Pyrodex RS looking better and better

[gt2003]

I'm going to be honest, with pre-season sighting in as well as the powder I use during the season, maybe Twenty 100 grain loads total, I'm having trouble justifying the powder prices now days. Triple 7 is now $40/lb and I'm hesitant to keep it over two years. BUT, for under $30/lb, Pyrodex sure is lookin awfully sexy! Yes, I like Triple 7, heck, I'd probably even like that new one you all love that costs more than my '21 GMC SIERRA SLT X-31. But you know what, they have all produced extremely good groups out of my ML. Unless I'm forgetting some horror stories of Pyrodex RS, it sure is gaining attractiveness in my book!

I guess the manufacturers don't sell it in 6oz bottles because if 1 pound is the only option then that's what a guy has to buy, right?

 

[deermanok]

Nothing wrong with using Pyrodex. As with anything black powder or subs, proper cleaning after shooting is key.

 

[SDK]

Whatever gets you there is fine.

Odd thing is I personally got into ML shooting in Oregon about 15 years ago and exclusively shot real BP out of sidelocks.

Fast forward to 2019, and living in a different state that allows inlines, I set myself and my son up to hunt with all cutting edge gear. Modern bullets, sabots, and BH209 which I thankfully stocked up on at the time.

So in 15 years of shooting ML’s I have never purchased, or I even fired a gun with anything else. Never used any of the other subs, never tried pellets, etc.

I just ordered 5lbs of Shuetzen FFFG at a good price, so this will probably continue into the foreseeable future. I can most likely get ten years out of my BH209 stash.

 

[ElDiablo]

I don’t care how cheap it is, I’d have a hard time going back to Pyrodex.

 

[dbowling]

Pyrodex shoots good it just stinks, is filthy and if you dont clean your gun good you will get rust fairly quickly.

 

[11th Corps]

I started out back in the 1970's shooting Pyrodex. My Ruger Old Army ate it up. Over they years I have gone from it to 777, then to real BP when i got into flintlocks. Just last month I took my ROA out to the range for a postal match shoot. Shot Pyrodex . Had a decent score-for me anyways-came home and cleaned her up just like normal. Like any BP or sub, you gotta clean thoroughly right after the shoot.

 

[bamawoodsman]

The ex experience I’ve had with pyrodex rs is that it shoots well but you better clean your gun immediately. If u don’t you can watch it rust in real time Seens to be a lot more corrosive than t7. Also the guns I have that I’ve shot it in seem to be a lot harder to keep from rusting in storage than the ones I’ve only shot t7 in. I’ll just pay the extra 10 to 15 bucks for the t7 compared to constantly cleaning the rust out of my gun alot more often

 

[MrTom]

Of all the common subs that can found and used today, I think Pyrodex is the absolute worst stuff a guy can dump down a barrel, pellets or granular.

 

[bronko220002]

Why do you say that Tom?

 

[MrTom]

All I have done when using that powder is battle the aftereffects. And based on chrono readings Pyro is far less powerful than T7 or Bh using the same charges and bullet weights. I know some people like the stuff but they've probably mastered the art of dealing with what comes after shooting it. Or it is all they can find to shoot. Pyro is just not for this guy. I won't dunn a person for shooting it if that is all they can find to shoot, but I will not endorse its use. There are too many better powders out there today.

 

[11th Corps]

Is it possible any problems with the use of Pyrodex can depend on the weather conditions where you shoot and then clean/store your weapons?

 

[MrTom]

I think it was bamawoodsman that mentioned having shot pyro and then having recurring rust issues even after thoroughly cleaning the gun. I have a T/C Renegade that I haven't shot in years. When it was being used it was shot with pyro. It was always cleaned within hours of being shot, then double checked the next day unless it was loaded and hunted again. To this day I have to check the barrel of that gun several times a year for rust in the bore. Every other gun I own is kept in the same storage as the Renegade and not a single one of them will develop the light rust in the bore that the gun having shot pyro does.

I'm a meticulous cleaner and my guns are cleaned and cared for as soon as I get home from shooting, unless its during hunting season and then all I use is BH in the black powder guns. And even the BH shooting guns get cleaned if they've been fired during the day while hunting. I knock the charge out and clean the gun if its been shot and reloaded. Without fail.

I began using the WD-40 Anti-Corrosion product four years ago and since the rust issues with that Renegade have been less problematic, but before I started with it the rust was a three or four times a year cleaning issue and the gun hadn't been fired using anything for close to three decades.

I'm not wealthy by any standards but I certainly can afford to shoot better powders than pyro. I'd go back to black powder before I would load with pyro again. I don't care what others shoot but for me I have more respect for my guns than to shoot something that will be a constant headache even after the stuff hasn't been used in years..

 

[Okie Hog]

Pyrodex RS is a consistent powder, more powerful than 2F Goex. My old .50 Stag Horn rifle has fired over 3,500 rounds using Pyrodex. The bore is shiny with no pits. The Stag Horn is bedded and wears a good scope; its my squirrel rifle.

My rifles have never experienced any "after effects" from using Pyrodex.

 

[NicoleN]

I'm a new shooter. I've got like 3lbs of Pyrodex and now I don't know if I will shoot it.

Edited 30 lbs to 3lbs.

 

[NicoleN]

I'm a new shooter. I've got like 30lbs of Pyrodex and now I don't know if I will shoot it.

Let me look at that again. 30# seems like it's too much.

 

[retrieverman]

I’m not a “muzzleloader enthusiast“ like many/most here and am really only into them for an additional season to be in the woods, so though I’m not necessarily a fan of the nasty crap, I could get by with using pyrodex if I had to.

 

[BigJames16]

Admittedly I'm new to the inline game but I've always shot Pyrodex in my sidelocks and haven't had any problems with it.
Whenever I get home from the range I clean the barrel with hot water and dish soap then dry it and finally run an oiled patch down the bore to leave a light coating.
Don't see why the same couldn't be done with an inline and it's what I plan to do.

 

[Ed Bryant]

clean my muzzle loader same as i clean my 30-30 30-06 and 45-70 same day of shooting ?

 

[earlwb]

I haven’t seen Pyrodex as being any worse than black powder. For a long time it was all one could get too. You just need to clean the gun good after shooting. BH209 may be the best but I don’t know as I haven’t tried it and at it’s current prices it is highly unlikely I will try it.

 

[4stringdude]

When I bought my first muzzleloader (used), the purchase included a partial can of BP. After I used it up, I purchased Pryrodex RS. Mainly because I could get it locally. I've been shooting Pyrodex RS for about 30 years. It always goes boom and my projectiles fly true.

I've never shot any other powders in my muzzleloaders. I have several subs as well as true BP on hand. I just haven't tried them out. Pyrodex does it for me.

As far as cleaning goes, don't you always need to clean your muzzleloader ASAP after shooting? That's just standard practice for me.

As with anything, your mileage may vary. I say try it, and see how it works.