What's the difference in the "Black" powder brands.. ie Goex, Schuetzen, Swiss...

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exarcher

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I've decided to go to side lock (both percussion and flint) rifles. I've read somewhere swiss is "glazed" with graphite.. Any advantage or quality difference in these 3?
 
Technically there is but the most important thing is what your gun likes the best my buddy's best load is with kik's no longer made but was 10-12 per pound my best is Swiss 25-27 per pound !
 
I have shot Goex, Meteor, Curtis and Harvey, Dragon, Elephant, Diamondback, KIK and Shuetzen. Elephant was the dirtiest but it worked! If you have it shoot it!
Nit Wit
 
Some are cleaner burning than others. They also can deliver a few more fps from one brand to another. I pretty much only use 3f powder in my rifles and pistols. It seems that one of my muzzleloaders likes the Old Ensyford 3f powder best but my pistols shoot good with the Swiss 3f powder.
If you buy powder online, you usually have to order a minimum amount, I'd say to buy a pound or two of different brands to compare for yourself.
 
IMO SWISS is the BEST then SHUETZEN but I am a nobody in the shooting world. Do a little digging and you will see for your self. I know people that make their own BUT I'm not one of them yet anyway. Powder is expensive that is why I say look at what the great shooters use you can save money and not have powder around you wish latter you hadn't bought
 
Swiss is all i use in my Rifles. If you look in to Competitive BPCR & Muzzleloader you will find the VAST Majority of the SERIOUS Fellas use Swiss Black Powder, it Wins :lewis:
 
I know Swiss is superior. I also shoot quite a bit of Goex because I can buy it locally. I have good results with it also. Dirtier but cleans up easy enough.
 
the main difference is how the charcoal is prepared, Swiss wood is not heated to as high of a temp as Goex and retains more resins or Creasote. the creasote makes Swiss burn hotter and leave a harder rezidue and be more resistant to moister.
 
I was just reading not long ago that back in the day 1800's that the high quality powders burned moist wonder why that cant replicate that anymore ?
 
I've decided to go to side lock (both percussion and flint) rifles. I've read somewhere swiss is "glazed" with graphite.. Any advantage or quality difference in these 3?
I read somewhere where the “g” in the ffg, fffg & so on stood for “granite”. I just thought it meant “ granulation”.
Only one I didn’t care for was Elephant as it was beyond dirty! I would shoot it if I had nothing else like someone already mentioned.
 
I read somewhere where the “g” in the ffg, fffg & so on stood for “granite”. I just thought it meant “ granulation”.
I think you mean graphite and no it does not stand for either. "G" simply means its a sporting grade powder which are often tumbled with graphite. Blasting grade would be labeled with "A" instead and the tumbling process is not needed.
 
I love Swiss powder and it's all I used to use. It was only $15 lb back then. It's hard for me to swallow todays prices. It has the most power of all real black powders. Although OE is a close 2nd place. Swiss does use a graphite coating but it's not as thick as Goex. Swiss gets it's power from the whole process of making it along with better materials.
 
I love Swiss powder and it's all I used to use. It was only $15 lb back then. It's hard for me to swallow todays prices. It has the most power of all real black powders. Although OE is a close 2nd place. Swiss does use a graphite coating but it's not as thick as Goex. Swiss gets it's power from the whole process of making it along with better materials.
That's all I use in my guns too, I do still have some shutzen powder I use for patched round ball guns it's my second choice though
 
Muzzlestuffer, do you think round balls are less fussy when it comes to black powder? I ask cause I dont see any difference between Swiss, Goex or Old Eyes. The only thing I see is that my 54 cal. prefers 2F than 3f . It does not matter what brand in my w side locks.
 
Actually I have seen a difference between the shutzen and the swiss in my hawken and my Yeager both shoot 2f
 
Muzzlestuffer, do you think round balls are less fussy when it comes to black powder? I ask cause I dont see any difference between Swiss, Goex or Old Eyes. The only thing I see is that my 54 cal. prefers 2F than 3f . It does not matter what brand in my w side locks.
I use the swiss exclusively in my bpcr loads
 
Only Swiss will do for me as I spent a lotta time and pounds of that more powerful and cleaner burning stuff for sorting out cartridge and muzzy loads. If Swiss became impossible to get I'd look into Goex's Olde Eynsford.

I'll add, when it comes to muzzy guns mine are only flinters and all use Swiss 3F for both tube and pan.
 
Gotta shoot what your rifle shoots best if you can get it or shoot what's good enough for what your shooting at imo
 

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