uckayak2_mn

I really wish I had the perfect answer for you, but I do not know if there is a perfect answer.

I would indicate to you the most commonly used powder in inlines is a substitute powder of some sort and I beleive Hodgdon says of their powders Triple 7 is the most used powder. It is tated in the area of 10 to 15% more powerful than the equivilent load of Black Powder by volume. The kicker there is Swiss Black Powder which is closer to Triple Seven or vice versa.... Pryodex of one sort or another is the next most popular powder and in there somewhere are all of the other subs - BM3. APP, and etc.

Real black powder is used by a lot of traditionalist shooting traditional type weapons. Real black powder has some draw backs in the amount of fowling and the corrosive nature of the salts in the powder. Still it is used by alot of people. From everything I have read the black powder we produce today, other than Swiss is nothing like the black powder of the past when it comes to power of the blast.

The biggist complaint about T7 is the "crud ring" a name Underclocked coined for a tough hard ring of debris that forms in the barrel near the powder charge. In most cases this "crud ring" can easily be dispensed with by a damp patch after shooting. The "crud ring" can and often does interfer with the proper seating of the next round down on the powder. People trying to avoid the crud ring aften move to one of the other subs that do not produce the crud ring.

The next curve not all guns are going to get the "crud ring." Hodgdon is aware of the problem but to my knowledge has not come up with a cure. Then on the other hand all of the different guns i shoot I really do not have a problem with the "crud ring." Sometimes I will get the beginning of the ring after the first couple of shots but by the 3-4th shot it seems to take care of itself and pretty much disappear.

Your freind may be offeringyou the T7 because his Encore does develope the crud ring and he has moved to a different powder.

Preferences.... I prefer T7 and will continue to use it, a lot of people are still using the Pyro powder of one type or another. The sugar powders like APP and BM3 have gained in popularity with a lot of other people.

You will end up having to make a decision based on works best inyour ML and we will not know what that is until you tell us.

Cayugad will pick upon this post also and his information will be really good as he experiments with them all and has results based on his personal experiances.

One of my problems with using different powders is availability - 'bout the only thing we see out here in the west is Hodgdon powders unless you want to pay the hazmat fees to have it shipped to you.

Good luck in your search....