RE: Muzzy: 24" or 26" (Magnum)
 

For those who are curious about the origin of the term "magnum," bigcountry is correct:

Mike

RE: Muzzy: 24" or 26" (Magnum)
 

I don't know. BP just won't build the pressure smokeless will, no matter how much you put in there even with a 50" barrel. I know they use bullseye in toy rockets as a subsittute sometimes for BP. Yes pressure plays a role. The BP never builds up enough pressure/heat to burn all the grains. The initial velocity pushes it out faster than it burns. I mean theres pressure vs heat curves for every burnable substance.

RE: Muzzy: 24" or 26" (Magnum)
 

Smokeless can produce higher pressures because much more of the mass of reagents is converted into gas, and the reactions that smokeless undergo are simply much more energetic, creating a lot more heat that black powder. More gas (moles, not mass) and more heat always equal more pressure for a given volume.

Mike

RE: Muzzy: 24" or 26" (Magnum)
 

When they say Magnum in Muzzle loaders they are usually refering to the guns ability to safely shoot three pyrodex pellets as ossosed to two for the standard rifle. I don't know of a case other than maybe a grizzly bear where I would ever need more that two fifty grain pellets.