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BUCK
CONNER
Editor
- Staff Writer |
Smoke Signals
Jul./Aug. '10
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The "2001
Alaska State Rendezvous" event provided
valuable muzzleloader information that only a few have had the
chance to study. No matter whether your one that shoots for
score in competition or just shooting for "blanket
prizes" or just the fun of it this is great information.
These folks put a lot of their time and effort in the testing
and recording their findings, probably the best results seen in
years and produced by a "State Muzzle Loading
Association". WOW
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Comparison
of: Goex® ,
KIK®
& Elephant®
Brand of Black Powder
Introduction:
At the 2001 Alaska State Rendezvous we had samples of Goex®
, KIK® and Elephant® brands of black
powder available for comparison. In
order to compare the performance characteristics of all three
brands of powder, we asked four shooters to fire a string of
five shots from each powder through a chronograph and recorded
the results.
Methodology:
Our
objective was to obtain a practical comparison of the
performance of each brand of black powder relative to each
other. Because of the limited available supply of Elephant brand
black powder for this test, we limited the number of test guns
to four. Each of the shooters in this test can be described as
an active muzzleloader shooter who routinely uses Goex®
brand black powder in their arms and is generally satisfied with
its performance.
The four test guns are
fairly typical of the historically authentic muzzleloaders used
by rendezvous participants and traditional muzzleloader hunters
in Alaska. The smallest caliber gun tested was .50 caliber, very
popular among competitors, but rarely used for hunting due to
regulations requiring a round-ball of .54 caliber or larger when
hunting most big-game species in our State. Since most
rendezvous competitors use the same guns with which they hunt,
the larger caliber guns are more common. Two of the test guns
were .62 caliber, one a smoothbore, the other a rifle. The
fourth gun was a .54 caliber rifle.
Each shooter fired three
strings of five rounds through the chronograph using the same
volumetrically measured charge he normally uses in that gun
during competition in rendezvous style shooting matches and/or
while hunting. Each shooter fired one string of shots charged
with Goex® , one of KIK® and one of
Elephant® brand black powders. All three brands of
black powder tested were in FFg granulation. For
the sake of consistency, each shooter used the same type of
round ball, patch, lubricant and priming that he normally uses
during rendezvous competition. The only variable between strings
was the brand of black powder with which the rounds were
charged.
Each gun was thoroughly
cleaned between each of the three strings, and three of the four
shooters swabbed the bores of their guns between each round in
the string. The chronograph was placed 20 feet ahead of the
firing line so that smoke, muzzleblast or debris would not
interfere with the measurement of velocities through the
instrument. Weather conditions during the test consisted of
temperatures in the mid-50s (F.), calm winds (virtually still)
and under overcast skies during a period of high relative
humidity.
For each string of five
rounds, the average velocity and extreme spread of velocity was
measured by the chronograph. Extreme spread as a percentage of
the average velocity was calculated later. Theoretically, the
lowest percentage of spread should result in the best potential
accuracy for that particular gun, projectile and powder charge.
Data Gathered in the
Tests:
The table
below represents the cumulative averages of all four test guns:
|
|
Goex®
|
KIK®
|
Elephant®
|
|
Average Velocity |
1324
fps |
1438
fps |
1232
fps |
|
Av. Extreme Spread |
96
fps |
96
fps |
132
fps |
|
Spread / Velocity =
% |
7.2 % |
6.6 % |
10.7
% |
Data From Individual
Test Guns: The tables and text below represent the
measurements obtained from each of the guns we tested.
Test Gun #1
was a Thompson Center, .50 caliber percussion ‘Hawken’ rifle
with a standard length factory installed barrel, firing a
.490" cast round ball patched with .015 cotton lubricated
with saliva. The powder charge was 70 grains by volume. The gun
was primed with Dixie brand percussion caps.
|
|
Goex®
|
KIK®
|
Elephant®
|
|
Average Velocity |
1292
fps |
1475
fps |
1263
fps |
|
High Velocity |
1342
fps |
1512
fps |
1316
fps |
|
Low Velocity |
1146
fps |
1389
fps |
1153
fps |
|
Extreme Spread |
196
fps |
123
fps |
110
fps |
|
Spread / Av. Vel. =
% |
15 % |
8.3 % |
8.7 % |
The shooter: Dick
Underwood.
Mr. Underwood started each
string with a clean bore, but did not swab the bore between
shots.
