The information I got from one of the people at Magkor is that the flintlock is not reliable if used in the pan. As a main charge it apparently works OK but the pan has to be primed with real black. I have a flintlock but have not tried it as yet. We finally broke below 100 degrees here so I guess I can start shooting if I could find the time. From what I have been able to find out the light off temperature is as low as any of the substitute powders and lower than most but still above real black. To answer the other question; the "smoke" is actually water vapor and there is not a lot of it.

MLKeith - Well then Black Mag 3 sounds like the Pinnacle. It fired in a flintlock but you had to use a black powder prime.And to make it even faster a duplex of about6 grains (two out of my 4fshort primer first) to really get it to fire fast. After all my testing I was not impressed with Pinnacle in that aspect, so we will see what Black Mag 3 can do in the rock lock. For them I still like good old Goex.

Maybe I will have to try that out later this week. As for the smoke being water vapor and no a lot out of it, well yesterday shooting in the cold and the snow, I'd fire and everything would disappear in the cloud of what ever... I really got a kick out of it actually. The entire target and down range was a cloud of something.

I should point out, it was in the low 30's with gusty winds, and snowing hard at times. That 100º stuff is not for me at all. Happiness is, in the 30's with snow on the ground. Although I do think we had one day last summer when it hit 100 degrees.

Told you so , best powder Ive used so far . Took a nice doe with it last week in georgia , 245 grain xtp ,90 grains black mag , in my knite disk , reloaded and hunted for a few days , then to the range to unload the gun , dead bullseye , very impresed . she droped in her tracks , not one step .

BM3 works great in my Hawken and Kodiak. Roundball in the Hawken and sabots in the Kodiak. I am only using 45grs and it hits a little low. I am going to start uping the charge to see if starts hitting higher. Like was said clean up is great. It takes longer to heat the water then to clean up! I would like to compare it to other but I am new the BP and it is the only powder I've used.

Well I took the Black Diamond XR out today and loaded it with Black Mag 3.Again all shooting was done at 50 yards off a single bag rest. I was shooting 100 grains and a 250 grain Shockwave. While the accuracy was good, I have to admit I got better accuracy with the Shockwaves using 777 2f. 10 shots and never a swab.. I could get used to that. And loading was easy. All of them hit about 3 inches higher then normal.

Then without swabbing, I loaded some 300 grain Hornady XTP's. This time the rifle shot outstanding. I had one flyer, and I think that was truly my fault. The trigger got away from me. I was trying to be so careful and before I was ready the gun went BOOM! Counting the flier it was 1-1/2 inch group. The other four were just a hole out there. All the shots were hitting much higher then with the 100 grains of Goex 2f I normally shoot. Almost 2 inches higher then normal. At 50 yards they are suppose to hit almost an inch high. They were actually hitting 3 inches high. I fired five of them taking the unswabbed total to 15 shots.

I then broke out some .458 300 grain Hornady HP's and orange Knight MMP sabots. Again, excellent groups. Just over an inch with five shots, taking the unswabbed total to 20 shots. After that I got some .458 405 grain all lead flat point projectiles I cast. They shot a 2" group. Because of their weight I dropped the charge down to 85 grains. This was the first projectile that did not hit high. They actually hit right where I was aiming. I was now up to 25 shots without swabbing the barrel. Loading was still as easy as always.

I then got some 460 grain Bull Shop conicals. I was shooting 85 grains of BM3 and it threw them all over the paper. I blame a lot of this accuracy though on the fact that the rifle had fowled the breech area so bad with the Remington Kleenbore 209 primers I was shooting, that the trigger was starting to get sticky. So I only shot three of them taking the unswabbed total to 28 shots. Not too bad for a Black Diamond XR to shoot that many without a swab. With a little scope adjustment, I could have any of the sabots I tried hunting ready in just a few hours.

I then broke the rifle down completely. I wanted to see what would happen to the barrel if I dumped some hot soap and water down it. So I took it to the kitchen and made up some dishwater. I poured that through the barrel of the rifle. Two cup fulls to be exact. Looking down the barrel, it was clean. After scrubbing out the breech threads, the trigger assembly, and the breech itself plus the hammer, breech plug, and nipple... Back at the bench I pushed a clean dry patch through the barrel and it came out clean. I was amazed at how easy this powder is to clean. So I ran a patch with Rusty Duck Black Off through the barrel and got back a patch with Rusty Duck Black Off on it and nothing else.

While this powder does show a lot of promise with SABOTS and clean up is really easy... I still am not convinced that it is worth the money ($25.23 without the hazmat). I can get almost three pounds of Goex ($8.99 a pound without hazmat)for the price of one pound of Black Mag 3. For someone that shoots a lot, that can mean some big savings. After just two days of shooting, I have shot off almost the entire pound of powder. I've saved a little of the Black Mag 3 for a certain flintlock that needs to hit the range, maybe tomorrow...

cayugad,I think that I will try BM if I can get some; I am getting discouraged with APP FF I tested the 6 cans I had 3 shoot all over the place the other 3 tear a ragged hole @100yd,not a very good average their Quality control must be nonexistant. Lee

While this seems to be a good powder, like I said. I am just not sure it is worth the money to me. Its fun to try different powders, but Goex and Triple Se7en have always footed my needs just fine. I think my powder testing days are about over.

That was pretty much my opinion of the BM3. My two pounds were solidified but I did sort of a slow treatment over a heater vent followed by some serious shaking and pounding - sortof a shake and bake procedure. Got it back into powder form and it has remained that way now for quite some time. My shooting was only done during one session and, although I liked the powder's lack of serious residue and it's apparent power (seemed to me to a bit stronger than Triple 7), it just didn't offer enough appeal to offset the lack of availability or its high price. I may try it again some of these days as there is still plenty left for a little experimenting.

For what it is worth I promised to help with the availability of Black Mag'3 so here goes. It is legal and Magkor will sell up to 96 pounds (four cases of 24 pound cans/bottles or whatever you want to call them) to individuals. I do not have exact pricing but approximately $20 a pound (possibly less depending on volume purchased). The hazmat fee is $20 per shipment so the more the less per can. It is also legal to resell at gun shows etc. without a special license according to my contact at Magkor. If someone wants to try this approach the number to call is**** 954-937-99189 ****(sorry the phone number is incorrect am working on real number). You will likely talk to Giovanni (CEO of Magkor) and if you do it is OK to mention my name (Keith Lewis) as he knows who I am although I do not have any legal or direct relationship to Magkor; I just want the powder to succeed as it is the only thing my Omega will digest on a regular basis without a bad crud ring. I do not think that Magkor has any immediate intent to distribute through a distributor network so any dealer has tomake the same contact. Additional information or just to talk email me at: [email protected]

Just got my reply from Magkor and the correct number is 954-937-9189.

Cayugad If you paid $23.25 for a pound of black mag 3 then you got a good deal. I wanted to try some and paid $36.00 for a pound of it here. That was several weeks ago but I still have not got to try it. I have a knight LK 93 in 50 caliber and a knight disc elite in 45 caliber. My LK 93 likes 90 graines of triple 7 with a 295 grain power belt bullet. I have never fired the 45 but hope to soon. I heard it liked the 225 power belts so I will try it with the high dollar black mag 3. The guy who worked at the sporting goods store kept telling me how good black mag 3 shot in his cva so I took the plunge and now I feel the burn.

WV Mountaineer