What Is The Best Clean Burning Muzzle Loader Pellets

Read on to larn near the advantages and disadvantages of some of the most popular brands of blackness powder and black pulverisation substitutes.

If you lot're just getting started on learning how to hunt with a muzzleloader, the staggering number of propellants choices can exist overwhelming. The muzzleloader industry has come a long mode and at that place are many more pulverization choices out at that place than there were just a few years agone. Hither is a brief overview of some of the all-time brands of blackness pulverization and black powder substitutes currently available on the market today to help you get started in picking the best pulverization for your muzzleloader before hitting the forest.

Before I get started I desire to make two disclaimers.

First, non every muzzleloader can safely shoot every blazon of blackness powder substitute out at that place. And so, before using any of these propellants in your muzzleloader, make certain yous read the manual to see what type of propellant, in what granulation, and in what volume the manufacturer recommends. Using the correct propellant volition both assist you stay rubber also equally maximize the accurateness and reliability of your muzzleloader.

Second, the links beneath to Muzzle-Loaders.com are affiliate links. This means I will earn a small commission if you make a purchase.

This commission comes at no extra cost to you. This helps support the weblog and allows me to continue to create free content that'south useful to hunters like yourself. Thanks for your support.

Truthful Black Pulverization

For many hunters, especially the traditionalists, true blackness powder is actually the only thing they'll consider using in a muzzleloader. Produced by blending sulfur, potassium nitrate, and charcoal, shooters and hunters have successfully used black powder for centuries. Of all the propellants safe to use in muzzleloaders, black powder is also the easiest to ignite, which makes it the virtually popular propellant used in flintlock and caplock muzzleloaders.

Unfortunately, black pulverisation is muddied, inefficient, and corrosive. Ever wonder why black powder produces so much smoke when ignited? It's because just approximately 50% of the black pulverization you load actually burns, the rest gets blown out the muzzle as smoke or left in the barrel as residue. Since so little of the powder actually burns, it does not produce nearly as much free energy for a given amount of propellant as smokeless powder or some of the more modernistic black pulverization substitutes.

Black powder is also classified every bit an explosive and tin can be incredibly dangerous when handled improperly. For this reason, the government imposes strict regulations on the transportation and storage of blackness powder. This tin make information technology difficult to find commercially considering few retailers are willing to deal with the safety requirements associated with stocking it.

Goex and Swiss Blackness Powder are the two nearly popular brands of black powder currently bachelor on the market. Both brands accept very good reputations in the muzzleloading community. Of the two, Goex is typically easier to find in the United States, merely Swiss Black Power is commonly regarded equally a slightly better propellant and is as well easier to notice overseas.

Blackness powder is produced in several different grades of increasing grain size (coarseness): FFFFg, FFFg FFg, and Fg. Smaller grain size powder is easier to ignite and burns faster. FFFg and FFg are the two most common grades in use today.

Generally speaking, FFFg powder is all-time suited for muzzleloading rifles and pistols smaller than .45 quotient. FFg pulverization generally works all-time in muzzleloading rifles and shotguns .45 caliber and larger. FFFFg is nigh unremarkably used to prime flintlocks. Fg pulverization is typically used in muzzleloaders larger than .62 caliber.

Black Pulverisation Substitutes

Due to the previously described disadvantages of blackness pulverisation, many hunters prefer to use some sort of black powder substitute instead.

Since black pulverisation substitutes are typically classified every bit smokeless propellents (instead of explosives), they are not bailiwick to the aforementioned stringent rules and regulations regarding their transportation or storage equally black powder. For this reason, they are also easier to detect commercially than true blackness powder.

On the plus side, generally speaking, black powder substitutes are also less dirty and slightly more powerful than black powder. Some of the blackness powder substitutes are also available in pellet form, which really speeds upwardly the loading process. On the other hand, they are more difficult to ignite than black powder.

Hunters using 209 primers should have few ignition problems, but those using musket or #xi caps may experience hangfires or misfires with some of the blackness powder substitutes out in that location. 1 note of circumspection when dealing with pulverization substitutes though: virtually every black powder substitute is less dumbo than black powder (the exact amount varies depending on the make), which means it is essential that y'all measure it past volume not by mass when loading your muzzleloader. Otherwise, y'all could end upward loading your muzzleloader with a dangerous amount of propellent.

Pyrodex

Pyrodex was the first (and most pop) blackness powder substitute specifically developed for muzzleloader hunters. But like true black pulverization, information technology's muddy, corrosive, and really smoky. It also roughly simulates the functioning true black pulverization. Similar all black pulverization substitutes, it is much easier to discover commercially than true black powder.

On the other hand, Pryodex is more difficult to ignite than black powder. That being said, it is probably the easiest black powder substitute to ignite, so information technology'south a proficient selection for hunters who want to use a black powder substitute in a sidelock muzzleloader or certain inline muzzleloaders with a musket or #eleven cap.

