does, but a poorer second choice would be FFFg Triple Seven. For the main charge, Clear Shot is excellent, Triple Seven performs very well, and Goex FFg black powder is the old standby. Pyrodex Pellets can be used with perfect satisfaction if enough priming powder is teased through the vent hole to fire the pellets and bullet weights are great enough (350 grains and heavier) to generate sufficient pressures to combust the pellets.
Hunting With Small Game Rifles, Pistols
Typically these .32-.40-caliber guns use from 15 grains to 40 grains of fine powders. Powers that work particularly well are Triple 7 FFFg grade, Clear Shot FFFg, Pyrodex P and Goex FFFg; and FFg grades of these powders also will work, but give more residue, which is more of a problem in guns with smaller bores.
Hunting With Shotguns
Triple Seven does very well in shotguns and does Pyrodex RS and FFg black powder.
Hunting Handguns for Big Game
There are a small, but increasing, number of long-barreled muzzleloading pistols that are capable of taking deer and larger game. Pistol barrels on these guns range from 12 inches to 16-inches-long. Powders that work best are Triple Seven, Pyrodex Pellets (with bullets weighing 340-400 grains), Goex FFg and Pyrodex RS and Select.
Percussion Revolvers
Triple Seven, Pyrodex Pellets and Goex FFg are the best performers in the wheel guns. A caution is that Triple Seven is not recommended for use in weak brass-framed guns because it generates higher pressures than black powder loads.
Equivalency
To give an idea of the approximate equivalency of the various powders, I did a test to match the velocity of two .50-caliber, 50-grain Pyrodex Pellets and a 370-grain T/C MaxiBall with other powders. It took 115 grains of Goex FFg, 100 grains of Pyrodex RS, 125 grains of Clear Shot, 110 grains of Clean Shot, 100 grains of Triple Seven, and four, .50-caliber 30-grain Pyrodex Pellets to achieve the same 1,250 f.p.s. velocity. This information may come in handy if you find yourself on a distant hunt and must use whatever you can buy or borrow.