Muzzleloading
Babylon
There
are scant few sources of reliable information in muzzleloading;
and when it comes to very basic history of propellant use in modern
muzzleloaders-what is commonly accepted is often spawned from marketing,
rather than a cold look at where things came from, what they once
were, and how they are currently presented. The facts have been
asked for in countless e-mails and telephone calls-for those interested
in such matters, I'll offer up my opinions based on verified sources
for your perusing pleasure. Things are rarely what they are marketed
up to be. Check out the facts, and just decide for yourself. Not
everyone cares to know where things came from, of course-but many
do.
An odd set of circumstances
has developed into a very profitable cottage industry today. It
has all the elements of good drama-death, deception, and perhaps
a touch of greed. There may be sex involved as well, but I'm not
aware of it. Thankfully, that can be left to the internment of merciful
time.
Blackpowder, of course,
is not a compound, but a mixture of three organic substances: potassium
nitrate (saltpeter), charcoal, and sulfur. Whether it was the Chinese
pyrotechnics that deserve full attribution, the Arab scientists
that exploited it, or the further development after it was carried
by merchants back to an ignorant medieval Europe that are deserving
of more credit has never been fully resolved. Suffice it to say
that by the time the Articles of Confederation had been displaced
by the United States Constitution finally ratified by People of
the State of Rhode-Island, and Providence Plantations on May 29,
1790, blackpowder (gunpowder) was already quite old news.
DANGERS OF BLACKPOWDER
The dangers of blackpowder
in manufacturing, storage, and use are well known and well documented.
Its tremendously easy ignitability and impact sensitivity are problematic.
One of the many sources that discusses this is Hatcher's Notebook,
by Julian S. Hatcher, Major General US Army, retired. His chapter
titled "Notes on Gunpowder," pages 300- 333, offer interested
parties a very good background on small arms propellants.
This is not to say that
blackpowder is an unacceptable propellant if proper care is taken.
The DOT classification as an explosive makes it very hard to find.
Due to the very poor availability, few inline muzzleloading enthusiasts
use it today; many never have. It still has no equal as a pan powder
in flintlocks, and is still used today in certain military applications
due to its fragile kernel structure and super-easy ignition.
IS PYRODEX SMOKELESS
POWDER?
This gets into an area
where the facts are led astray by marketing. For years, Pyrodex
was sold as a "smokeless propellant for muzzleloaders,"
and labeled as such right on the can. The manufacturer designated
it as smokeless powder. Now, for marketing purposes, the manufacturer
says it is not smokeless powder. It would be less confusing if they
just picked one.
Pyrodex is a synthetic
propellant that has been called more powerful than blackpowder,
smokeless powder, and more recently a blackpowder substitute as
marketing and sales conditions have led it. Part of the raw materials
that goes into its manufacture is dicyanamide. Large bright red
warning labels on all sides of these bags say "avoid heat or
flame, when heated to decomposition emits highly toxic fumes of
cyanide."
Pyrodex cannot be arbitrarily
substituted for weight for blackpowder, and has been shown to actually
be more corrosive than blackpowder. The Pyrodex patent covers its
sodium benzoate formulation. It is harder to ignite than blackpowder,
and that is why it is able ship under the same classification as
smokeless. It is the widespread distribution and easy availability
of Pyrodex that has made it so popular. Hardly used as only a small
arms propellant, it has been sold and used as a blasting compound
in mining operations-sometimes with disastrous consequences. The
"FEDERAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION" Docket
Nos. YORK 94-76-RM through 94-83-RM (Secretary Of Labor, Mine Safety
And Health Administration (MSHA) v. Rock of Ages Corporation February
24, 1998) gives all the details.
To say that Pyrodex
can be dangerous to manufacture is obvious; the explosions at the
Pyrodex plant make that clear. The inventor of Pyrodex, Dan Pawlak,
died January 27, 1977 when his powder plant blew up. Nevertheless,
the excellent distribution and marketing of Pyrodex made it the
standard muzzleloading propellant by the 1990s.
IS TRIPLE SE7EN SMOKELESS
POWDER?
