Can you mix powder

G

grubbylabs

New member
I have a few questions about Powder, one can you mix 3F and 2F and second can you mix Hogdon 777 with real black powder? I have 3F real Black Powder and just bought some 2F 777. Can't believe I paid 27.00 for a pound of it, I am on vacation her in Utah. AT home in Pocky Idaho it is 16.00 a pound.
 
Sure. when you buy "3f" black powder, you get everything that was too big to be 4f to everything that was too small to be 2f, in other words, you are burning a mixture anyway.
Lots of folks use a small priming booster of black powder to help get the harder to ignite black powder substitutes to go off, especially in flintlocks.
 
Just curios I have the two powder containers in the same box and wanted to know just how careful I needed to be about them mixing.
 
So does the ratio matter could I mix it however I wanted to if I did? or can you only use a small portion of one to the other? I am not really looking to mix it but just want to know, curios is all.
 
I just checked a old loading data for T7, and hodgdon
says you can use 5 grns of real blk as a starter for
flintlocks but never mix powders together, but i do mix
3f and 4f real blk works good in cap and ball revolvers.
 
Unlike bp substitutes such as Pyrodex or American Pioneer, T7 is not a one to one comparison with ffg bp. T7 is hotter than ffg black powder. I wouldn`t take say a half container of ffg bp and mix with half container of T7. In volume amounts, since fffg is smaller(more grns. per set measurement) I don`t know how much hotter(if any) T7 would be than fffg. One thing for sure is if you mixed fffg and T7 in the same jug the fffg would settle to the bottom as its finer. I`m in the "but why" camp.:confused:
 
So does the ratio matter could I mix it however I wanted to if I did? or can you only use a small portion of one to the other?
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The single most important thing to remember when shooting black powder is to be consistent. That is, once you've determined what load works best for your particular gun, ALWAYS load the same materials the same way each time.

Now, applying that to your question: yes, the ratio matters. Changing the ratio will change the maximum pressure reached and the amount of time it takes to reach that maximum, which in turn will affect the velocity, energy and flight path characteristics of the projectile. In short, everything having to do with accuracy. How much it changes depends on how much the ratio changed.

Is one ratio "more accurate" than the other? Perhaps, but not necessarily. It's just different, and once you've determined how to shoot the gun with one "ratio", changing that ratio will affect (maybe a little and maybe a lot) the results and you won't be hitting where you're aiming.
 
I know it can be done, as others here have indicated. However, I have never found any reason to mix powders. The only reason I can think of is if you have absolutely no way of buying real black powder, but you still have some on hand and need to use it to ignite synthetic stuff. But you can always mail order it, usually cheaper as long as you get it in bulk. So, I really can't think of any reason why you would ever need to. But then of course, how often do we do this stuff because we need to? :D
 
Thanks for all the reply's, I don't think I am going to mix them, I was just standing there holding both cans and wondering what if? But like many of you said why would you? I have the 3f because the shop that sold the gun said to use 3f my brother in law uses 3f, both say 100-120grns of 3f. CVA says no more than 80grns though so I thought I would try the 2f and see how it works since CVA says I can use up to 100grns of 2f. Since I am new to all this I still have tons of questions. I did not realize how different the 3f and 2f would be just having a few granules in my hand, did not realize there would be such a noticeable difference.
 
grubbylabs, mykeal explained it better then I did. You have to have consistency when bp shooting. When you find the load your CVA likes, shoot that load. Same amount of powder,boolit ,ramrod pressure when seating boolit and swabbing between shots. Consistency is everything. Also, again remember when shooting loose T7 reduce your powder charge by 15% of what you would normally shoot of bp. example: if shooting 100grns. bp shoot 85grns T7.
 
I have not even found a load I like I am having a hard time getting out to 100 yards with the 3f and I am at 100grns with it so I am thinking it would be a good thing to back of the 3f and go with a 2f powder.
 
Where are you grouping at 50 yds.? Best to start there and work out to 100yds. Also what load(powder amount and boolit) are you using?
 
A technical issue-BP is considered an explosive and regulated as such, I think the substitutes might be more like considered flammable solids, as smokeless powder is. If you mix BP into your sub powder, then I am pretty sure it will be considered an explosive then, even if it is not pure. That might affect transportation and things? Also you are really playing home chemist mixing BP and subs fully together. No telling what the effects of long term storage of the mixture might be. Summation, sounds like risky monkey business, to me.
 
I have gone from 50 grns to 100 and it groups ok at 50 but even if I max out my sight adjustment it does not bring my point of impact up far enough to hit center.

And no I am not playing home chemist, I am just curios about the stuff is all.
 
What boolit/weight are you shooting? What caliber Cva? How many grns. of powder are you grouping best at 50yds? You`re zero`ed at 50 yds getting a good tight group/dead bullseye? Where do you hit at 75 or 100 yds? To eliminate the slight possibility of bad/weak fffg powder, try about 70 grns 777 at 50,75 and 100yds. Make sure you`ve got a big enough piece of cardboard behind your 75 and 100yd targets to show where your hitting. If your grouping good but low at 75-100yds and can`t adjust your rear sight low enough, it may be possible your rear sight or barrel mounting may be defective from the factory. It`s rare but happens, ask me how I know!
 
If your grouping good but low at 75-100yds and can`t adjust your rear sight low enough, it may be possible your rear sight or barrel mounting may be defective from the factory.
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I think you got it backwards, it should be if you can't adjust your rear sight high enough.

You can also file down the front sight, lowering the front sight raises the group.
 
I think you got it backwards, it should be if you can`t adjust your rear sight high enough.
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:o, Your absolutely correct B.L.E. Thats what happens when I try to start thinking to early in the morning. Thanks.
You can also file down the front sight, lowering the front sight raises the group
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Or cut and place shim stock under rear sight.
 
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