Howdy gents. First post here, but longtime reader.
I recently had a very disconcerting (albeit mildly humorous) experience buying blackpowder from a local Gander Mt. I related this story on another forum, so pardon for me pasting it here. My reason for posting is to point out the near pandemic ignorance of blackpowder and traditional muzzleloading amongst the greater sporting world. Long story short- it’s better to buy bulk powder with a group of folks. BUT, many places that tell you they don’t sell blackpowder, may in fact sell blackpowder.
My little adventure:
Whenever I get the inevitable Gander Mt. gift card for Christmas, I end up using it to add to my powder supply. Never mind that the price is now over 20 DOLLARS!!! If I don’t use it on powder, I’ll end up using it on shotgun shells or something that I don’t need any more of- and we can ALWAYS use more powder, right?
Well, this local Gander Mt. has supplied me with a number of lbs. since it came to town, and prior to a few years ago, the price was good enough to buy there (without a gift card). Anyhow, every time I’ve gone in there and asked for REAL black powder, it usually takes two or three people to figure out that they do, indeed, carry the stuff in the “back room”. Then they have to go search the place for about a half hour and make me feel like I’m buying blackmarket explosives. When they finally ring me up, I get the inevitable questions (“are you a reenactor? Cause only reenactors buy this stuff”) and the know-it-all comments (“I wouldn’t use this stuff, son. It’s so hard to clean and extremely corrosive.”)
This time around did not disappoint. On the way home from work, I had some time to kill. Passing the Gander Mt., I assessed the amount of time it would take to jump through the hula hoops weighed with the opportunity to finally use this doggone gift card that was burning a hole in my wallet- I decided that I should go ahead and add to my ever dwindling (or ever expanding) powder supply.
I walked straight to the back and asked the first unassuming employee in the firearms section, “Can I please have one pound of FFFG Goex black powder.” As he opened his mouth to tell me to look over at the supply of synthetic substitutes, I specified “I need REAL black powder, not a sub.” He continued to motion to the big wooden case with the subs. “If we got any, it’d be in there, man.” He replied.
Once again restating my need, I asked for black powder, which I assured him would be located in the back, out of view from the general shopper. And once again, he told me that it would be in the big wooden cabinet, and that I could “take a look for myself.” Knowing full well that it would not be there, I strolled over and opened up the case, quickly scanning the rows of Pyrodex, etc..
“not a problem,” I thought. “It usually takes a couple tries anyhow.” I looked for the next employee, a gentleman who was a tad older and more experienced looking than the last and requested the same thing as I had the last time, specifying numerous times what I did and did not need and telling him that I had purchased it there many times and where he could find it (in the back). He told me to look in the cabinet. “Not there,” says I. and I explained the federal law pertaining to selling and displaying black powder. He looked at me like I was speaking Elvish and wearing a Gandalf hat. “We don’t sell that stuff, man.” We talked for a minute and he gave me advice on shooting a flintlock. Apparently, sabots and Pyrodex are necessary and not nearly as dangerous, inaccurate, and corrosive as the real stuff.
So I asked a third employee. This guy was unsure, so he asked the first guy I had talked to. The first guy came back over and repeated what he had told me earlier. A final attempt to get him to at least pretend to look was futile. “I’m sorry. We don’t sell that stuff, and if we did, it would be with the other gun powder” was all I got. Yet another person who was standing nearby added “we have sold it in the past, but we don’t have any right now.”
I was about to give up when I spotted a grey-haired gentleman talking with a customer in the back. This guy had actually retrieved it for me on several occasions in the past.
When he was done speaking with his customer, I asked him if they had stopped carrying black powder. “no, of course not” he replied. “you can’t just pick it up off the shelf” As if that’s what I had tried to do to begin with. While he went to the back to get the Goex, one of the four people I had talked with earlier came over and reiterated what they had stated numerous times. I nearly laughed out loud when the gentleman returned with the can of powder while the guy was still standing there telling me again that they didn’t have any. Finally, I got ringed up and handed he gentleman my gift card. He did not disappoint me with his barrage of advice/questions on shooting black powder firearms. “you should have bought FFG, not FFFG. The 3f is harder to clean and you can only use it in pistols” Was just one gem of wisdom I walked away with.
In the end, my gift card bought me one lb. of Goex and a little bit of frustration. Next time, I’d rather have cash!
