Pellets for the 44

[Blackrock]

I received a notice that the 30 grain pellets --Hodgdon Pyrodex --are now available. Wondering if any of you have any experience/opinions with this propellant? At present I make paper cartridges for my 1858 .44 Remington Repro. I am very happy with these but the pellets are tempting for quick loading --esp in the field.

 

[Jitterbug]

I tried a jar of them, maybe 15 years ago. They worked fine in my Ruger Old Army. They sped up the loading process slightly, and there’s no loose powder to deal with.

-but-

There are a some of potential drawbacks:
1) Less “fooling around.” Normally that’s a good thing, but I realized that “fooling around” was pretty much the whole reason that I shoot black powder revolvers!
2) Imprecise charges- invariably, some of the pellets will be chipped, cracked, etc. This introduces inconsistency in your charges. Not a big problem for shooting tin cans, but I doubt that you’ll see anyone using them in a serious competition (maybe not allowed in competition, anyway?).
3) Possibility of cracking/crushing the pellet with the loading lever. Doesn’t make it dangerous our anything, just one more variable to mess with your consistency. In fairness, if you’re an experienced BP revolver shooter, you probably already have a “feel” for proper pressure on your loading lever.
4) You can’t readily “fine tune” your load by going up or down five grains at a time, for instance. You could probably add Pryrodex “P” to your pellet charge, but then you would be negating any potential benefit from using the pellet!
5) Finally, I recall taking my shoes and socks off to do some math. I determined that the pellets were slightly more expensive than loose powder.

For my shooting, there was no real advantage, and several (minor) disadvantages. I still have half a can…

By all means, buy a jar of them and try them, if you like. They might be “just the thing,” for your needs.

 

[Dave951]

First off, it's Pyrodex, a poor substitute for the real thing.

Second, nowhere will you see accuracy and competition mentioned in conjunction with pellets.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Ive only ever used loose T7 fffg in my BP revolvers. If i was to use anything else it would be real black powder. Maybe if they made them in 20, 25, 35 & 40 gr i would consider them but loose powder is just too easy to change loads when shooting. I can go up or down any amount that i want in just a few moments. Definitely try them out. They may be just perfect for you. You never know til you try.

 

[Blackrock]

I tried a jar of them, maybe 15 years ago. They worked fine in my Ruger Old Army. They sped up the loading process slightly, and there’s no loose powder to deal with.

-but-

There are a some of potential drawbacks:
1) Less “fooling around.” Normally that’s a good thing, but I realized that “fooling around” was pretty much the whole reason that I shoot black powder revolvers!
2) Imprecise charges- invariably, some of the pellets will be chipped, cracked, etc. This introduces inconsistency in your charges. Not a big problem for shooting tin cans, but I doubt that you’ll see anyone using them in a serious competition (maybe not allowed in competition, anyway?).
3) Possibility of cracking/crushing the pellet with the loading lever. Doesn’t make it dangerous our anything, just one more variable to mess with your consistency. In fairness, if you’re an experienced BP revolver shooter, you probably already have a “feel” for proper pressure on your loading lever.
4) You can’t readily “fine tune” your load by going up or down five grains at a time, for instance. You could probably add Pryrodex “P” to your pellet charge, but then you would be negating any potential benefit from using the pellet!
5) Finally, I recall taking my shoes and socks off to do some math. I determined that the pellets were slightly more expensive than loose powder.

For my shooting, there was no real advantage, and several (minor) disadvantages. I still have half a can…

By all means, buy a jar of them and try them, if you like. They might be “just the thing,” for your needs.

Great points!!
Fooling around is why I make paper cartridges...fun, relaxing, and a sense of accomplishment...maybe even a historical connection -- a little bit
I did see some YT's where a chronograph was used and an occasional shot was way out of line with the rest and resulted in a flyer. Shooter was convinced he crushed/cracked the pellet with the loading lever.
I agree with you that BP prob less expensive. However, that said, I have not been able to obtain BP for more than 2 years and have had to rely on Pyrodex. Since I was using a sub anyway I thought "why not" although Pellets do not allow for load size changes unless one adds loose Pyrodex. My load has been 25 grains of Pydodex and have not gone above that. I was not sure if a 5 grain jump would be a problem. I honestly do not know what the maximum load might be for my Italian 1858 Remington Army steel frame. (According to the stamp, it was made in 1989).
However, this may all be academic anyway as BP is starting to show up but unfortunately, not in this area. Only 2 gun/sporting goods stores in area and very little pressure for them to sell/stock BP. Nearly, all MZ's around here are in-lines using pellets of one kind or another. I have yet to find a BP shooting event near or within reasonable driving distance. I have to hope that any trip allows for a stop at a larger BP friendly gun store....
As for buying online, one YT showed a box and the YT was from 2018. The price tag on the box was $19.99. Midway has them now for $33.49 + shipping + Hazmat for a total of $65.99 = too much.
However, I really appreciate the feedback/input. Mostly I am trying to figure if the cost is worth it--- thanks for the conversation!

 

[Jitterbug]

Fooling around is why I make paper cartridges...

Paper patching and paper cartridges are both on my “To-Do” list… someday!

 

[anonymouscowherd]

I only use real black and I'm lazy, so I got a bunch of 5ml sample tubes with flip lids. Premeasure and fill at home. And premeasuing is "put a bunch of 223 cases in a reloading tray, put funnel on and dump powder in, move to next case" and then just dump the extra/overspill off the tray and into a container to be used on the next batch. A 223 case holds 30gr 3fg so it is perfect for a cylinder hole in my 44 revolver, or I can use two or three to load my .54 rifle or 12ga shotgun.