As the availability of Black powder becomes harder to find, would it be smart to switch over to Pyrodex? I'm pretty sure it's not a 1:1 ratio in the charge measure.

Nahum 1:7

NC:BLACKPOWDER HERE UP NORTH CAN'T BE FOUND MAYBE IN PA.OR MAINE NOT ON LONG ISLAND.I USE PYRODEX SELECT IN BOTH MY 54 @ 50 CAL YOU CAN LOAD PYRODEX AS SAME WEIGHT AS BLACKPOWDER.ONLY ON THE NEW TRIPLE 777 YOU HAVE TO REDUCE THE CHARGE BY 15 PERCENT

As I understand it, Pyrodex is volumetrically equal to black powder. The actual weight at an equal volumes is not the same. If you were, say, using 100 gr. of BP, you would measure the same volume (not weigh out the same weight) of Pyrodex to get a comparable load.

Winger

Pyrodex only weighs about 80% as much as black. You load it on a volume-for-volume basis, and it produces about the same velocities as black. It is a little more difficult to ignite, so you need to use a hot cap like the CCI No. 11 Magnums, or better yet, the # 209 shotgun primer. Pyrodex blows most of its fouling out of the barrel, unlike black, which leaves most fouling in the gun! Consequently, you can shoot a lot more rounds without having to swab the bore when using Pyrodex. In fact, Hodgdon recommends NO) CLEANING between shots when using it. I agree, but you may have to clean between shots if shooting sabots, 'cause they are different in this respect. I don't use sabots, so can't comment on this factor. As far as cleaning after shooting, Pyrodex requires just as much, if not more, vigorous cleaning than even black powder, so don't skimp on this requirement!! Good shooting!!<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Keep yore powder dry!!