As regards the powder, I was referring to the contaminated saltpeter that was used by GOEX or other MFG'ers at one time, as noted by Bill Knight on the ALR forum. Bill was testing powders from various manufacturers at that time.
I shot off 3 or 4 pounds of American Deadshot in the 70's that had to have been made prior to the company blowing up in 1898.
It was the best powder I've ever used and was said to be second only to Curtis and Harvey's #6 Diamond Grain sporting powder of the 1880'a+.