Loading Pyrodex Question

M

M14MSgt

New member
I have an 1851 Pietta in .44 caliber. I am new to BP and purchased a jar of Pyrodex instead of Black Poweder, as I am currently imprisoned in the PRK (People's Republic of Kalifornia) and there are no gun shops in my area that sell BP. The jar of Pyrodex has a 'P' on the green label and says it's the fffg equivalent. How many grains of this should I charge a cylinder with? The Pietta manual that came with this revolver says 12-15 grains of fffg for a .44 caliber ball. Yet, in other sources I've read, it says 20-25 grains for a .44 caliber. Any advice would be very much appreciated.

M14MSgt
 
Real Bp

I was out a few weeks back and the next to me was shooting a BP pistol 44 cal. I am a flinter shooter so I do have a good supply of BP 3F @ 4F
He was using pyrodex P and seem it gave him problem trying to get good groups with the pistol at 15 yards. I ask him if he would like to try some real BP and gave him a small amount of 4F and to his surprise the gun never shot better my 4 F is for priming only in my flinters and I think the can is 5 years old and I still must have 1/2 a can left.
I am sure you know pyrodex is more corrosive then BP so make sure you clean the pistol at the end of the shooting session.
 
The most accurate load for your revolver will most likely be in the 20-25 grains of 3f, or Pyrodex P, powder. A better alternative to real black is 777, in my opinion. Easier to clean, better ignition, better groups, at least for the majority of my guns.

However, I encourage you to take a look at buying real black powder (Goex) from Graf & Sons. Do the math on 3 lbs or more vs buying Pyrodex locally and you'll find that the $20 Hazmat fee is not a problem. Note that Graf provides free shipping, but requires a purchase of $30 or more (hence the 3 lbs).
 
I routinely use 35 and sometimes 40 grs. of Pyrodex in my .44's. I find no accuracy deficiency with the heavier loads. They do have more recoil, maybe that's why some folks say the heavy loads aren't accurate.
 
I get good results with 40 gr in my Dragoons, but not my 1860 Army or Rogers & Spencer; they need 30 or less to group well. Well, actually the R&S can shoot fairly well with 35 gr, although I think 30 is a bit better.

That's the fun part about this stuff. There's plenty of reason to experiment and find what works best for you.
 
Last edited:
I started with Pyrodex too, but when I finally tried real BP I switched. Pyrodex smoke smells awful, it's more corrosive than BP fouling, is known for unreliable ignition and was never as accurate for me.
777 is better than Pyrodex, cleaner, not corrosive, more accurate ignites easier.. but if you can get black powder, you'd like it. It cleans up easy.
I know a few people that use 777 only and it's because they don't want to clean the gun each time. If you clean it each time though, you might as well be using real BP.
Check www.grafs.com
 
I use Pyrodex because I can't get real bp locally and it's 11 bucks per pound cheaper than 777. I did an experiment awhile back where I shot one of my pistols with Pyrodex and let it sit for nine days before I cleaned it. There was no rust at the end of nine days but the chambers were starting to get a white residue in them so I went ahead and cleaned it. No harm done. I frequently go 2-3 days before cleaning.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top