In the words of Hodgdon
Powder Company: "HIGHEST VELOCITY POSSIBLE." When compared
to "ALL OTHER MUZZLELOADING PROPELLANTS". It is right
on the Hodgdon Triple Se7en "FAQ" page. Folks might get
a little confused at the reports that "Triple Se7en is hopped
up with a little Nitro." Well, that is the case according to
the United State's most respected forensic lab dealing with bomb
residue identification. The lab analyzed Triple Se7en, and found
what other chemists already had suspected: sodium dinitrobenzoate
sulfonate. To ship sodium dinitrobenzoate sulfonate as a dry powder
you must ship it as an explosive. It is sensitive to impact and
friction. Made into a paste with water, 20% water, it can then ship
as a flammable solid-- see the D.O.T. for details. It is well-documented
that the "dinitros" are used in low explosives while "trinitros"
are employed in high explosives. Likely you have already guessed
the most well-known of these, "TNT"-- or, trinitrotoluene.
It is not reasonable to think it is a blackpowder replacement, equivalent,
or substitute by volume or by weight or chemically or by velocity.
The DOT classifies is the same as a smokeless powder, and it is
used as a powder in modern centerfire cartridges. Marketing apparently
presents it as something else, contingent on where the dollars are
most likely to be coming from, which really should surprise no one.
WHAT OF RECENT USE
OF SMOKELESS POWDER AS A "BP SUB"?
It was in the 1940s
and 1950s that "DuPont Bulk Smokeless" powder for shotguns
was commonplace. It was used bulk for bulk (volume for volume) as
a substitute for blackpowder in shotguns. Its use, label, and marketing
make it obvious that it was a blackpowder substitute in the volume
for volume sense, which Triple Se7en is not. The modern history
of powder has taken some strange turns; the DuPont powder was out
before Bruce Hodgdon started filling up the shelves with cheap Australian
surplus military powder-the start of Hodgdon Powder. To this day,
"Hodgdon" powder is made by Australia Defence Industries,
now known as ADI Limited, Level 2, Building 51,
Garden Island NSW 2011 Australia.
At one time, DuPont
controlled Remington Arms and IMR Powder Company, both companies
which have fallen into decay since they were spun off. Canadian-based
IMR was in such disarray, that Hodgdon Powder was able to buy them
with all the cash they have reaped from the "black powder substitute"
industry, thus becoming an actual manufacturer of smokeless powder
for the first time. On October 1, 2003 Hodgdon Powder Company announced
the asset purchase of IMR Powder Company Inc.
SAVAGE ARMS and SMOKELESS
POWDER
Savage Arms Company
organized in 1894 by Arthur Savage in Utica, New York-has been around
for over 110 years. To put this in context, Savage Arms has been
making firearms for smokeless powder before Bruce Hodgdon, Tony
Knight, or Thompson / Center Arms were ever born. Thompson entered
the firearm market in 1965 with Warren Center's Contender, and did
not produce a muzzleloader until their strange interpretation of
a "Hawken" appeared in 1970. For those interested in American
tradition, Savage Arms is by far the oldest American manufacturer
that offers a muzzleloading rifle to the consumer. Savage Arms itself
was founded to produce the legendary Model 99, hammerless, strong,
and able to handle spitzer-pointed ammunition that competitive models
could not.
The heritage of Savage
Arms is well evidenced in their production during the World War
II years. Savage produced some 1,250,000 Thompson submachine guns,
and over a million Lee-Enfields along with hundreds of thousands
of Browning .50 caliber machine guns. All told, during World War
II, Savage produced over two and one half million infantry rifles,
submachine guns, and aircraft machine guns. To state that the name
of "Savage Arms" is synonymous with the United States
of America is an understatement. They have demonstrated that they
can build a rifle.
Savage Arms is, and
has been, one of the fastest growing American manufacturers of firearms
for several years. The reason has not been the personal charm of
CEO Ron Coburn alone-- it is simply the quality and performance
of their products, year after year, that keeps today's consumers
coming back.
