OT Pyrodex question

"steamer" wrote: (clip) Couldn't seem to locate a conversion on google... ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ You're converting a volume to a weight, so you need to find the density of Pyrodex,

AFAIK, Pyrodex is equivalent to black powder on a weight-to-weight, Grain size (F, FF, FFF) basis. Weigh the 50cc charge of Pyrodex and express the result in pounds (decimal part of a pound, actually). Multiply the result by 7000 which is the number of grains to a pound.

Anyone got a Lee powder dipper set? The dippers are in cubic centimeters, so a weight per cc extrapolation can be made off the chart that is in the kit.

Viola!

DoH!

No Pyrodex F on the chart.

You could just take a full can of Pyrodex, and see how many charges that would make with the 50cc measure.

Cheers Trevor Jones

Probably because you are mixing volume and weight. cc is volume and grain is weight.

Paul

Specific gravity of Fg black powder measure is about 0.98.

Gunner

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Ws

Bulk density of Pyrodex is 0.75 grams/cc. 50 cc would therefore be

Pyrodex is 0.75 gram/cc.

yup..only missed it by one key..sigh

Gunner

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Now is that the same for Priming, R/S or Cannon?

Lots of empty spaces in 50 CCs of Cannon, damned few with Pistol

Gunner

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Good point, Gunner ! Whaddaya say, Don ? BTW, good to see you again on RCM.

Bob Swinney

Heck, just dip a 2-lb coffee can in the powder and toss it down the bore. Be sure to post a followup, with links to the video.

I have no idea.

Might be best to measure out 10 cc or so of the stuff in question and then weigh it on a powder scale. Then you KNOW it's right. If you don't have a small graduate for cc (ml), you can make one easily enough. A tube or hole with 0.500 ID and length (depth) of 3.108" would be 10 cc.

Don, I would tend to believe that this may be a good time for Lloyd S. (a regular on this newsgroup) to chirp in on this subject, also it might be a good question to post on rec.pyrotechnics.

I myself, although having been involved in pyrotechnics and firearms for more than 50 years, would be reluctant to make a definitive comment on the subject.

Pyrodex is a black powder alternative to conventional black powder, most in regard to firearms. While it seems sensible to compare the weight of a volume of Pyrodex with that of black powder, I really don't know of any valid comparison between the two. In firworks and muzzle loading rifles, most of us use various grain sizes of black power, usually measure by weight. I really don't know how the two compare.

I would suggest that either Lloyd S. or Mike Swisher might be of more information here, since they both know their stuff. For me, I would be hesitant to use anything but cannon grade black powder in a cannon, but that may be being ultra-conservative. I think that you may find that the issue here is where does Pyrodex fall between black Powder and smokeless powder, and the difference can be very significant.

I'll grant you that I have had only a year or two experinece with cannons, and each of them were fired with cannon grain black powder, while shooting blanks.

Harry C.

Pyrodex is a 1 for 1 substitute for blackpowder, based on volume. Substituting an equal weight of Pyrodex for blackpowder could be dangerous.

R, Tom Q.

According to The Blackpowder Handbook, a 100 grain measure (volume) of Pyrodex RS weighs 70.0 grains, RS select is 67.0 grains, P is 73.5 grains and a 50/50 (50 grain voume equivalent) pellet weighs 37.0 grains. I don't think they make a cannon grade (they have a disclaimer on their web site regarding cannons).

I just weighed ten 50/50 pellets and the average weight is 38.65 grains.

R, Tom Q.

More importantly, how does one make a cannon on a lathe? Seen the price of brass lately?

John