Shooter’s
Observations:
Elephant brand produced
heavier fouling than the other powders, making it considerably
harder to load after the second round was fired.
Test gun #2
was a Burke Custom, .62 caliber flintlock rifle with a 42"
barrel, firing a .610" round ball patched with .200"
cotton duck lubricated with a three part mixture of Murphy’s
Oil Soap, Isopropyl Alcohol and Water. The powder charge was 100
grains measured by volume. The gun was primed with FFg (2Fg)
Goex. This is not a misprint.
|
|
Goex®
|
KIK®
|
Elephant®
|
|
Average Velocity |
1335
fps |
1431
fps |
1272
fps |
|
High Velocity |
1344
fps |
1453
fps |
1346
fps |
|
Low Velocity |
1318
fps |
1398
fps |
1224
fps |
|
Extreme Spread |
26
fps |
55
fps |
122
fps |
|
Spread / Av. Vel. =
% |
1.9 % |
3.8 % |
9.5 % |
The shooter: Ralph
Burke, owner and builder of the test gun. Mr. Burke started
each string with a clean bore, and swabbed the bore between each
shot.
Shooter’s
Comments:
"KIK®
produced less fouling, and less ‘red’ fouling than Goex®
. It also produced
noticeably more recoil and the recoil was uncomfortable, more
like the hard, sharp recoil produced by modern smokeless
cartridge guns than black powder muzzleloaders. Down right
uncomfortable to shoot at this charge in this gun."
"Elephant®
produced more fouling than either of the other powders, and the
fouling was thicker, more tenacious and more difficult to swab."
Test Gun #3
is a 20 gauge (.62 caliber) reproduction flintlock Tulle de
Chasse smoothbore built by Pete Rollet of LaFayette IN. Firing a
.600" cast round ball patched with .010" linen patches
lubricated with deer tallow, and primed with FFFFg (4Fg) Goex®
. The powder charge was 70 grains measured by volume. Each
string was started with a clean bore and the bore was swabbed
between each shot.
|
|
Goex®
|
KIK®
|
Elephant®
|
|
Average Velocity |
1106
fps |
1234
fps |
1008
fps |
|
High Velocity |
1153
fps |
1288
fps |
1039
fps |
|
Low Velocity |
1048
fps |
1195
fps |
944
fps |
|
Extreme Spread |
105
fps |
93
fps |
95
fps |
|
Spread / Av. Vel. =
% |
9.4 % |
7.5 % |
9.4 % |
Shooter: Thomas
Swan (known to many of us as "Swannie")
Shooter’s
Observations:
In general, this gun does not
shoot FFg black powder well. Although it rarely misfires with
FFFg powder, using the FFg powder in this test resulted in
numerous hangfires and misfires with all three brands of powder.
Elephant® brand
powder resulting in much heavier fouling that was more difficult
to swab from the bore than that of the other two brands.
Test Gun #4
was a Bayha custom built percussion rifle, .54 caliber 36"
barrel, firing a .530 Spear swaged roundball patched with .015
‘Texas’ teflon lubricated patches. The charge was 85 grains
measured by volume, primed with RWS®
percussion caps. Each
string was started with a clean bore, and the shooter swabbed
the bore between each round.
|
|
Goex®
|
KIK®
|
Elephant®
|
|
Average Velocity |
1564
fps |
1614
fps |
1387
fps |
|
High Velocity |
1593
fps |
1679
fps |
1486
fps |
|
Low Velocity |
1534
fps |
1566
fps |
1205
fps |
|
Extreme Spread |
59
fps |
113
fps |
281
fps |
|
Spread / Av. Vel. =
% |
3.7 % |
7 % |
20 % |
Shooter: Keith
Bayha
Shooter’s
Observations:
The second shot in the KIK®
string
was difficult to load even though the shooter had swabbed the
bore following his first. Thus problem did not subsequently
repeat.
This shooter noted that the
Elephant brand powder produced thicker and more tenacious
fouling than the other two brands of black powder tested.
Caveats and
Conclusions:
It should be noted that the
data sample on which this paper is based is extremely small.
While the charges of Goex® used by each shooter are
probably the most accurate for each of these guns, none of the
shooters has had an opportunity to discover the most accurate
charge of the other two brands of powder. It’s quite likely
that adjustments in the powder charges and other components
could result in much better performance than the limited data
presented here would seem to indicate.
