Oh yeah - put the ball in the right place and your work is done - hard or soft will work on most bears.

Most of the guys (who live all over the States) on a BP forum I frequent, order their powder over the phone or on-line get it from Grafs. Graf's will mix different powder granulations in the same order, as in - 4F, 3F, 2F 1F and I think they sell different brands of powder including some of the cheap re-enactment powders, which more guys will not shoot in their muzzleloading guns. Others say it's good.

2F develops considerably less pressure when loaded to the same velocity as 3F. In smaller bores like .45's to .58's, this is really evident by the way the same patches that stand up to 2F at say 1,700fps, fail badly with 3F at 1,700fps.

In my 14 bore rifle, I used to shoot 3 drams of 3F, then for the hunting loads, I'd use 2F as 3F burnt through the patches past 95gr. at 1,350fps. With 2F, I could go right to 1,700fps using 200gr. and the patches were still re-useable.

In the larger bores it takes considerable powder to make the higher speeds. 1,700fps seemed to be about tops, as it took another 130gr. over that, to make 70fps higher speed. I do not, under any circumstances suggest you try that. The 330gr. charge was an error on my part. It lifted me up off the stool I was sitting on, to semi-standing position. I was a lightweight then - only 185lbs. I thought I only had the normal 165gr. hunting charge (1,550fps), but of course while talking to the fellow I was teaching, I got out of sequence and double charged the powder. I guess I proofed that GRRW barrel that day.