smokeless powder reduced load

[edgerly779]

I picked up a bunch of old stock new powder and in there was a powder that can be used in black powder firearms at 40% charge. 44/40 45/70 etc. Never heard of that before.

[kelvin232]

Lots of people use reduced load smokeless for black powder cartridges.

[saki302]

The most common powders to use for reduced bp loadings are 4198 and trailboss. You have to be very careful and really know what you're doing, depending on the gun.

[edgerly779]

I picked up some powders and there is some in the lot. I use pellets for my muzzleloader

[NapalmCheese]

I use Red Dot for some reduced rifle loads, and to sort of replicate some BP shotgun loads in brass hulls. That being said, I only shoot it in nitro proofed barrels as my understanding is that smokeless builds pressure differently than black.

I've seen a few old pressure graphs that seem to indicate that smokeless vs. black isn't that big a deal assuming appropriate loads and velocities. While that's comforting there are a some things to consider: measurement techniques have gotten better since the days of hand drawn graphs in peer reviewed materials and this was specific to one gun/chambering (I think it examined a .45-70 and a 12 gauge).

Honestly, and at a guess, I would say that most of the problems associated with loading smokeless in a black powder gun come from way back in the day people assuming they could use the same volumetric measurements for bulk smokeless as they could for black. That likely led to a few blown up guns and injuries and the strict 'no smokeless in BP guns'.

Anyway, in my mind real black isn't that hard to find or use so I just go with that. On the occasion I want to load a brass shotgun hull with fiber wads and smokeless, around 18 grains in a 12 gauge under 1-1/8 oz of shot produces about 1000 fps with Magtech hulls.

So what powder are you talking about? It sounds interesting.