VAhuntr

Has anyone tried this powder?

MLKeith

Yes! I made a comparison of ffg 777, ffg Clean Shot, APP sticks and Black Mag3. I shot all with 300gr. bullets in Harvester sabots out of a Stainless Omega .50. Using a 100gr. volume measured charge and the ignition was the .25ACP conversion with Remington small rifle primers. Bottom line is 777 kicks like a mule and puts out about 1800fps over my chronograph on that day and the crud ring is almost gone since I am using the new ignition source, Clean Shot ffg has less crud ring and runs about 150fps slower than 777 and the recoil is a lot more manageable. Black Mag3 hit 2000fps and the groups were less than 2 inches at 100 yards and it was windy. Recoil with Black Mag3 at 2000fps was more comfortable than 777 at 1800fps and the fouling was almost non existent. Multiple shots are possible with this powder without swab between shots. I killed an elk this year with 80gr. of BM3 and a 300gr. Hornady bullet. Two shots- both completely through the chest cavity of a 475lb. cow elk. Black Mag3 is now the only powder I consider for serious hunting as the follow up shots are a lot easier to accomplish and elk sometimes do not fall down on one shot. The cow with one lung and the liver shot (that was the first shot) walked about 200 yards when I managed a second running shot just behind the first one as she bolted into a full run at about 85yards and then ran another 1/4 mile before I managed to put her down with a brain shot and she kicked for another 5 minutes after that. Very tough animal. Black Mag3 did its job in spite of my slightly poor placement of the first shot which was in brush and somewhat questionable as a good shot decision. Bottom line is the powder is GREAT!!!!

VAhuntr

Your results seem to echo the results of many people I have talked to. Seems most are getting 150 to 250 fps more than 777, less fouling and atleast comparable accuracy. I can't wait to try some in my Omega.



By the way....Does the Black Mag 3 come in ffg, fffg or is it a one size fits all type of thing?

trekker

So what is the max load of this? My understanding is that with loose powder, max is 150 gr Pyrodex, 120 gr 777 FFG. Would Black Mag 3 have a similar max load to the 777, or less?
Todd

Mark whiz

It appears that Black Mag 3 is basically a 3fg type of cut. It only comes in one version and is supposed to work both in pistols & rifles, so it HAS to have 3fg qualities and the additional velocity seems to bear that out.
And as such, I would say sticking to 120gr as a max charge would be a VERY wise precaution.

Lefse

What are the bad things about this powder? Is it like pioneer powder that deteriates fast and absorbs moisture? It is a clean powder. Why don't more people use it.

liquidorange

the rep at cabelas told me its citrus based uses some kinda technology like putting a match next to an orange peel while bending the peel next to the flame. i havent tried it yet but he said you will be amazed of the reaction. i think its fairly new so i guess we will all have to be crash test dummies

MLKeith

The only "bad things" I have found with Black Mag3 is the cost and the fact that no one carries it yet as it is pretty new. It is supposed to be more stable than Clean shot for moisture and if it gets wet it is supposed to be OK again after it drys out. The reason more people are not using it is because it is hard to find. Most do not want to spend the $20 hazmat fee to order it. I did and I am just sorry I only ordered four pounds after I shot it a little. At this time I will shoot up my Goex, 777, Clean Shot, and APP sticks, Pyrodex, Pyrodex RS just for fun. When I am serious I will not use anything other than Black Mag3. Just killed my elk this year with 80gr. Black Mag3 under a 300gr Hornady SST. I love the stuff!!!! Clean-up is the easiest of the bunch too. By the way the felt recoil with Black Mag3 is less than 777 even though the BM3 makes higher velocity.

gelarson

Interesting post, has anyone tried it in a sidelock? What would be the max load one would use in a 50 cal hawken TC? One last question has anyone found it in Alberta yet?

Tahquamenon

Really love this site...

At the recommendation a friend, I made the wise investment of Black Mag'3 Powder.

Used 120Grains in my T/C Omega under a 300-Grain Hornady XTP.
Shoots fantastic and cleans even better.
Killed an big 8-point on 12-11-04 at 50 yards with a zero run after the shot. Heart-Shot through the neck at a downward angle. The deer literally sat down and did not move.
Penetration through the front of the rib cage and blew the heart to pieces.

As far as the Black Mag'3, I am sold and really think this is a better mouse trap.
I was shooting 3-50GR Triple 7 pellets with good accuracy and kill power, but with about 5 times the fouling. Especially the infamous crud-ring and the caked breech plug. The breech plug would always be caked with grunge when using T7.

I spit-patch/dry-patch between each shot and after 30 shots with the BM3, the breech plug un-threads as easily as when I went in.
In fact, the dry patch usually comes out almost white in between shots.

With T7, I would get the crud ring going even after the first shot and much, much more fouling.

As far as clean up after shooting, flush with hot water and a few brush strokes, then lube. A great trick for barrel flushing is if you have a threaded hose fitting on your laundry sink or an hose adapter for your kitchen sink, use an old washing machine hose with the end cut off. The cut-off end fits right into the barrel with the breech plug removed. Then just turn on the hot water and let it flush for a minute or so. Really heats up the barrel and gets things super clean. Then brush a few times and flush for a few seconds then lube.

I've not tried any other loads or bullets, I'm not changing anything until after the season here in Michigan.

Best,

Tahquamenon