Pyrodex

[TheQM]

With the higher cost and limited availability of black powder, people may be tempted to use Pyrodex as a substitute. DON'T DO IT! Pyrodex has a reduced sensitivity to ignition and needs to be compressed to reliably ignite. At a given volume, it also generates more explosive power than black powder. That's a really bad combination for people firing blanks. In the smoke and excitement of the battle line, a man may not notice that his weapon didn't fire. After a couple of unfired rounds, the Pyrodex may well compress enough to ignite, causing bad results for the shooter and perhaps the people around him. Even if the weapon holds together, the recoil may be extreme.

[flattop32355]

Take home message: DON'T DO IT!

[2GACoD]

I will add Hodgdon's 777 to that list. Tried a few rounds with it to see how it worked...not too well. Just a faint "bloop".

Works great in 12 gauge loads for my old hammer double, but like Pyrodex it needs compression to perform correctly.

[Artyman]

Don't forget that Pyrodex is more corrosive too! Want rust....use Pyrodex!

Oh, by the way, I know a guy who mixed the stuff in with real black powder just to get rid of it (blanks). That worked out OK. He used about 1/3 pyro, 2/3 2ffg.

Harry