Longcruise
New member
I found manuals online for the knight rifles with load data. These were for products up to 2011. For more recent products one must contact knight. The data they listed made it very clear that the loads suggested were for T7. One could also extrapolate other data from the data provided by powder manufacturers if one was interested. Suffice it to say, that Knight considers their data safe with any sub since T7 is acknowledged to be the most robust of BP/subs out there.
I think that the subs are made with excellent consistency but the same can't be said for the real BP. Not that their inconsistency's are dangerous. None of them seem to rise above the level of T7, although Swiss might be very close.
At one time I had a lot of powder on hand and did some chrono testing just out of curiosity. It shows a huge difference in the power output of the brands tested. I did not have T7 on hand so there was no comparison of it and the BP. Only sub I had was pyrodex. I think you could go out and purchase new cans of all the powder I tested and get different results with some of it although the Swiss and the German powders have an excellent track record for consistency.
Average velocities for various powders with charges thrown from 50 grain volumetric measure. and shooting a .530 patched ball from a 32" .54 caliber barrel. Only the average velocities are shown, however they were derived with multiple shots
Graf 3f
Avg 1390
Elephant 2f
Avg 1201
Swiss 2f
Avg 1552
Goex 2f
Avg 1362
Goex 3f
Avg 1492
Pyrodex RS
1494
You might think that the actual density of the powder (comparative weight for all from the same volumetric measure) would explain the difference, but it does not. The Elephant with the slowest velocity was also the most dense! The claims for Pyrodex giving more shots per pound is borne out since it is about 1/3 lighter than the typical standard of goex ff.
For most, these are probably uninteresting numbers but I'm a compulsive experimenter and am always delighted with my results, even if they are entirely inconsequential and useless!
I think that the subs are made with excellent consistency but the same can't be said for the real BP. Not that their inconsistency's are dangerous. None of them seem to rise above the level of T7, although Swiss might be very close.
At one time I had a lot of powder on hand and did some chrono testing just out of curiosity. It shows a huge difference in the power output of the brands tested. I did not have T7 on hand so there was no comparison of it and the BP. Only sub I had was pyrodex. I think you could go out and purchase new cans of all the powder I tested and get different results with some of it although the Swiss and the German powders have an excellent track record for consistency.
Average velocities for various powders with charges thrown from 50 grain volumetric measure. and shooting a .530 patched ball from a 32" .54 caliber barrel. Only the average velocities are shown, however they were derived with multiple shots
Graf 3f
Avg 1390
Elephant 2f
Avg 1201
Swiss 2f
Avg 1552
Goex 2f
Avg 1362
Goex 3f
Avg 1492
Pyrodex RS
1494
You might think that the actual density of the powder (comparative weight for all from the same volumetric measure) would explain the difference, but it does not. The Elephant with the slowest velocity was also the most dense! The claims for Pyrodex giving more shots per pound is borne out since it is about 1/3 lighter than the typical standard of goex ff.
For most, these are probably uninteresting numbers but I'm a compulsive experimenter and am always delighted with my results, even if they are entirely inconsequential and useless!
