[Rex in OTZ]

if I had a chance to survive I'd suggest useing smokless till the bitter end, the spanish/american war the spaniards could pick out US shooters from the powder plume of the blackpowder ammo used by our trapdoors used, why give yourself away by choice?
Remember in a survival situation ther will be people hunting game and people they would use the smoke plume against you.
use smokeless till its gone.
better off going with a good compound bow, cross bow, sling (david/goliath) spear, bola, passive traps (punji)
By all means make and use black podwer if you have the materials and smarts to do so, you'd be a fool not to fill that gap in your arsenal, it would be a challange to make anything other than a flintlock due to the mercury fulminate percussion caps and the time and materials to make them. kitchen matches arnt what they used to be.(remember strike anywhere matches?)
Smoke em if you got them.

[Whootsinator]

Quote:       Originally Posted by river

bp if it came down to it. but around 20,000 rounds stored for shtf should last at least 10 years. River

Considering you live at most two hours away from me, if the SHTF for real, I'm packing up all of my supplies and combining them with yours!

Unlike most people that will be on your doorstep, however, I can pull my own weight and bring my own supplies.

[Archetype_wyo]

Quote:       Originally Posted by larmus

You forgot the "neither" option, for those who neither reload nor shoot BP guns... like me... LOL! its a good concept, since i really dont know either way, but i think if you would have to go the route of making your own... i would make other weapons and use more traps or other devices to catch food...

There yah go lol.

I would use a blackpowder rifle with non-smokeless powder for like a getaway or something. Cause a little subterfuge if you will.

[Lobo0311]

Smokeless, due to the fact it creates higher pressures therefore more energy pushing the projectile further down ran. Although I wouldnt reccomend using it in older muzzeloaders for the same reason, higher pressure can=blown breech....NOT my idea of a fun time.

[Deep13]

You need a modern production facility to make smokeless powder. So BP is the only practical choice here. Even then, the stuff is not so easy to make. And there is no way to make percussion caps. So unless you have a flintlock, I'd say forget about it.