Every muzzleloading
firearm responds to different powders, powder charges,
projectiles, patches and lubricants in a unique way. While we
can make some general observations about the performance of the
three black powders in a test of this nature, we can not
determine how any brand of black powder, any powder charge, or
any combination of components will perform in a particular gun.
Each shooter must determine the optimal combination of
components for his or her muzzleloader.
Perhaps the
most important conclusion that can be drawn from this data is
that further testing is necessary to draw any sort of firm
conclusion. It does show that a shooter may well find it worth
the time and effort to experiment with other brands of black
powder.
In this test, KIK®
brand black powder produced higher velocities than the same
volume of both Goex® and Elephant®
black powder in all four test guns. The average velocity
produced by KIK brand black powder was 12.4% faster than that
produced by the same volume of Goex, and 14.3% faster than that
produced by the same volume of Elephant brand. Elephant brand
black powder produced lower velocities than either of the other
two powders in all 4 guns.
One of the shooters noted
that KIK® brand black powder produced considerably more
recoil and the recoil was more keenly felt as an uncomfortably
sharp jolt as opposed to the ‘pushing’ sensation normally
associated with the recoil of black powder fired through a
muzzleloader. That shooter described the recoil as more
consistent with modern, cartridge ammunition than black powder.
He noted that if he were to fire KIK®
black powder on a
regular basis that he would feel compelled to reduce his normal
powder charge in order to do so comfortably. None of the other
three shooters reported any significant difference in recoil.
In theory, the powder
charge that produces the most consistent velocity should provide
the greatest potential accuracy in any given firearm. For this
paper, I measured consistency as the percentage of the extreme
velocity spread to the average velocity of each string. The data
gathered in this test would indicate that in half of the guns
tested Goex® provided the best potential accuracy, and
in the other half of the guns tested, KIK® provided the
best potential. In one of the test guns (#3) KIK®
provided the highest potential accuracy, but Goex® and
Elephant® brand were tied for ‘second place’. In the
three remaining guns Elephant®
brand black powder was
the least consistent of the three powders tested, but this
finding might change if the charge were increased sufficiently
to produce velocities comparable to the other two brands of
black powder.
Black Powder Substitute
Powders.
There
are black powder substitutes, which are designed to be used in
place of real black powder because they are much less smokey,
corrosive, and are not classed as an explosive. The 3 common
substitutes are Triple 7® Pyrodex® and
Black Mag® with Pyrodex® and Triple 7®
being by far the most popular however Black Mag® is the
cleanest.
Note: Charcoal is
not the only fuel that can be used in the making of suitable
powders for use in black powder guns. Sugar is used in many
pyrotechnic applications to reduce smoke and it's water soluble.
Ignition Of Powder
Charges.
Granulated black powder is the easiest to ignite of all the
powders that are being produced today and will work with all
muzzleloader ignition systems. Granulated black powder
substitutes such as Pyrodex are a little tougher to ignite and
may not reliably perform in flintlock ignition systems.
Pelletized
black powder substitutes are the toughest to ignite and may not
reliably perform with most side lock ignition systems.
Black Mag’3® Black
Powder Substitute Powder
Black Mag’3® is impervious to shock and significantly more
resistant to friction than black powder or other propellants.
Black Mag’3®’s energy content is significantly greater than
black powder but barrel pressure testing showed that it produced
pressure levels approximately 50% lower than black powder.
Measuring charges with Black Mag’3® is volume to volume with
black powder.
Black Mag’3® is
recoverable after exposure to moisture, has a low ignition
temperature and it is non-fouling, non-corrosive and nontoxic.
Note: The
manufacturing of Black Mag’3® involves a "curing"
process that results in the release of a small quantity of
harmless gas, which may continue after the product is bottled.
This may cause the bottle to swell, but it does not affect the
safety, performance or stability of Black Mag’3®. If you
notice that the bottle is bulging, simply loosen the lid to
allow the harmless gas to escape; then re-seal the lid.
Hodgdon Black
Powder Substitute Powders.
Hodgdon Pyrodex® and Triple Seven propellants are designed for
use in muzzleloading and black powder cartridge firearms found
by a competent gunsmith to be in good shootable condition.
Hodgdon Warning: NEVER mix
any two powders regardless of type, brand or source.
