General Hints
7
IMPORTANT CAUTIONS
FOR MUZZLE LOADING SHOOTING
1) Use Black Powder or equivalent propellent (Pyrodex) only to load your muzzle loading firearm.
W
ARNING: The use of smokeless powder, or a mixture of smokeless and Black Powder (duplex
loads) or the wrong type or granulation of Black Powder or Pyrodex or overloading may cause
serious injury and/or death to the shooter or bystanders and damage to property.
The reason for using a low yeld powder such as Black Powder or equivalent propellent
(Pyrodex) is quite basic and it is related to firearm design. When used as a propellent, Black
Powder or Pyrodex generates a relatively low breech pressure. Muzzleloading firearms, even
those with modern steel barrels, are not designed to withstand the high pressures produced by
a Smokeless Powder charge.
People who become interested in muzzleloading tend to research and to seek out some of the
early journals which describe loading implements, components and powders of yesterday.
Reading these old books can be pleasurable. Never assume, however, that obsolete printed
material has a safe application in today’s world.
All our guns have been regularly proof tested to the N
ATIONAL PROOF HOUSE in Gardone V.T.
with a forced test firing, as the mark stamped on each gun or pistol testifies. Still stamped on
the barrel they all carry the words “B
LACK POWDER ONLY”.
Never use smokeless powder of any type or in any quantity in a muzzleloading firearm, and
never mix powders.
Black powder producers in the world use different grains identification methods, following the
metric system of each Country.
Our company suggests the following comparing chart for guns type with the purpose to
correlate the various types of black powder produced in different countries following the
adopted classification.
Gun Suisse
Black
Powder
French Black
Powder
“Vectan”
Black
Powder
Powex
U.S.A. Black
Powder
Big caliber guns/small scale
cannons
4 PNF1 Fg 1f or fg
.45 caliber and larger caliber rifles 3 PNF1 FFg 2f or ffg
Revolvers, pistols and rifles up to
.45 caliber
2 PNF2 FFFg 3f or fffg
Pistols up to .31 caliber / flintlock
gun pans
1 PNF4 FFFFg 4f or ffffg
Black powder SHOULD NEVER BE STORED IN A PLASTIC CONTAINER, which could build a static
electricity charge. In case, make sure they are made of anti-static material. Keep the container
away from heat sources.
Davide Pedersoli Co. declines any responsibility for the use of different from original propellent
or that is not of commercial production high quality and for the use of maximum loads different
from those recommended in this manual.
Unreasonably heavy charges of Black Powder or equivalent propellent (Pyrodex) can be
dangerous. Heavier loading showed marked increases in pressure and substantially more
recoil for only minor gains in velocity.
2) Percussion caps and black powder should be stored in separate locations.
3) Caps are sensitive to static electricity, heat, flame and percussion.
4) Do not use glass containers to store them, but leave them in their original containers.
5) Never smoke while loading, shooting or handling black powder.
6) Make sure that spectators are completely behind you when firing.
7) Never let the hammer on a percussion firearm fall without a cap on nipple or it will damage the
nipple. On a flintlock arm, never let the hammer fall on the frizzen without a flint in the hammer.