MUZZLELOADING TODAY
I've tested and hunted
with the majority of quality muzzleloaders in the marketplace today,
and have also spent too much time inspecting the remains of poorly
made imported attempts. It takes no stroke of genius or brilliant
dose of perceptiveness to be able to tell the difference: that is
why I am able to. Time builds confidence; and Knight, Savage, and
Thompson products have stood that test of time.
As for the peculiar
reinvention of "fake blackpowders" or so-called blackpowder
substitutes that were already common fare, and prior art by DuPont
and many others-it should be obvious that the dissemination of misinformation
is from ad copy desperately in search of consumable dollars, rather
than a sober look at what propellants really are, and really can
do. It may come as a shocker to some, but both Pyrodex pellets and
Triple Se7en pellets can produce higher muzzle velocities with saboted
projectiles than Accurate Arms 5744 powder can.
Repeatable accuracy,
cleanliness, visibility, non-corrosivity, and game-getting ability
remain entirely different matters, however. It is time to confuse
the issue with common sense. Use the propellants recommended by
a quality manufacturer, use a witness mark on your ramrod every
time you seat a bullet, and please remove your ramrod before firing
your muzzleloader. As for the rest, do your own research, and come
to your own conclusions. Informed consumer choices are the best
way, not what the girl at the chain store might have to offer-even
less the nonsense that falls of smarmy ad copy.
If muzzleloading is
not fun, then why bother? I know what makes it fun for me-the important
thing is for individuals to define what makes it fun and the best
choice for themselves.
FINALLY
Times
have changed; dramatically so. It wasn't that long ago that Thompson
Arms threatened to void warranties if sabots were used-now, they
rejoice in selling them. They still persist in selling "Bore
Butter," thinking that it can season a non-cast iron rifle
barrel like a cast iron skillet, and perpetuate the myth that it
is a bore protectant that causes fouling; not Pyrodex or Triple
Se7en itself. They make good muzzleloaders, though their best efforts
to date are form 4473 arms-- muzzleloading barrels added to their
smokeless centerfire actions.
I
still believe that no one can hold an inline muzzleloader in their
hands today without a bow of gratitude to Tony Knight. It was Tony
Knight that alone fought the ATF, and won. The sport has grown to
what it is today directly from the efforts of Tony Knight, Del Ramsey,
Doc White, and others that decided that history serves best as a
teacher-- not something to be enslaved to.
Recently,
an interview with Tony Knight from the American Rifleman, Mr. Knight
has this to say: "I think we all ought to get together: I respect
the man who wants to be traditional, but he should also respect
me for wanting to be modern. What sets us [all muzzleloaders] apart,
is the fact that we have one shot and we are handloaders in the
field. We are handicapped with one shot when it comes to comparing
us with general firearms. Even an archer can shoot several arrows
before we can get a second shot ready to go. It's for that reason
we have a separate season. Bless the hearts of those traditionalists
because they started the [special muzzleloading] seasons, but now
it's expanded, and to do this you have to welcome everyone. We are
following the same course that compound bows did. You would be hard-pressed
to find a hunting household in this nation that does not have a
compound bow in it. I think the same thing for muzzleloading-- if
we want it to grow, we have to accept everything."
Sage
words from Mr. Knight. Sometimes better is just that-- and if we
can quickly, safely, more humanely harvest game with less hassle,
less maintenance, and using a higher standard of equipment there
is no reason not to do so. No relatively heavy, large caliber projectile
that loads from the muzzle can fly particularly flat or far. The
muzzleloading limitation of one shot, slow reloading, and large
caliber projectiles is a very real one. Other finite barriers are
acceptable gun weight, and recoil levels. Muzzleloading remains
a short range affair compared to centerfire cartridges that have
progressed as well over these same years.
Using
the finest equipment we can to fill our tags is only the nature
of a hunter that wishes to get the job done as reliably and as efficiently
as possible. While the invasive cry of the media barrage grows increasingly
shriller; the reality is our animals are taken at the same distances
under the same conditions as always. Doing so as ethically, reliably,
humanly and as quickly as possible is true to the school of "One
Clean Shot, One Clean Kill" muzzleloading of which we can all
be justly proud.
©
August, 2005 by Randy Wakeman
