jerseyhunter

Just trying to get into Mz shooting. Bought a used TC Black Diamond. Not what I'll stick with but for the $ including a scope I had to. The person I bought it from used strictly pyrodex, He got the gun around 98-99, so the booklet didn;t hve 777 listed as a choice of powder, I bought pyrodex against the judgement of the salesman who was trying to save me money. So my ? which should I use and why. Thanks men. I plan on picking your brains as much as I can. I'm already back months reading olsd posts.

MountainDevil54

reliable, accurate. Its dirty and smells but its a great powder. T7 often leaves a crud ring which therefore, has you swabbing between each shot.

cayugad

I have a Black Diamond XR and it LOVES Pyrodex. If you have the 22 inch barrel model, try 100 grains of the 2f and a 250 grain Shockwave. Just because the Black Diamond is old technology, I dare you to find a better shooting rifle.

When at the range always make sure the stock is supported and not the barrel. You have a floating barrel, so let it float. Support it in the gun rest on the stock and it will shoot fine for you. Swab between shots.

lemoyne

We each make our own choices for our own reasons. Black is really the most practical and best working for flint locks and I personally use Pyrodex with out any kind of a problem, which I can not say for 777 between the delayed ignition and crudring problems I got rid of the 777 I had and would only buy more if it was for a special experiment. Now Blackhorn is a specialized powder made for closed ignition inlines and it works best in TC guns which is what I have for the most part with only 3 exceptions in muzzleloaders, It is very potent in heavy loads or with heavy bullets and I believe the most accurate of powders. There has been a couple of people that disputed that at a dollar a shot and paid for this years bullets.
A couple of pointers:
Clean your gun right after you shoot, with soap and boiling water and do a good job it is best if you can get an experienced person to help the first time.
The pyrodex you bought will do a good job, use it.
I can not see where you would save money by buying 777 around here it is as expensive as Blackhorn with out being near as good.
If you need a set of instructions for cleaning ask Dave to print his he has a set of good ones all printed up and saved.
Welcome to the forum. If you have any questions there are a half dozen people here with a couple hundred years experience here and some with a lot of professional experience who will try to help you. Lee

50calty

I would try Blackhorn 209. Yeah its expensive (around $30 for 10oz) but its the best powder I've used for an inline. Easy to clean, reliable, and from what I've tested so far able to handle temp. changes very well. Make sure you use 209 primers. Blackhorn wont ignite with #11's. The best thing I could say is try all the powders, blackhorn, 777, and Pyrodex. See what you like personnaly and what the gun likes. My personal exp. tells you to go with Blackhorn209.

flounder33

I cannot agree with using Blackhorn in a Black Diamond. You might get the ignition and the accuracy but with an open action you can get some nasty shrapnel flying your way.
I personally like using 777. I tend to swab between shots anyway on the guns I shoot sabots through. Pyrodex would work great in your gun, just make sure to clean it right away.
Art

jaybez101099

I shoot Rs out of my BlackDiamond along with Shockwaves and at 50yds it tears holes all day long. APP makes a nice powder and you don't have to swab between shots. Welcome to the smokepole brotherhood.......

hometheaterman

Are you talking powder or pellets? I've never used the powder form of either but I've used Pyrodex pellets as well as 777 pellets. I personally prefered the Pyrodex pellets. Not only were they cheaper I seemed to get a little better groups with the Pyrodex pellets. Although, it may have just been me shooting a little better that day who knows. Both shot fine for hunting but I figured why pay the extra for the 777 when I can shoot the Pyrodex which I actually liked better. Since then I've not used 777 anymore. I like the Pyrodex stuff. While it's dirty so is all black powder and it cleans up pretty easily with just soapy water. Crud rings also don't seem to be an issue so much with the Pyrodex and you can also use it in muzzle loaders that use caps instead of 209 primers.

saltflyz

777 pellets for my omega and accura. I swab between shots, so the crud ring issue is not meaningful for me. I also found that I have better accuracy vs. pyrodex. Plus, I dislike the sulphur smell. 777 pellets are odorless. With 30 and 50 gr pellets, I can work up 80, 90, 100 and 110 gr loads.