When Cowboy Action Shooting began taking off, a lot of shooters wanted to fire guns with Old West period-authentic black powder. They just didn’t want all the problems that came with doing that (more about which shortly). The time was right for a superior alternative, that gave the feel and experience of shooting black powder but in a much safer, less problematic format. The solution was Pyrodex.
Black powder, the propellant uses in firearms up until the late-19th Century, carries with it significant negatives. Because less than half of the material converts to gas on firing, it generates huge clouds of smoke. For the same reason, it leaves thick deposits of powder fouling that can gum up a black powder gun after only a few shots. Black powder is hydroscopic, it pulls moisture from the air, so care must be taken in storage to avoid “getting your powder damp.” This also means guns fired with black powder must be cleaned as soon as possible to avoid powder fouling leeching moisture from the air and rusting steel in short order. Most importantly, black powder is an explosive, which makes storing it a significant safety concern. Local dealers may require a special license to even sell sell black powder, and some areas ban its sale entirely.
Pyrodex was invented by a guy named Dan Pawlak. It’s around 25 percent more powerful than black powder, but it’s also about 25 percent more bulky, so it can be substituted volume-for-volume for black powder; it all averages out. A pound of Pyrodex lasts longer than a pound of black powder, which means more shots per canister, and load recipes remain the same.
Some people love the huge clouds of gray smoke generated by shooting a black powder firearm, and view it an important, soul-satisfying part of the Old West repro experience. Pyrodex does give those lovely clouds of smoke. It’s also cleaner-burning than black powder, and less hydroscopic. Note I said “cleanER-burning” not “clean-burning.” Pyrodex is better than black powder in this regard, but still much worse than modern smokeless powders. Guns fired with Pyrodex do need to be cleaned fairly quickly to avoid rust, it’s just not as vicious in this regard as black powder.
Most importantly, unlike black powder, Pyrodex is not an explosive, it’s classified as a flammable solid like common gunpowder. This makes shipping and selling it as a dealer, and, as a shooter, storing it much less of a hassle, and immensely safer than black powder.
Following Mr. Pawlak’s death, the rights to manufacture and sell Pyrodex were acquired by Hodgdon Powder Company. In fact, the term Pyrodex is currently a registered trademark of Hodgdon.
I would not personally store or use black powder. I would store and use Pyrodex. Many people wanting that old-timey black powder experience without its significant negatives have come to the same conclusion.
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