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Type of powder for blackpowder revolvers?

4K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  dondiego 
#1 ·
I have recently ordered a blackpowder but it hasnt come in yet. So i went down to my local gun store to get some powder etc. so i could shoot it when it comes in. I seen there were 2 diffirent types of powders. One had RS on it orange label and the other had a P on it green label. I didnt know which one was for revolvers. I figured it might be the one with p as it might stand for pistols and rs might stand for rifles. Does anyone know which one is for revolvers.
 
#2 ·
That isn't black powder, it is a replica. Get the "P". It is of a finer granulation than the R/S which, as you correctly surmised, is for rifles and shotguns. If you want real black, use Fffg.
 
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#4 · (Edited)
This sounds like the Pyrodex Brand, a black powder substitute. The RS stands for Rifle-Shotgun and the P stand for Pistol. If you look at the grains side by side you will see that the P is slightly finer than the RS. The P mimics the FFFg black powder and the RS mimics the FFg black powder.
Either will work fine, but be advised, they are dated on the can (plastic can) with an orange sticker and the longer it is after that date the more unreliable it is from going "boom" consistently. I have some going back to 1994 and it might go boom and it might not, and my stuff is kept environmentally controlled.

I have used real Blackpowder for some years too, it is very moisture sensitive, even extreme humidity can affect it. The other problem with the real thing for some folks is that it is a real pain at clean up time, and your gun will rust if you do not take care of it pronto. That is true with Pyrodex too to some degree, but you could wait over night to clean, as I have done before on occasion.

The substitute stuff loads by volume, not by weight. So if a pistol load was going to be 35 grains of FFFg black powder, you would load 35 grains of Pyrodex P to approximate the same same

If you were going to use the Pyrodex RS there is about a 10% volume differential from the P (same is true with black powder). Example: If I was going to load 30 grains of P in a pistol, and I only had RS on hand, I would back down the load by approx 10%, or in this particular case 3 grains. I would load 27 grains of RS to get close to that 30 grains of P powder, if I was trying to get the same/same out of a load for instance (the RS is a little coarser)

For info only, there if also at least one more: FFFFg black powder that is typically used in the flash pan of flintlocks, but personally I have never seen it in the Pyrodex brand

Maybe too much information, trying to help
 
#6 ·
P will chrono faster. I much prefer the real thing. It's more consistent, will last....indefinitely....and frankly I would rather clean up real black as the fakes.
 
#9 ·
Hawg, about 20 years ago, maybe more, I was shooting a pile of BP and I just gave up on the prices they were asking locally and started ordering it by the case. Even now with the hazmat I can order it for less per pound by about $4.00 than I can find it in stores. That and I always have on hand what I want or need. On a 25 lb. case that's a C-note saved.
 
#10 ·
Hawg, about 20 years ago, maybe more, I was shooting a pile of BP and I just gave up on the prices they were asking locally and started ordering it by the case. Even now with the hazmat I can order it for less per pound by about $4.00 than I can find it in stores. That and I always have on hand what I want or need. On a 25 lb. case that's a C-note saved.
True but you have to have the bucks to spend on it. I'm the only one I know that shoots black so group buys are out. I can get Pyro RS locally and can buy one pound at a time. On rare occasions I get a little extra money that already isn't spoken for and I get five pounds of Swiss.
 
#12 ·
P will chrono faster. I much prefer the real thing. It's more consistent, will last....indefinitely....and frankly I would rather clean up real black as the fakes.
P chronos faster because the finer powder burns faster to build maximum pressure in a short barrel. If you really want a bruise on your shoulder, substitute P for R/S in a rifle--it hurts.
 
#13 ·
monk d - Pyrodex is way more moisture sensitive than BP and real BP is way easier to clean up than Pyrodex also. Peop;e ar eshooting 100 year old BP as we speak. It doesn't go bad. Pyrodex is also way more corrosive than real BP too. You have to clean really well with Pyrodex and then it is a good idea to clean again a day or two later. I gave up on Pyrodex many years ago and consider it to be THE worst BP substitute out there. I make my own real BP for about $4 per pound.
 
#14 ·
I use FFg in my .50 Hawkin. For pistol or rifle calibers smaller than .50 it's FFFg. Just my way of loading and it works good for me. I have some Elephant brand powder that is very old. I'm not even sure of the date. It works every shot. The fake BP is popular because it's available anywhere. Kind of like popular center fire calibers, you can walk into any shop and find it. To me, that's the ONLY advantage. I use my guns for hunting mostly and occasional "meat shoots" at the local BP club.
 
#17 · (Edited)
I know the guys above pretty much addressed things, but to simplify what you were looking at:

Pyrodex P = the "P" is for Pistol

Pyrodex RS = The "RS" is for Rifle Shotgun.

And true blackpowder is much better. FFFg burns about as clean, and it cleans up easier. I dunkwashed(with brushing) my Cabelas 1851 in warm-hot water like I do any other BP gun.. A few days later the bore and chambers were rusty as all hell. Yes, I fully oiled that gun too. That stuff is crap!

I never had a problem using real BP. That same dunkwashing cleans blackpowder residue easily(with brushing of course).
 
#18 ·
I use a lot of Pyrodex and I see none of these problems you speak of. I have let guns go two or three days before cleaning after shooting Pyrodex with no ill effects. With Swiss if I leave one uncleaned overnight it gets a heavy white coating in the bore and chambers. No harm done but it sure looks nasty. BTW RS works fine in revolvers.
 
#19 ·
I have seen the white coating that you referred to myself when I left a BP rifle uncleaned overnight. I wonder what the white coating is composed of? I recently saw a similar thing using Alliant Black MZ. Cleaned up easily enough but as Hawg says, sure looks nasty.
 
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