How does the grade of black powder matter?

Question

I made a small cannon that shoots .177 BBs that you normally see from air rifles, or CO2 gas guns. The touch hole is drilled to be about 1/8 of an inch. Every time I attempt to shoot, the fuse either runs out, seeming to not ignite the powder, or it does ignite and the BB only travels about 1 yard. More often than not I end up reaming out the paper and powder by hand with the 11/64 and 1/8 drill bits. I'm using Pyrodex FFG powder and my cousin believes the problem is that the powder is not fine enough. Will grinding down the powder with a mortar and pedestal help or will I have to buy 3 or maybe even 4FG powder?

Answer 1

give Hodgdon Triple 7 black powder substitute a try. works good for me. grade FFFFG.

homemade musket pistols or long guns, great for things of a pyrotechnic nature too.





DO NOT grind powder unless you know exactly what you're doing. me being part pyro, knows exactly what I'm doing so I can grind FFFFG powder even finer. alot of my "pyrotechnic devices" has shown they work best with Triple 7 ground as fine as flour.



If you grind powder that fine you're putting yourself at extreme risk, extreme precautions must be taken or you might just find yourself missing a few limbs...

Also blackpowder that fine is useless in guns. its burns way too fast, as fast as flash powder, it's its an explosive, not a propellant.



it's also very hard to grind powder to just the right size- there's only 3 sizes when grinding:

coarse as gravel, fine as beach sand, and finer than flour (when it easily become airborne as dust). I have no idea how you can make FFG to FFFFG perfectly, you're not using some kind of professional powder processing machine.







basically just go buy some Triple 7 powder, FFFFG and try it out. it should work pretty well.

and do not grind the existing powder! unless you're part pyro for a full pyro. Don't call yourself a pyro unless you really are one, we're talking about life and limb here.

Answer 2

What is the bore of your cannon? 1/2 inch at least I hope? Forget the bb's, get some cannon fuse, put a 1 1/2 inch fuse in a cold cannon, dump in 1/2 oz powder to start, stuff with a tissue or paper towel, ram with dowel, light the fuse, If it is not loud enough, increase the powder, pyrodex is fine, 2fg is fine, I have a dozen cannon here and I shoot them all the time, make my own powder, haven't quite got it right yet though. But at 1 oz per shot, it empties a $16 lb of powder fast.

Answer 3

Do not attempt to grind black powder with a mortar and pestle (note spelling). Black powder can ignite when treated this way. Witness all the powder mills that have exploded over the centuries. The easy ignition of black powder is the reason no one is allowed to be inside a powder mill while it is operating.



As another has pointed out, Pyrodex is not black powder, but a substitute. I wouldn't grind it, either.



I'm not sure about your problem. Pyrodex does not ignite as easily as black powder, so maybe that's part of it. I do think that you are experimenting beyond your skills and are risking accident and injury.

Answer 4

All muzzleloaders load the same way. high quality, or maybe if smoothbore or rifled, is irrelevant. For starter, memorize this ditty: Powder, Patch, Ball Or It received't Shoot in any respect That tells you the series. After swabbing the barrel with a dry patch, and with the gun on 1/2-cock, first drop your powder can charge. If the gun is new to you you'd be wanting to augment the finest load for it. For that, a placing out aspect with powder (2F interior the 50) is 5 grains more desirable than the commonly used length. on your case, fifty 5 grains. After dropping the powder, slap the part of the gun, to guarantee all of it settles interior the breech section. next, lay your patch or patching fabric over the muzzle. Push the ball down such as your thumb to get it seated. In should be in spite of the muzzle. Trim the patch fabric as necessary. utilising a short ball starter, commence the ball down the barrel. Then use your ramrod to seat the ball firmly on the powder. The gun purely desires to be primed---WHICH ought to purely BE done purely earlier you're waiting to hearth! Slip a cap on the nipple, if it is a percussion gun, or best the pan if a flintlock. carry the hammer to finish cock, and also you're sturdy to bypass. be certain and stick with all protection criteria in any respect situations.

Answer 5

First of all, Pyrodex is not black powder. It is a substitute. Black powder is measured by weight. Pyrodex is measured by volume. It takes less Pyrodex per grain, than it does black powder.



I will not recommend what you can use, because I'm not familiar with what you're shooting. I don't know if this "cannon" is rated for black powder or not.



Generally, 4Fg black powder is priming powder for flintlock rifles. 3Fg is finer grade powder used in some long rifles, both flintlock and percussion. 2Fg is for larger black powder rifles, such as Hawkens, and muskets. 1Fg is considered cannon powder. ( Artillery )

Answer 6

Your fuse hole is .125" and your pellet is .177". The powder probably can not tell which direction it is supposed to blow the projectile out. And NO, the only good thing that can come from trying to mill black powder or substitute in a mortar and pestle is to blow your hand off and blind yourself. If you are going to have a .125" fuse hole, you probably need at least a .30" projectile.

Answer 7

Finer powder burns faster due to smaller size. Larger grain powder burns slower.

Answer 8

you should buy 4fg powder, don't grind blackpowder since you'll ununiform powder, not good.