A little confused, hopefully you guys can help

[Woody]

About 7-8 yrs. ago I sold my cva bp rifle. A few weeks ago I bought a new one. With my orignal rifle I used loose pyrodex. With all of the newer products, 777 and American Pioneer, I'm not sure what to use. When I bought my rifle I also bought 777 pellets but have not shot my rifle yet. I've been reading on this forum and a few others about crud rings with the 777 and that it is sugar based, which sugar based does not sound like a good idea to me for shooting through a rifle, but what do I know???? The thing about the pyrodex that I hate is the rotten egg smell. Now the American Pioneer product claims a cleaner burn and more shots before having to swab. So far, 777 and Pyrodex are easy to find, have not found the American Pioneer products anywhere locally. This is alot to ask of any product but I want something that will shoot accurately, won't foul my barrel easily, is easy to clean and doesn't stink. I am not above going back to pyrodex and dealing with the stink after the shot and while cleaning the barrel. So what do you all suggest???? Thanks, Woody

 

[RAF]

Go smokeless. Cuts back on the smoke, stink, cleaning and increases preformance.

 

[Woody]

I looked at the smoke less muzzys before I bought and decided the smoke less muzzys were to much $$$$ for about 10 days of hunting. Thanks, Woody

 

[DVR]

the clean up with the 777 pellets was a simple as wetting a napkin and pushing it down the muzzle with the ramrod. it does not take much effort. i find it worth the tradeoff.

 

[RAF]

I looked at the smoke less muzzys before I bought and decided the smoke less muzzys were to much $$$$ for about 10 days of hunting. Thanks, Woody

Please explain "about 10 days of hunting". Seems you should be able to use it more than that unless you live somewhere smokeless isn't allowed during the regular season and only in centerfire season. I've looked at local stores and find the price of a savage is better than T/C and a few other muzzleloaders.

 

[bsn]

The American Pioneer powder is slightly cleaner and cleans up slightly easier (asorbic acid based (vitamin C) instead of sugar) than 777. But I have found the AP FF,FFF and Shockly Gold products to all be extreemly inconsistant as far as accuracy, suck moisture like a spounge and have less energy per grain. If you spit patch between rounds you will never have a problem with the 777 and 777 cleans up easy enough anyway. For me I will take reliability and accuracy over cleaning any day.

 

[Underclocked]

Any of you guys that haven't tried Swiss powder should give it a whirl if you can. I've only shot the 3F grade so far but was amazed at how little smoke, how little odor, how little fouling, and the POWER. Accuracy wasn't too shaby either. Cleanup was no more demanding than my usual process.

But. to the original poster, T7 is easy to use and the crud ring isn't THAT horrible - easily managed. I will say the first time I got a good lung full of smoke from T7, it nearly choked me. It isn't the rotten egg smell at all but it sure sucks the breath out of me. The good thing is that most places now at least HAVE T7 available for ready purchase.

 

[sundowner]

Number one if you got a side lock that uses #11 caps you may have problems with the pellets in that gun and may have to go back to loose powder . Even with loose 777 you could get a delayed charge . I use loose in all my side locks .
Charlie

 

[choc-dog]

if you keep your loaded charges under 105 grains of 777 loose powder the crud ring is easliy removed with one spit patch.

For the lack of sulfer smell and the increased velocity 777 provides per charge the crub ring is a pain in the azz and a trade off for the benefits provided.

Choc-dog

 

[flatland hunter]

Go with T7... easily available and the the crud ring is manageable with a spit patch. Just work your way down the barrel though carefully... if you just ram your rod down the barrel in one movement it can get hung up. Just bump up against the ring until you get through it. Doesn't take any time at all hardly... especially seeing as how you need to patch between shots anyway.

 

[Woody]

Thanks for the info Guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guess I will stay with the T7. RAF, I can use my muzzy in the regualar gun season but will use my 30-06 at that time. 5 days before the regular gun season we can use a muzzy and round about the last week of the season in Jan. we can use either/or in my county, but if using a muzzy, you can take does, with a regular center fire it is bucks only. But I will probably already have my 3 buck limit by then. I hunt Alabama. The CVA muzzy that I have can be bought at Walmart for around $100 or less. Thank you all so much.

Woody

 

[cayuga]

Thanks for the info Guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guess I will stay with the T7. RAF, I can use my muzzy in the regualar gun season but will use my 30-06 at that time. 5 days before the regular gun season we can use a muzzy and round about the last week of the season in Jan. we can use either/or in my county, but if using a muzzy, you can take does, with a regular center fire it is bucks only. But I will probably already have my 3 buck limit by then. I hunt Alabama. The CVA muzzy that I have can be bought at Walmart for around $100 or less. Thank you all so much.

Woody

Woody, the triple se7en really is the way to go IF YOUR RIFLE LIKES IT. The rotten egg smell is just a fact of the sport that you sometimes have to put up with. Pyrodex RS is another great consistant powder. So is Triple Se7en, but not all rifles like Triple Se7en.

Also I would go to loose powder. Granted pellets are easy and seem for a couple days of hunting an easy solution to the powder problem, but if you go pellets, shoot them off each year. I have heard more people tell me that their pellets went bad. Although it never happened to me. But then, my powder never stays around the house for long.

From the description and price you quoted for your rifle, I will guess that it s a Buckhorn Magnum or a CVA Wolf. I would lean more to the Buckhorn Magnum being under $100 bucks.

I shoot a CVA Staghorn Magnum which the Buckhorn Magnum replaced. If I load 90 grains of loose Pyrodex RS and many different projectiles, this $89.00 rifle will really shoot. The fit and finish of the rifle might be poor, but the accuracy of it is amazing to say the least when I compare it to some of my more expensive rifles. I shoot a 245 grain powerbelt out of it with 90 grains of powder and for some reason this rifle loves that load. I am not saying yours will too, but most rifles like one load better then all others. I was lucky to find this load for mine.

A good barrel swab is Windex. Just a little on a patch and you swab in short strokes down the barrel between shots. Then a couple dry patches. All the crud rings go away, and the sabots or what ever you are shooting loads much better. I use a 50/50 mix of car windshield washer fluid and isopropyl 91% alcohol when I swab the barrel. The washer fluid is the cleaner and the alcohol is the drying agent. The moisture just seems to come out of the barrel better for me this way.

Good luck with your rifle. Be sure to let us know how it does on the range for you..