A black powder substitute is a replacement for
black powder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...
used in
muzzleloading and
cartridge firearms. Black powder substitutes offer a number of advantages over black powder, primarily including reduced sensitivity as an explosive and increased efficiency as a propellant powder.
Types
Hodgdon's ''Pyrodex'' was the first widely available substitute on the market. Pyrodex is less sensitive to ignition than black powder, and uses the same shipping and storage guidelines as
smokeless powder. Pyrodex is more energetic per unit of
mass than black powder, but it is less
dense
Density (volumetric mass density or specific mass) is the substance's mass per unit of volume. The symbol most often used for density is ''ρ'' (the lower case Greek letter rho), although the Latin letter ''D'' can also be used. Mathematicall ...
, and can be substituted at a 1:1
ratio
In mathematics, a ratio shows how many times one number
A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The original examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in lan ...
by
volume for black powder in many applications. Pyrodex is similar in composition to black powder, consisting primarily of
charcoal
Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...
,
sulfur, and
potassium nitrate, but it also contains
graphite and
potassium perchlorate
Potassium perchlorate is the inorganic salt with the chemical formula K Cl O4. Like other perchlorates, this salt is a strong oxidizer although it usually reacts very slowly with organic substances. This, usually obtained as a colorless, crysta ...
, plus additional ingredients protected by
trade secret. Originally available as loose powder in two granularities, RS (Rifle/Shotgun) equal to FFG black powder, and P (Pistol) equal to FFFg black powder, Pyrodex is now becoming available in ''Select'' and solid pellet varieties. While Pyrodex offers improved safety and increased efficiency (in terms of shots per pound of powder) over black powder, the level of fouling is similar; Pyrodex ''is'' caustic and corrosive. Therefore, the same cleaning regimen used on black-powder fouling must be employed when Pyrodex has been used.
Hodgdon also makes Triple Seven, one of the family of sulfurless black powder substitutes. Triple Seven and Black Mag3 are more energetic by mass than black powder, and can produce higher velocities and pressures. Triple Seven is a volumetric substitute for black powder but produces higher velocity. To match the velocities of a traditional black powder load it is recommended to reduce the load by 15%. Still burning carbon, the carbon-based fuel burned here is from the sugar family, not from charcoal.
Western Powders Company introduced Blackhorn 209 in 2008. Like many other black powder substitutes, it is made to be a volumetric substitute of black powder. It is dispensed in "black powder powder measures" for muzzleloading applications. Blackhorn 209 is essentially non-corrosive, low-fouling, very consistent in gas generation, but
non-hygroscopic.
Measurement
The
grain is the traditional measurement of the weight of
bullet
A bullet is a kinetic projectile, a component of firearm ammunition that is shot from a gun barrel. Bullets are made of a variety of materials, such as copper, lead, steel, polymer, rubber and even wax. Bullets are made in various shapes and co ...
s,
black powder
Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...
, and
smokeless powder in English-speaking countries. It is the unit measured by the scales used in
handloading
Handloading, or reloading, is the practice of making firearm cartridges by assembling the individual components (case, primer, propellant, and projectile), rather than purchasing mass-assembled, factory-loaded ammunition.
The term ''handl ...
; commonly, bullets are measured in increments of one grain, gunpowder in increments of 0.1 grains. There are 7,000 grains in one pound.
Pyrodex, and most other black powder substitutes, are formulated to be a volume-for-volume equivalent of black powder, not an equivalent mass-for-mass (weight-for-weight). Pyrodex is measured by volumetric measurement techniques, not in grains on a scale, due to the difference in density of Pyrodex versus black powder. For example, to measure a "60 grain equivalent" of Hodgdon's Pyrodex suitable for use in a muzzleloader rifle, one uses a volumetric measure that produces a volume of Pyrodex equal to the volume of a mass of 60 grains of black powder. Due to Pyrodex being less dense than black powder, a measurement by weight on a scale of 60 grains of mass of Pyrodex would be near a 30 percent overload.
Volume equivalence is a benefit in loading
muzzleloading firearms, traditionally loaded using volumetric measures. This becomes an issue when fabricating black-powder cartridges through handloading using a black-powder substitute in place of black powder, since it is common practice to measure by weight when loading cartridges (there are published conversion tables).
Disadvantages
With the increased safety of the black powder substitutes often comes a reduced sensitivity to ignition.
Flintlocks in particular need very sensitive, finely granulated powder for use in the
flash pan
The flash pan or priming pan is a small receptacle for priming powder, found next to the touch hole on muzzle-loading guns. Flash pans are found on gonnes, matchlocks, wheellocks, snaplocks, snaphances, and flintlocks.
Development
The flash ...
, and black powder tends to perform more reliably in these and traditional
caplock
The percussion cap or percussion primer, introduced in the early 1820s, is a type of single-use percussion ignition device for muzzle loader firearm locks enabling them to fire reliably in any weather condition. This crucial invention gave rise ...
guns than substitutes. Modern in-line muzzleloaders provide a stronger ignition than traditional designs, and this helps to increase reliability with the less flame sensitive substitutes. In addition, magnum
percussion caps are often recommended for use with black powder substitutes for both inline and traditional caplock guns, in place of the #11 percussion caps traditionally used with black powder in these guns, to achieve the best ignition reliability.
When used for recovery system ejection charges in
high-power rocketry, black powder substitutes need a greater degree of confinement to ensure a complete burn and generation of sufficient ejection pressure. This can be achieved by wrapping 2–3 layers of
electrical tape
Electrical tape (or insulating tape) is a type of pressure-sensitive tape used to insulate electrical wires and other materials that conduct electricity. It can be made of many plastics, but PVC (polyvinyl chloride, "vinyl") is most popular, as ...
over the ejection charge canister before installation.
Legality
United States
By property insurance and federal transportation regulations, black powder substitutes also can be transported and stored in interstate commerce in the United States using
smokeless powder regulations, instead of the much more restrictive black powder regulations. Because of this, black powder substitutes are thus becoming more commonly available than traditional black powder, which has largely vanished from the shelves of most retailers.
United Kingdom
Unlike black powder, Pyrodex does not require a licence to buy or store. Also a Recipient Competent Authority (RCA) transfer document is not required for Pyrodex.
Black powder must be stored in a wooden box constructed to certain precise specifications, but Pyrodex can be stored like any other modern propellant.
References
Pyrodex MSDSMaterial safety data sheet
A safety data sheet (SDS), material safety data sheet (MSDS), or product safety data sheet (PSDS) is a document that lists information relating to occupational safety and health for the use of various substances and products. SDSs are a widel ...
Triple Seven MSDS{{refend
External links
FAQ on black powder and substitutes
BLACK POWDER, PYRODEX AND THE NEW LOW RESIDUE POWDERSby Randy Wakeman (2004).
Goex powders��current black powder and black powder substitute products
��Information and comparative tests of various BP substitutes in
high-power rocketry ejection systems
Firearm propellants