The term "blackpowder substitute" has
been tossed about so casually and flippantly, that it seems many a muzzleloader
is bewildered over what should be common sense: using a propellant that your
firearm is designed for. Words do mean things, and since the 15th century the
noun "substitute" has only one definition: a person or thing that
takes the place or function of another. Yet, this self-evident little factoid
somehow is beyond the comprehension of otherwise sentient beings.
There is blackpowder, and there are propellants that are obviously not. "Pyrodex" is called a "synthetic pyrotechnic mixture" by its maker, as is "Triple Seven". Both are fine, consistent products-- but they are not blackpowder, pure and simple. The common ground firework known as a "Snake" or "Glow Worm" is also a pyrotechnic mixture, normally referred to in this manner: "Snake and glow worms are composed of pressed pellets of a pyrotechnic mixture that produce a large, snake-like ash when burning."
Notice the absence of "pelletized powder" doubletalk, as found in Pyrodex and Triple Seven pellets. Do we think of, or ever refer to Bayer aspirin tablets as "tabletized powder?" Most items are called what they are, not what they once were or could have been. When we fill our cars, it is often with gasoline-not "aged, decomposed, liquefied synthetic extract of brontosaurus." It is a steak for dinner, not "a slice of meat cut from a fleshy part of a cow carcass." The problem with this vague, tortured, sweetened terminology is that it desensitizes and distorts what is both actual and factual. It exists only to obscure what it really is.
Pyrodex and Triple Seven are both smokeless powders. That is how they are classified by the DOT, and this has long been in the case of Pyrodex. Neither of these synthetic substances are blackpowder. Triple Seven is not even a blackpowder performance substitute; it is a far more energetic compound. Pyrodex or Triple Seven pellets are not powder, nor are they blackpowder performance substitutes, as they burn progressively down the bore and can create velocities significantly greater than blackpowder can in a similar application. They are smokeless powders as that is how they are classified, by the only government agency that does classify these propellants. They are not the of the same composition, but neither is Pyrodex vs. Triple Seven, or double-base nitrocellulose powders vs. single based nitocellulose powders. As for "CLASSIC STATUS," the traditional blackpowder substitute is nitrocelluose base smokeless-- the much more modern snthetic "Triple Seven" is little over two years old.
Somehow, there is the wrong-headed notion present that Pyrodex / Triple Seven automatically means low pressure, and that nitrocellulose-based smokeless powders automatically might generate higher pressures. The .45-70 Government cartridge, introduced in 1873, was originally a blackpowder cartridge. It wasn't long before smokeless was exactly used as "blackpowder performance substitute," and is to this very "3 drams equivalent" shotshell day.
The early, comparatively primitive nickel-steel and fluid steel barrels of the "Springfield Trapdoor" were not designed to contain a lot of pressure; nitrocellulose loads abound in reloading manuals for these rifles that do not exceed 18,000 PSI. While suicide may be the most sincere form of self-criticism, it is not generally recognized as virtue. Someone foolish enough to ignite 150 grains of Triple Seven pushing a 300 grain projectile in one of these old rifles is taking a nice step in the wrong direction-- that can easily exceed 30,000 PSI. Despite the propensity of confusing the issue with common sense displayed by a few individuals, companies, and game departments for their own agendas- there are NO "pure" blackpowder seasons, and the rest is largely a matter of self-serving wordplay. The "Safe, Clean, & Simple" way of merely ONLY using a propellant recommended by a specific firearms manufacturer is just too much for some of the flock of sheep to bear. Accurate Arms 5744 is a blackpowder substitute, so is Triple Seven, so is Pyrodex. All are effective, and all have their place in muzzleloaders that are designed for their use. Both shoot the very same projectiles, at similar velocities. That just really does not seem all that tough. So why the fuss? It is more hot air than hot powder, and the companies that tout one over the other JUST MIGHT be worried about their own sales and profits based on their own existing product line, rather than imagined and fabricated differences in muzzleloading applications.
Are we really all THAT surprised?
What has never been disproven is that smokeless powder, for over 100 years, is the safest to manufacture, store, and use blackpowder substitute for small arms applications devised. The US Military went to it, over a century ago, for these reasons-- and has never looked back. In the sport of muzzleloading, for guns designed for its use, the safety and reliable performance is the same. It does not destroy equipment, it is clean, it is safe, it is simple. Muzzleloaders built for using nitrocelluose based propellants shoot the same projectiles as other muzzleloaders, at the same velocities. For todays forward thinking game departments and hunters, it is clearly a better, safer, more economical way to humanely harvest game-- and ensure healthy game populations for the decades and centuries to come.
Only those who see this as a threat to their own sales and profits seem to think otherwise. For them, it is NOT about hunting or healthy game herds-- it is only about protecting their monopoly on a great American Sport, and hiding their own inabilities to produce quality firearms such as the Savage 10ML-II that are provably better built and safer for the consumer to use than their own offerings of somtimes dubious quality.
Are we ignorant, or just apathetic? I don't know, and I don't care.
© 2004 by Randy Wakeman