Pryodex is currently bachelor in three different granulation types: Pyrodex P, Pyrodex RS, and Pyrodex Select. Pyrodex P is roughly equivilent to FFFg black powder and is designed for employ in muzzleloading rifles and pistols smaller than .45 caliber. Pyrodex RS is very close in size to FFg black powder and is best used in rifles and shotguns .45 quotient and larger.

Pyrodex Select is a newer variant of Pryodex designed for more consistent performance. Though it's a little more than coarse, Pyrodex Select is similar in granulation size to Pyrodex RS (so it will work slap-up in about muzzleloading rifles and shotguns .45 caliber and larger). At the aforementioned time, it'due south as well cleaner burning and more accurate than either Pyrodex P or Pyrodex RS.

Pryodex is as well available in l grain pellets for faster loading.

Purchase PRYODEX Hither

Hodgon's Triple Se7en

Also referred to as "Triple Seven" or "777", Hodgdon's Triple Se7en is some other very popular black powder substitute amidst muzzleloader hunters today.

A relative newcomer to the party, Triple Se7en is a more consistent, trivial more powerful, burns a trivial cleaner, and is slightly less corrosive than both black powder and Pyrodex. For these reasons, it seems to be slowly edging out Pryodex as the most pop black powder substitute currently in utilise.

It's available every bit loose powder (both in FFg and FFFg granulations) or in xxx grain, 50 grain, and 60 grain pellets for easy loading. Hodgdon also recently started producing a line of 33 grain Burn down Star 777 pellets. Just like the name suggests, instead of a cylindrical shape like a typical pellet, this propellent is formed in the shape of a star. Hodgdon claims that these pellets produce higher velocities with less fouling than traditional 777 pellets.

I tested out how they stacked up against several other different types of black powder substitutes in 2018. In short, this is a actually good muzzleloader propellant and the overall performance of the 777 FireStar pellets matched up well with Hodgon's claims. They besides produced some of the well-nigh consistent velocities out of all the loads I tested.

Like Pyrodex, Triple Se7en is very common commercially and but almost any good sized sporting goods store carries it.

Unfortunately, Triple Se7en is also more difficult to ignite than both true black pulverization and Pyrodex and the pre-formed pellets are even more than hard to ignite than loose Triple Se7en. Hunters using 209 primers should have no issues at all with ignition, but I don't recommend it for utilize in sidelock muzzleloaders. That being said, I've gotten good results with information technology in inline muzzleloaders using a musket cap though. Triple Se7en is actually my preferred propellent for my CVA Wolf and CVA Optima Northwest muzzleloaders and it's worked very well for me during the years I've been hunting with them.

BUY HODGDON'S 777 HERE

Blackhorn 209

Of all the black powder substitutes on this list, Blackhorn 209 is the newest kid on the block, but it may well be the best one in electric current product.

Why? Blackhorn 209 produces some of the highest velocities out of all bachelor black pulverisation substitutes. Additionally, it'due south very consistent in operation, which really aids accuracy. It's also not-corrosive and is past far the cleanest burning black powder substitute. In fact, unlike nigh competitors, Blackhorn 209 burns clean enough that it's non necessary to swab the diameter betwixt shots.

For more details on the functioning of Blackhorn 209, read my commodity: Blackhorn 209 vs 777 vs Goex Black Powder: Which One Should You Use In Your Muzzleloader?

Though it's not quite as usually available as Pyrodex or Triple Se7en, information technology'south nevertheless pretty common and is much easier to obtain than truthful black powder.

As y'all would estimate from the name though, Blackhorn 209 is designed for utilize with 209 primers (specifically Federal 209A and CCI 209M primers). So, I don't recommend using this powder with musket or #11 caps or yous'll probably take ignition problems. It also tends to piece of work all-time with certain primers and breech plugs, so check to see if the manufacturer of your muzzleloader makes a specific "Blackhorn" breech plug (CVA does).

All that being said, this is some outstanding pulverisation and is a great choice for those that hunt with inline muzzleloaders.

Buy BLACKHORN 209 HERE

While this mail covers choosing the right muzzleloader propellant, that'due south only function of the equation when hunting with a muzzleloader. For more detailed information on choosing the right bullets, scope, and muzzleloader, check out these other articles:

xiii Of The Best Muzzleloader Bullets For Hunters

ix Best Muzzleloader Scopes For Hunters

9 Of The Best Muzzleloaders For Hunters

v Best Traditional Muzzleloaders For Hunters

15 Of The Best Muzzleloader Primers For Igniting Your Pulverisation

Essential Muzzleloader Supplies Every Hunter Needs

101 Best Gifts For Hunters To Put On Your Wish List

eleven Best Hunting Ear Protection Options For Hunters

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