2ff versus 3fff question

[Ezra]

Hey guys,

I have pretty much always used Goex 3fff for both my main charge and pan charge.  For the most part I have shot .50 for a long time.  I have a .58 arriving soon and was wondering whether or not I should continue using 3fff.  I know it is recommended to use 2ff in the larger bores, but I have quite a nice little stash of 3fff.  Any major issues if I continue to use 3fff in my .58 for both main, and primer charges?  FWIW, my rifle is a Chambers Lancaster with a 44" barrel.  Thanks guys,

Ez

[Dave K]

I don't know if this is the answer you want, but a good question could also be put to the barrel maker. Some gun owners use 3F in everything and anything. I personally do go to 2F over 50cal. It also depends on the powder brand you are using as I use a lot of Swiss. I find Swiss is hotter than other powders I have used. The barrels makers want you to have a good barrel that you can score with and that is also safe. I would contact them, as I am sure they know their product.

[BrownBear]

I let my guns do the talking. I have seven 58 calibers, a mix of cappers and flinters.  Some prefer one and some the other. I have to say I'll label myself a doofus on the prime charge question.  Both 2f and 3f work fast enough that I just can't tell the difference between them.  I've seen the speed reports here and don't question them, and perhaps my reactions would be different if I was a match shooter rather than a field shooter. But my hands and brain won't register microseconds of difference.  Heck, I happily use 1f for prime in my Bess and it seems just fine to me in that big old pan.

Shoot em and compare em and see if you can spot any differences.  Dance with the girl that brung ya once you have the answers.

[bigsmoke]

Although I am also a fan of using coarser powders in bigger bore guns, I see no problem with using Fffg in a .58.
The joy of using Fffg is it is cleaner shooting, and in order to achiece whatever velocity, it doesn't take as much.  I think the general rule of thumb is to decrease the Ffg charge by 10% for your Fffg charge.  So, if you were using 100 grains of Ffg, you would only need 90 grains of Fffg.

To illustrate the situation even more, one time I chronographed my 8 bore rifle.  I started out with the normal charge of 300 grains of Fg powder and the chronograph registered 1,425 fps.  I then poured 300 grains of Ffg powder down it and registered 1,535 fps.  Still having some caps left and a small quantity of Pyrodex Select Ffg, I gave that a try.  Surprisingly enough the chrono said 1,604 fps after a significant hangfire.  Just love that phony stuff, it always right there, eventually.

John

[wattlebuster]

Your rifle will TELL you what it wants to digest with some load testing

[HardBall]

Ezra,

I can't add much to the above posts but to say that, I have found 2F to generally have a wider sweet spot with respect to accuracy but I have not found 3F lacking when loaded to it's accuracy sweet spot.  I have also found heavier charges (relative to caliber) of 2F more patch friendly than 3F when loaded to comparable velocities.

I have, personally, not had a rifle that ultimately shot either Goex 2F or 3F better than the other but I have found that some rifles liked one granulation better than the other within a certain velocity range

[Ezra]

Thanks guys. 

Ez

[Vomitus]

  I'll have lots of 2f Goex at Heffley. Try some. I've burned it in a 40 thru .62.Nary a complaint.

[Pete G.]

I prefer 2F in most everything. As previously mentioned, it seems to have a wider tolerance for accuracy. Perhaps the larger grains don't settle together as tightly so the load is more uniform, or perhaps a lower pressure means less total variation? I fire MAYBE 1% of my loads at game, and they don't seem to care, and the other 99% are fired at targets, and they certainly don't care either.

I'm sure others could come up with logical arguments the other way.

Bottom line...use what you've got. Work up a good load and don't look back.

[Daryl]

Ezra,

I can't add much to the above posts but to say that, I have found 2F to generally have a wider sweet spot with respect to accuracy but I have not found 3F lacking when loaded to it's accuracy sweet spot.  I have also found heavier charges (relative to caliber) of 2F more patch friendly than 3F when loaded to comparable velocities.

Ditto the above. Thanks HardBall.

I've found 2F to give much closer shot to shot velocity spreads, ie: smaller standard deviations, which usually means better accuracy - in .40 cal. on up. I have 2 .58's both of which love 2F. I use 4F for prime.

[trentOH]

Just today I took my Japanese-made Brown Bess to the range, and only then realized my powder choices were 3Fg or 4Fg Goex, and 4Fg isn't much of a choice. So I backed down from the 100 grains I usually shoot in 2Fg, to 83 grains of 3Fg. Wow! I had 5 shot groups as small as 3" at 25 yards, which is better than I've shot her before. I was very satisfied with 3Fg.

[Vomitus]

 I'm going to play with some 2f in my forty on Sunday. I agree with what Pete says.A load can be found with either 2f or 3f. I just happen to have lots of 2f, no 3f. I thought 3f was for pistols?    I've never had a problem with 2f but I've never had a smaller calibre then a 40 either. I fumble with these little pea sized balls.I can't imagine what  .36, .32, .28's or .25's would be like.

[hanshi]

Just about all my shooting is with 3F, mostly out of habit.  I've used it in everything from .32 all the way to .62 with fine results.  I don't have much 2F left but will be chronographing 2F and comparing figures with 3F soon.