I burn 8-10 pounds of Goex a year, and can buy it less than 15 bucks a pound...Most of this in in competition and in giving talks to groups on Colonial History...Squirrel hunting, I'll take 7-9 shots as the limit is 8, but I only use 25grs in my .40 caliber flintlock...With the .54 I'll take 3-4 shots a year...The Knight might get a couple of shots a year or I might not load it, it just depends on how my eyes are doing and if I need a scope...As far as performance of Goex, it's served me well for over 40 years so there is no need to change...To be a great shot one needs to shoot, not worry about what each shot costs...

No need for expensive, fancy powders that might not go off when you pull the trigger if you know what you're doing...

If fouling bothers a fellow, reduce your powder charge, most use too much anyway...Or simply go to a smokeless powder gun as their performance beats even that other stuff...

I got you beat hawk. I burn 2 cases of Goex, Schuetzen, or Swiss a year in competitions. (50lbs)

I'll still use BH 209 for serious hunting when I want an elk at 150yds. Something i'd never try with the Hawken with a PRB.

I also find an inline much more reliable in a pouring rain than a sidelock.

I find the Omega completely reliable with BH 209. I've never had a delayed or misfire.

Centerfire? Nah! I did it for too many years. Too easy and not as much fun as blowing smoke.

Don't get me wrong. I love tradition too, but i'm a little more flexible now. Until Colorado comes up with a primitive ML season. I'll hunt with an inline and play with sidelocks.

Well now Muley, you're right about the performance differences. But dang it, you went and touched a nerve talking bad about my beloved GOEX. :biggrin: For my 150 yard max hunting situation and whitetails under 200 lbs., if I can't get it done with my loads of GOEX a little more velocity isn't going to help, even if the rifle is a modern inline.

If all I ever hunted from now on were whitetails under 200lbs. You'd see nothing but a Hawken in my hands.

A full grown elk is a bit different.

You should know how I feel about holes in paper by now. :biggrin:


Trust me. Nobody loves BP more than me. It's in my blood.

However, a freezer full of elk is nice too.

What range was that Semi???

That's 5 shots at 100 with my Knight...You can see, I chased groups with 100 and 90grs until I dropped her down to 80grs Goex FFF....

Here is 2 shots with my .54 flinter at 50 yards...I made her back in the 80s...She likes 80grs FFF as well...

That was only 50 yards Hawkeye. With that load it opens up to about 2" - 2 & 1/2" at 100. The 300 grain Deep Curls hang tighter at 100, usually less than 2".

That's some fine shooting Hawkeye. Funny, most of my guns seem to like GOEX loads in the range of 80 to 95 grains. Doesn't seem to matter whether it's the sabot shooters or patched ball shooters.

There is nothing wrong with Bore Butter if you are using it for PRB's. It works great for a patch lube. I would not use it as a barrel treatment, but use it for PRB's with great success. And it works great for lubing bullets.

I suggest you do what I did. Throw that can of T7 in the garbage where it belongs. Pick up a can of 3F BP and go shooting. Swab with a spit patch then two dry patches between shots and you can shoot all day.

T7 is just way too finicky, and the hygroscopic properties are bad IMO. Go back to black. You get to shoot a whole lot more for less. So guys might say they pick up a couple hundred feet per second with al these new-fangled powders. And maybe they do. But that is after they spend a month with their rifle. They have to change nipples, and breech plugs, and try all the different types of sabots and bullets, and on and on and on.

Just buy a pound of black. Get a good patch and round ball if you want to shoot round balls. If not then get a good heavy conical that is sized to your rifle. You will not be sorry. And it will be very simple. Just load and shoot .

Muzzleloader hunting has gotten far too complicated. And in order to perpetuate the sport the mfrs. have to come out with new and improved products every year. This year I read where a guy bought two pounds of the new "Super Powder". So I guess next year they will have to bring out "Super Duper Powder". Tom.