Guns, Bows, Shooting Sports, and Hunting Shelf life of BP?

[BIGNASTY]

Anyone know what the shelf life of Black Powder might be if stored CORRECTLY?

 

[Blu-meanie]

I hope it's long term, I have some over 30 years old.

 

[Wayne M.]

Is it true that it. Becomes unstable if not stored correctly? How to tell, and how does it act?

 

[B.G. Smith]

Had a friend who had his in a metal can (which it came in). He said it was 17 years old and still good? bg

 

[Mark31]

An acquaintance had a loaded muzzleloader (no cap, though) go off and shoot his friend in the butt. $600,000 hospital bill. His homeowners insurance company wouldn't cover. I don't how or if it was ever settled. I didn't realize until then how unstable it could be

 

[B.G. Smith]

Article I copied did not appear. It related to Goex shelf life.


bg

 

[Matt42]

Funny you should ask. I have the family's 1774 rifle. The powder horn accompanies it. It was last fired in 1957 using a small charge of the powder that had been purchased in about 1946. In 2003, we moved my mother into supervisory care. That's when we found the powder horn. It was empty. My much older brother reminisced about how he used to (gasp) play with the powder horn and the powder in the early 1950s. As we packed the powder horn into a box, he commented that it was good that my long-widowed mother had obviously long-ago discarded the likely unstable powder. About an hour later, in a panicked tone of voice, my brother called me into another room. He had found the powder.

It was in a clear glass cough syrup jar, the kind with a bakelite screw-on lid. It was a ten ounce jar, and the powder about half filled it. My mother had at one time poured the powder into the jar, and screwed on the lid without getting even one particle on the threads. A few days later, we took it out to a remote area and shot it with a scoped rifle from a safe distance. The powder detonated with a flash and a kaboom. Was it still stable? I can't say. But after more than 50 years, it still worked.

 

[The patriot]

If it smells like ammonia, it's no good.