Cabelas dropped there price to 29.99 and they always have some kind of coupon out......

bp
 

Just curious. Why, in all this discussion is there no consideration of real BP, which is, especially when bought in bulk, cheaper than both BH209 and 777?
Pete

none has mentioned whitehots???

I find 777 much easier to clean up than BP/pyrodex. That's the primary reason I don't shoot it anymore.

Really? I have used both - and they both work - but have not noticed any big difference in clean up. And at $14 a pound for BP, even considering the volume differential, if I had to take a couple of extra patches, it'd still be worth it.
Since I have turned to flintlocks pretty much exclusively over the last few years 777 is no longer an option (unless I duplex).


Pete

My last trip to the range was the very first time i ever used 777 , i was very impressed . One wet patch (spit) and one dry patch was all it took to clean between shots and a very small crud ring and when i got home it cleaned up easier than BH209 . But i use the .25 acp BP and i had no carbon build up in the BP to deal with , When i used Pyrodex it took two wet patches both sides . BUT i do have to re-prime and clean the brass . No matter what powder we use its all good and i sure love this sport !! :party0005:

Pete D.

I would have to agree with Spaniel and Rob that T7 for myself is far easier to clean than the pyros or even real BP... but the biggest reason I prefer T7 it is far less corrosive than either of the other two.

For BP/pyrodex when I shot primarily a caplock, it was a minimum 15 minute exercise to get the gun clean enough to avoid corrosion in storage. Even then sometimes I found rust in my barrel. Perhaps my technique has gotten better as I've been shooting these guns many more years now, but it was relatively time-consuming and messier with solvents etc.

With 777, I run 3-4 water-soaked patches down the barrel, 2-3 dry ones (until they come back out totally dry), and a lightly oiled one. Done. It takes 2 minutes. The breech plug takes longer to remove and clean than the entire rest of the process.

Time is my most precious commodity. I can afford an extra $20 per year for the 3 canisters of powder I shoot if it saves several hours of cleaning time.

Additionally, real BP is hard to find in many areas. I don't shoot stuff I have to work to find nor do I buy in quantities large enough to pay hazmat.

yep
 

Yep. That sure is pretty efficient.
And you are right about BP being hard to find. Harder than ever. I do buy it in 25 pound lots which is convenient for me and keeps both the powder price down as well as the Hazmat fee.
It does take me longer to clean my old Lyman flint gun than you describe, I must admit. It takes me longer if I use 777, though, than you describe. Seven patches to a clean gun?? Good for you. I've never been able to do that, not with 777, Pyrodex , duplexes or straight BP. That GPR seems to hold on to the fouling.
After a session, I plug the touch hole with a toothpick. I've already run a scraper down the bore. I fill the barrel with warm soapy water and let it stand in a corner for a half hour. I go do something else. When I get back to it, I pour the water out and run a patch or two down to clean out the residue. Then I run dry patches until they come out dry and clean. That, though can easily take ten or twelve patches. Then I oil it and put it away.

On another note. I was rereading the posts in this thread.
The questions and comments about AA5744 caught my eye. I got the impression that some were making a connection between 5744 and MLers. I hope that I'm wrong in that.
I use 5744 for reduced loads in my .375 H&H and a .416 Rigby. It also has very effective applications as a propellant in any number of BP cartridges for someone who wants to duplicate BP loads.
It is NOT, however, nor was it ever intended as a BP substitute. It's a smokeless powder and should never be used in a ML firearm.

Pete

Pete D

There are more than a few muzzleloaders out there now that do shoot smokeless powder... But for the average ML shooter you are correct in your thoughts...

There is now a thread going around where a couple of very forward thinking people are taking a 45-70 rifle and converting the chamber to shoot as a ML - and shooting smokeless powders....

In fact if I could find a ruger #1 in a 45-70 caliber - i might be one of those people that might/maybe do the same thing.... Or even a Remington 700 - 45/70