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Hello Folks,

Does anyone here know the logic behind the prohibition on using smokeless powder in black-powder muzzleloaders? We hear it all the time, but nobody ever really says why. If smokeless powder can be substituted for black in black powder cartridge arms, including those from the 19th century, why can’t the same be done with black powder muzzleloaders?

I suspect I know the answer to my own question. It probably has nothing to do with the powder per se, but is a precaution against a person loading it in ignorance. Sooner or later, someone will pick up his powder measure and scoop up 100 gr by volume of whatever powder is at hand, and blow up a gun.

This summer an interesting project might be to obtain an inexpensive side-lock rifle, build a plywood fixture to hold it within a plywood box, with a remote firing device (a string), and develop some loads.

Before anybody asks me why I would do such a hare-brained thing, the answer is, because I want to know. But if any of you already know, please tell me.

Take care, Tom

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For one thing MLs are not breech loaders.
Smokeless is notoriously hard to light compared to BP.
Poor ignition of the charge can turn a firearm into a bomb. Don't matter if its in a cartridge or not. I would never attempt to ignite smokeless with a conventional percussion nipple and cap, musket or otherwise.
Also note that smokeless powder charges used in BPCRs generally use a fraction of the charge weight of the BP charge.
Reduced charges of smokeless blow up at least as many guns as overloads and in the world of SA colts and other firearms chambered for BP cartridges probably more.
You can play around with smokeless if you want but I recommend something more substantial than plywood for containment.

It is impossible to control other people's ignorance. Trying to do so is a fools errand. Thus worrying about some one using smokeless in a ML is simply a waste of your time. They would likely blow the gun up with ANY charge of smokeless based on the above explanations so how large the measure with the gun might be is simply irrelevant.
Dan

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