Old Powder? use it or pitch it?

[chieffan]

Shotgun for squirrels ? ? My Pappy taucht me to use .22 only and hit them in the head or don't shoot. Same with rabbits. No damage to meat that way.

 

[toytruck]

Yeah I know, I use a .22 in late season when all the leaves are down. When you get older it's hard to hold a rifle still an squirrels don't hold still much either.

 

[HV-Muzzleloaders]

Black powder and the other substitutes can absorb moisture from the air.
I had some Pyrodex that turned into a solid mass.

The primary components of blackpowder are charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate (also used in some fertilizers).
Some of the substitutes contains sugar and potassium nitrate.
The chemical reaction requires a fuel and an oxidizer.
It is the left over oxidizer in the reaction products which rusts metal, in the same way fertilizer rusts steel.
Sulfur can react to produces acids, which also rust metals.

A long piece of cannon fuse will produce nice results on the 4th of July, or New Years, as suggested by others here.
Make sure the end you light is far away from the container.

It will also make your grass grow if you spread it on the yard.

You could put a sample into a tightly sealed plastic bag with some of the silica gel moisture absorbant packets in an attempt to see if they would suck some of the moisture out of it. You do not have much to lose.

A vacuum pump might also suck some of the moisture out of it, if you know anyone who does refrigeration work.

 

[Beginner2]

Don’t throw it away

 

[rusticbob]

I know this is a old thread but I was recently given a "old" can of Pyrodex, looks to be 1982 vintage. Has been opened previously, some clumps that break up easily. Would it be safe to try it? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

I wouldnt use it hunting. But i would shoot it at the range. Just to see how well it still shoots.

 

[snapbang]

I have some very old powder. Smokeless and sub black. As long as it has been stored in a cool dry place, with the lid on tight, I cant see any of it going bad. If the cans have been opened and closed properly I still see no problem. For my reloading I leave powder in the measure for weeks and months until I get back to it. Its in my basement where it is cool but the humidity in the house is kept comfortable by controlls on the furnace or A/C. The clumps are probably from just sitting. Almost any powder gun related or not will clump from no movement. If the clumps are very hard and difficult to break then you did not get a good seal on the container. In that case just try a few and see how it shoots. Unless its been abused I cant see it being any kind of danger.

Manufacturers tell you it goes bad after a certain date so you will throw it away and buy more.

 

[HV-Muzzleloaders]

The Pyrodex should be safe to use in the normal manner on the range.

The clumps often form when it absorbs a small amount of moisture from the air.
However, it will not be enough moisture to keep it from going bang.

 

[MrTom]

I think powder in factory sealed jugs would be best but if the jugs have been opened at one time and from that era I would not depend on it especially in the woods.

 

[one-shot]

My best friend is the vacuum packer/sealer. Buy good bags (By the 100s) and a good sealer with pulse and manual sealer. I seal all new primers/caps and power as soon as it gets home. And date marked. I have a ditty bag for each weapon and all primers and power are bag sealed. (Medical containers are great for primers/caps. I cut the child tabs off.) Then broken out for the hunt. Resealed when back. My shotgun and rifle ammo the same.
I carry double of everything in the ditty bag, because these old fingers sometimes fail. I go up once and down once with the tree stand , that's the rule.

 

[deermanok]

I've got some black powder that has been around for at least 10 years. Last time I checked, it was still dry and loose.

 

[NIGHTWOLF1974]

NEVER buy military surplus gun powder! When we had .50 BMG rifles (SERBU & BARRET) we bought 100lbs of military surplus powder from pulled.50 BMG ammo to reload with. Only after starting to use it, we later found out it was from ammo that was pre-WW2. The nitrates in the powder started to break down, and one evening it self-ignited in our gunroom. Long story short, we lost the house, the guns, ammo, the cats, everything!

So no matter how bad things get during this current shortage....STAY AWAY FROM MILITARY SURPLUS GUN POWDER. It's not worth taking a chance, older commercial powder is supposedly more stable.

 

[ported45]

Last Spring I sold my Renegade which was the last of my non-smokeless muzzleloaders. I still had a can of 777 that I had opened about 16 years ago that still had the foam seal under the cap. I also had a partial can of Goex FFFg that a friend had given me that was his dad's from the 1980's. I too the Renegade to the range one last time for nostalgia's sake. The 777 would hang-fire every time (used to not), but the BP went off with authority!

Even though it was stored properly, the 777 had degraded enough to not be reliable in a hooked breech. BP that was more than twice that age shot just fine.

 

[mnoland30]

I've read about old old timers putting their powder out in the sun to dry it out after it got wet. Our storage methods are better than theirs so, I've never had to try it.

 

[Newtire]

I have had Pyrodex get weakened after opening a year later but I'd try it and see. If it was all I had I would but personally wouldn't use it due to it's rust properties.

 

[Dwayne]

Real sckn03 powder will last fotever.

Artificial powders like Pyrodex may or maynot last.

Easiest way to tell?

Just put some in a line on your cement and light it. It should instantly light and fly down that line. If it doesnt, then it is bad. Dont expect much out of it.

If you are still not sure, put a string of good powder down and watch how good powder reacts.

 

[John0313]

The chemist in me says we are comparing apples, oranges, yo-yos, and pickup trucks.

Black powder is extremely stable in a wide temperature range, with little to no degradation in power. Damp, it doesn’t like to ignite. Once dried out, you are back in business.

Smokeless powder is not as robust for long term (50+ years) storage, and is subject to chemical breakdown under certain (mostly high temperature) conditions. In the late 1980’s I used powder recovered from corrosive primed 1942 .30 M2 Ball ammo for service rifle competition, and did well with it. I’m also currently working through some similar vintage 4831 with no issues whatsoever.

My personal experience with Pyrodex (powder) is that stored properly (cool and dry), it mimics smokeless in its “storeability”. It will “clump” if exposed to moisture, but as long as your can does not become one “chunk” of Pyrodex, you’re OK. I’ve shot Pyrodex recently given to me that came in the “vintage” cardboard “cans” with no problems.

A friend has had problems with Pyrodex pellets becoming hard to ignite, but I don’t know how well (or not) they were stored. He gave me the remainder of his (unreliable) pellets, and even thrown into a fire, about 30% of them didn’t ignite as quickly, or with the energy as “fresh” pellets. BTW, these came in clear plastic “tubes” no the plastic “cartridge box” type container.

 

[GM54-120]

Test old Pyrodex vs a new can across a chronograph. Shoot at least 5 shots of each and let us know how that went.

 

[Muley Hunter]

Artificial powders like Pyrodex may or maynot last.

What makes Pyro artificial and not black powder? They're both man made. Pyro has the same ingredients as black powder with some others added. Neither one are natural.

 

[GM54-120]

Pyrodex has about 30% Potassium Perchlorate added to the mix. Its man made inorganic salt. Sulphur, carbon and potassium nitrate all have naturally available sources. They have been mined/collected for centuries.