Different powder lots?

[Roger Fisher]

How many out there are fussy enough to do their best to use powder from the same case.   Has anyone noticed a difference in accuracy (or anything else)  caused by switching from one case lot to another.  Nosey people need to know.

[BrownBear]

Write it off to lack of precision in my loads or marksmanship, but I've never seen it with black powder.  I'm a real wonk about powder lots in smokeless powder, where I've seen lots of issues.

[alyce-james]

My experience has been maybe  some change however I decided a fair amount of other  outside factors probably played a more significant part in the final outcome. I do use up case numbers just as a habit or a shooting routine first. Should be some fun answers, to your question, coming. AJ

[Habu]

I can recall a drop in POI when I switched lots.  In my .54 I had to up the charge about 10 grains to get the same point of impact. 

[Dphariss]

How many out there are fussy enough to do their best to use powder from the same case.   Has anyone noticed a difference in accuracy (or anything else)  caused by switching from one case lot to another.  Nosey people need to know.

Not with Swiss.

Dan

[wattlebuster]

I've never noticed it before

[Daryl]

Like smokeless powders, there will be lot to lot differences with GOEX. If Swiss doesnt change, that's great- it's also $40.00 per pound when GOEX is $20.00.  I've not noticed much change in GOEX and pretty much ignore it. To me, BP is BP. 

[bob in the woods]

With my round ball guns, it doesn't seem to be a problem;but the difference is there all the same ,even if slight.. It is apparent when shooting in the 1000 yd matches.

[hanshi]

I've always ignored any possible differences in black powder lots.  There is no way I can now shoot well enough to detect a possible 3/4" vs 1.25" difference.  I seldom use anything other than offhand sitting or standing any longer.  Longrifles don't bench well for me.  Still I like tight loads that can be easily seated with a wooden ramrod.  Lube seems to have a great to do with it.

[Mike Norin]

I shoot long range black powder cartridge out to 1000 yds , and Swiss powder will change from one lot number to another, myself and other shooters that I shoot with always test a new lot of powder to see where it is shooting and adjust the load or sight settings to match the new powder . And other brands like Goex and the others seem to do the same .

[Dphariss]

Like smokeless powders, there will be lot to lot differences with GOEX. If Swiss doesnt change, that's great- it's also $40.00 per pound when GOEX is $20.00.  I've not noticed much change in GOEX and pretty much ignore it. To me, BP is BP. 

Back in the Moosic days a new lot of powder meant a lot of shooting to get it tuned for BPCR competition. Primer change etc. So if a shooter got a good lot he bought all he could of that lot. 
This was partly due to the water problem partly due to the supplier they had at the time for one component. It does not seem to effect RB guns as much.

Dan

[catman]

I'm with you on this...

Write it off to lack of precision in my loads or marksmanship, but I've never seen it with black powder.  I'm a real wonk about powder lots in smokeless powder, where I've seen lots of issues.

[Dphariss]

I shoot long range black powder cartridge out to 1000 yds , and Swiss powder will change from one lot number to another, myself and other shooters that I shoot with always test a new lot of powder to see where it is shooting and adjust the load or sight settings to match the new powder . And other brands like Goex and the others seem to do the same .

The old goex was so bad at times that shooters used to give away powder at times finding it unusable. It had serious density problems from time to time. I have had lots where only about 3/4 of the powder in a can could be used due to deterioration caused by the water used in processing at the Moosic plant.
The change in sight settings was of little import when accuracy fails and the process of having to find a primer that will work again is needed.
The Minden GOEX is better for a couple of important reasons and is a step back in another but overall it is significantly better than Moosic powder..

Dan

[hookie13]

Now, this is an interesting topic and one that was being discussed just yesterday.
If you are talking about a difference in batch lots then I have mistaken the question.
However an old shooter was saying that as we progress through a tin of say 2f powder the finer grains slowly sink to the bottom of the tin...the more we shake that tin about the more finer grains we get. So when we get to the last quarter of a tin we are basically shooting with a hotter(?) powder possibly 3f which can cause problems.
That is why we were told that the old shooters would open a new tin and use some from that tin and then pour what was left from the old tin on top...basically averaging things out.

Hookie in New Zealand