AmericanLongRifles Forums
General discussion => Black Powder Shooting => Topic started by: Jeff Murray on April 14, 2023, 10:19:47 PM
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Anyone had a chance to actually compare powder manufactured prior to 1900 with what we shoot today. The traders during the fur trade ordered two types of powder but there does not seem to be any reference to the "F" system we use today. Grain size and velocity tests would be very interesting.
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I shot off 3 pounds of American Deadshot 2F powder back in the 70's. It was exceptionally clean, black and shiny, with zero fines or dust.
I was shooting bullets in a faster twist Bauska barrel at that time and it was VERY accurate powder, better than the GOEX, Dupont Meteor
or C&H of the day.
That powder was made prior to that powder plant blowing up in 1898.
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It was offered in "FFFg" and what not in the 19th century as well.
1818/189
(https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?institutionId=0&user=12785668&id=96052527&clippingId=123037822&width=557&height=406&crop=3330_375_1057_786&rotation=0)
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123037822/duponts-gunpowder/
1825:
(https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?institutionId=0&user=12785668&id=604280450&clippingId=123037708&width=557&height=1311&crop=1863_3987_830_1990&rotation=0)
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123037708/ffr-ffg-fffr-fffg-duponts-powder/
1859:
(https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?institutionId=0&user=12785668&id=900574105&clippingId=123037596&width=557&height=181&crop=2596_4639_825_273&rotation=0)
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/123037596/gunpowder-in-different-grades/
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The Dupont powder I used, was mfg'rd in the 1970's I think.
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Seth, thanks for the pictures.
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Seth, thanks for the pictures.
You are very welcome. Its fun to dig up some primary source material on the subject.
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I am not sure Dupont ever made a premium BPO like Orange Extra or C&H Diamond grain. There were at least 2-3 really good powders made in the US in the late 19th c. I pulled the bullet from 38 S&W BP load and it was loose in the cases. Very fine grained, probably what used to be called “Revolver”. Very shiny with no evidence of “black lead”. I think this was a UMC but its been some years ago now and fool like I did not write it down and it belonged to a friend.
There was a brown powder made by some US maker that was supposed to be really good. And the Slug Gun and the BPCR target guys were REALLY finicky about powder. They, some at least, were known the resift the powder the make for a more consistent grain size. This effects flame propagation through the charge and can effect accuracy. As does milling time, how hard the cake is pressed and what the charcoal is and how it is charred. The Charcoal charring and the species of tree and even when in the year it was cut were critical. There were Americans who only used C&H Diamond grain. Which is VERY, VERY different than the C&H that was imported to the US in the 1960s and 70s. This stuff was essentially blasting powder and could very easily have been contaminated with Sodium Nitrate. Since it was made in a plant in Scotland that made blasting powder. Or so i was told by Bill Knight. Bill considered Swiss to be the nearest thing to the old premium powders. And probably is that good. Good as Diamond Grain I doubt but is pretty close.
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I read somewhere that American Powder Company's "Deadshot" was 2nd best US made powder in the 19th century. I do not know what the best was.
Deadshot was the powder I shot back in the 1970's in the Les Bauska bullet barrel I had. The powder was hard, very shiny, no "dirt" of dust at all. It was
very accurate and quite clean burning. I did not have to do any wiping while shooting it. In those days, I used only Crisco Shortening for bullet lube. It worked
perfectly and gave exceptional accuracy with the mechanically fitted bullets I was using.