Blackpowder questions

[Scarecrow Repair]

Fg is for cannons; FFg is for rifles; FFFg is for revolvers; and FFFg is for flintlock pans. I understand this is a measure of the fineness of the powder and how fast it burns.

How muc can you substitute these powders? For instance, if I want to shoot both a revolver and rifle, do I need separate flasks, or could I get away with FFg in the revolver? If the only penalty is it might not have as much energy and/or might be dirtier (if that is even possible :-), that would be ok with me.

Could I get away with FFFg in the rifle at a lower volume? Or to put it another way, is it absolutely and always dangerous even at reduced volumes, is it so hard to calculate that it is better to avoid, or is there a simple calculation such as 1/2 or 2/3? Or is the problem elsewhere, such as being so fine that it comes back out the nipple or clogs it?

Now tell me about storage in flasks. Currently I fill a brass flask from the powder bottle, then fill a measure from the flask, and pour from the measure into the gun. At the end of the day, I pour the remnants in the flask back into the powder jar. Is this a good idea, bad idea, or indifferent? Is a flask airtight enough that I could and should leave powder in it for weeks at a time?

Next up, how about different powders of the same fineness? If I have a flask of FFFg Pyrodex, can I add FFFg Triple Seven or true black powder? I don't intend to, but (a) it might be fun to see if I can adjust a mixture to get some more smoke but less than 100% black powder. And (b), as I start to experiment with different powders, I am sure mistakes will happen. I have two flasks, one for FFg and one for FFFg, and I can kee them separate, but I can see it being a problem remembering whether I have Pyrodex or Triple Seven or black powder in one.

Last question -- my rifle (Armi Sport 1861 Springfield replica) wants winged musket caps. My local gun shop only has musket caps, which work, but about half of them need needle nose pliers to remove. I have found some online winged caps and will order some, but I wonder if there is any reason to not use the unwinged variety. I get a 20-30% misfire rate, mostly the cap not firing the powder, but once in a while the cap itself doesn't fire.

[CSACANNONEER]

I would not recommend mixing black powder and pyrodex or mixing any powders EVER!

Yes, you can use FFFg in your rifle, I have even used FFFg to live fire a full scale Parrot Rifle (this can be seen on episode #4 of Mail Call) but, I won't ever post load data on an open forum due to potential liabilities (both legal and moral).

As for storing powder in a flask, it would depend on a number of variable including the length of time you plan on storing it but, the main variable in the equation would be transportation. If you plan on transporting either black powder or smokeless, by law, it must be in it's orriginal container. That said, I have a horn full of FFg, a couple of flasks of FFFg and a priming horn full of FFFFg that have been stored for 18+ years and still work fine.

[kermit]

Musket caps

The musket cap misfires may be due to nipple on your rifle being slightly large, or just dirty. The normal musket caps may not be seating fully and preventing proper detenotation. Perhaps a slight sanding may do the trick.

To keep period appropriate, put a leather strap(with a special mark or the powder name on it,), colored feather, or other suitable marker on your flask to denote the type of powder you have in it. When you empty the flask, move the marker back to the original container. Or just tape a label with the powder type on the flask everytime you fill it. Less correct for the period but easy to remember. DO NOT MIX THE POWDERS