Flintlock Ignition:
To insure proper ignition in flintlock systems, 5 grains of
FFFFG priming powder should be placed into the bore prior to
loading the main charge of Triple Seven® or Pyrodex®.
The main powder charge should be reduced by 5 grains to
compensate for the addition of the priming powder.
Triple Seven
and Pyrodex Pellets are designed for use only in
newly manufactured muzzleloading, in-line rifles of 50 caliber,
54 caliber, and 45 caliber. Use Triple Seven® only in a
209 primer ignition system. Pyrodex® may be used with
standard cap, musket cap or 209 primer ignition systems. Use
only the correct caliber Pellet designated for the given caliber
rifle. They are designed to be used with saboted bullets or
conicals together with a fiber wad.
Hodgdon Pyrodex®
- Hodgdon Pyrodex P
- Pistol Powder The principle use for Pyrodex P is in all
pistols and in smaller bore rifles, 45 caliber and down. P
is also useful as a priming charge in guns which have a
fouled ignition channel or other ignition problems. P
compares to 3F blackpowder on a particle size basis.
- Hodgdon Pyrodex RS
- Rifle/Shotgun Powder Pyrodex RS can be used in all
calibers of percussion muzzleloading rifles and shotguns.
Like all grades of Pyrodex, it burns cleaner and produces
less fouling than blackpowder. RS compares to 2F blackpowder
on a particle size basis.
- Hodgdon Pyrodex
Pellets - No measuring. No pouring. Pyrodex® Pellets
give muzzleloaders greater consistency, performance and
faster second shots.
Hodgdon Triple Seven®
- Hodgdon Triple Seven
- is sulfur free and virtually odorless, the residue
left in the barrel is water soluable and can be cleaned
anywhere with just plain water.
- Hodgdon Triple Seven
FFFG - The principle use for Triple Seven FFFG is in all
pistols and in smaller bore rifles, 45 caliber and down.
Triple Seven FFFG is also useful as a priming charge in
muzzleloaders that have ignition problems. Triple Seven FFFG
compares to 3F blackpowder on a particle size basis.
- Hodgdon Triple Seven
FFG - Rifle/Shotgun Powder can be used in all calibers
of percussion muzzleloading rifles and shotguns. It has a
wide application of uses, burns cleaner and produces less
fouling than Pyrodex RS. Triple Seven FFG compares to 2F
blackpowder on a particle size basis.
- Hodgdon Triple Seven
Pellets - No measuring. No pouring. 777 Pellets give
muzzleloaders greater consistency, performance and faster
second shots.
Black Powder Substitute
Powders Velocity Comparisons.
|
Powder |
Grains |
Projectile Weight |
Velocity |
45 Caliber Muzzleloading
Rifle.
|
Pyrodex RS |
100
gr. |
45
cal. / 225 gr. |
1741
fps. |
|
Pyrodex P |
100
gr. |
45
cal. / 225 gr. |
1756
fps. |
|
Pyrodex Pellet |
2-50
gr. |
45
cal. / 225 gr. |
1795
fps. |
|
Triple Seven FF |
100
gr. |
45
cal. / 225 gr. |
1905
fps. |
|
Triple Seven FFF |
100
gr. |
45
cal. / 225 gr. |
1925
fps. |
|
Black Mag3 |
100
gr. |
45
cal. / 225 gr. |
2096
fps. |
50 Caliber Muzzleloading
Rifle.
|
Pyrodex RS |
100
gr. |
50
cal. / 348 gr. |
1509
fps. |
|
Pyrodex P |
100
gr. |
50
cal. / 348 gr. |
1560
fps. |
|
Pyrodex Pellet |
2-50
gr. |
50
cal. / 348 gr. |
1469
fps. |
|
Triple Seven FF |
100
gr. |
50
cal. / 348 gr. |
1664
fps. |
|
Triple Seven FFF |
100
gr. |
50
cal. / 348 gr. |
1623
fps. |
|
Black Mag3 |
100
gr. |
50
cal. / 348 gr. |
1888
fps. |
____________________________
A special thank you to
those that took part in these tests and provided everyone with
such good details of their findings. We all have good intentions
of making such tests but never get the testing done or the
results done that Dick Underwood, Ralph
Burke, Pete
Rollet, Thomas Swan, Keith Bayha and the members of the 2001
Alaska State Rendezvous event have completed.
Once again THANK YOU
folks for your efforts and kindness in sharing your findings.
Later
Buck Conner
 
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