triple F verus double F
 

Hi there , can anyone tell me if there is a great difference between FFF / FF . If you look at the loading data it shows both for the 50 cal muzzle loaders , I like to weigh my powder charges ( bad me ) being a bench rest shooter, i try to get every once of acc out of my gun , i weigh 10 loads by volume and have taken the average and use loads by weight then , FFF meters much nicer , I use bout 96grns ( 110 X volume )
Just seems to be a lot of different views bout the 2 types of powders.
Any comments are welcome.

RE: triple F verus double F
 

Normally FFFg is used for 45 cal and under and FFg for 50 cal and up. However the 50 cal is one of those 'tweener' calibers. I find that 2 of my 50s shoot the FFFg better than the FFg. (about 100 gr by volume).
The difference is that the FFFg is finer and you will get more powder by weight for the same volume simply because there is less space between the granuals. This will result in increased velocities and pressures. There are charts available that list the velocities.

RE: triple F verus double F
 

Bronko hit it right on the head there. Its just one is smaller in grain size so you get a little more into each measure of powder. You get more velocity out of the 3f and depending on the brand of powder it can be a great deal. Triple Seven for instance, the difference is not all that great. But I do like the 3f for getting large chunks of lead moving or cold weather shooting. Swiss on the other hand, the difference is almost 15% in some cases..

The best thing is try try each of the different kinds of powders and see which of them gives you the best accuracy. Some of my rifles like 3f. Other hate the stuff. All you can do is try.

RE: triple F verus double F
 

If you really want accuracy you might try Blackhorn, It made a reduction in the amount of fliers and group size both for me. Lee

RE: triple F verus double F
 

A little clarification on Lee's statement. I would not advise using BH209 unless you are shooting an inline ML. I don't think a #11 cap will reliably ignite BH209. I believe even Sabotloader was having some problems using a 25ACP ignition system.
If you are using a sidelock the following is recommended. Flintlock - black powder only (unless it is a Firestorm model) and if a caplock, you can use black powder, triple 7, or pyrodex.

RE: triple F verus double F
 

There are a fewguidelines for the BH209 that I have read and followed. I have also used one container of it in my inline. I am shooting T7 3F right now at the range because of cost. Havent shot 2F yet but I will when I run out of 3F to see if there is a change. I am hunting with the BH209. I like the consistancy in accuracy and the ability of shooting multiple shots without swabbing or breechplug cleaning. There are other benefits too.

(off topic) I have been shooting about 20 roundsaverage onrange day for the past few weeks and boy is my shoulder sore. I have bruises.When the first one hurts.......you know its gonna be apainfull day at the range.

RE: triple F verus double F
 

Thats correct, Thanks Bronko
It is also true that the open style breach plug and some of the Knights do not work well with out some changes. Lee

RE: triple F verus double F
 

3F also burns faster, as the smaller grains give increased surface area for the reaction to propagate. This causes pressure to build sooner.That and the fact that you get more in the same volume as stated above means be careful. I use 3f in my 54 Hawken but 85 - 90 grains is plenty.

RE: triple F verus double F
 

I used to use 2f in my 50Cal Poorboy, then one day I tried 3f because I ran out of 2f and the 3f worked much better. I got better accuracy and never went back to 2f. In my opinion it burns cleaner than the 2f, you get all you can from the 3f verus the 2f. Also my Poorboy has a LONG barrel, and the 3f probably burned more of the powder out of the barrel than the 2f. Use whatever works best for you. Best of luck. BP