Cannon powder question

[pamtnman]

A friend found several cans of really old GOEX 2F and 3F in his garage, and has offered them to me. I could not use this for target or hunting, but I do wonder if it will be useful for our two black powder cannons. Presently I use Scheutzen FG cannon grade powder, which is pretty coarse. Any insights on using faster but older powder in a big bore cannon? Thanks

 

[Keyhole]

the 2f seems to work well, I reduce the charge10% when I use it. I've only used 3f on the smaller barrel cannon that are more like pistol barrel sizes (.50, .45 etc)

That 3f works great as a set-off charge if you're using a linstock

 

[OzSJ]

Apologies for veering into a historical aside, but rifle-powder-in-a-cannon (OK, lots of rifle powder in a cannon) was involved in a peculiar event in my hometown, before the Civil War...

St. Joseph Saturday Herald
Wednesday, July 6, 1859

Death of Capt. Jack Napier by the Bursting of a Cannon

It has become our painful duty to chronicle one of the saddest events that ever occurred in this community, whereby an esteemed and beloved fellow citizen, in the prime and pride of manhood, was hurried to a sad and untimely death. On Monday the 4th instant, at about six o’clock P.M., Capt. Jack Napier, who had just returned from a pleasure trip down the Lake shore in the Montezuma, charged with rifle powder a six pounder which was on the bluff fronting the Perkins House where it had been fired many times during the day, and then applying a match himself, the cannon burst with a terrific report into a dozen pieces, one of which hit the unfortunate man in the right side, mangling him fearfully, and causing his death in less than two hours. Portions of the cannon flew in every direction, but no other person was injured save one man whose head was just touched by a glancing piece which inflicted a slight wound as it shot by.

The Chicago Tribune reported Capt. Napier had also burst a gun on the Montezuma on his pleasure cruise that day, damaging the propeller but not injuring anyone, but upon his return to port had charged the gun on the bluff with five (italics in original) pounds of powder, ramming it down with sod. I haven't found any information on the gun other than these stories.

Captain Napier's headstone is a portion of the burst gun, just sitting on the ground.

Apologies again.

 

[Keyhole]

Apologies for veering into a historical aside, but rifle-powder-in-a-cannon (OK, lots of rifle powder in a cannon) was involved in a peculiar event in my hometown, before the Civil War...

St. Joseph Saturday Herald
Wednesday, July 6, 1859

Death of Capt. Jack Napier by the Bursting of a Cannon

It has become our painful duty to chronicle one of the saddest events that ever occurred in this community, whereby an esteemed and beloved fellow citizen, in the prime and pride of manhood, was hurried to a sad and untimely death. On Monday the 4th instant, at about six o’clock P.M., Capt. Jack Napier, who had just returned from a pleasure trip down the Lake shore in the Montezuma, charged with rifle powder a six pounder which was on the bluff fronting the Perkins House where it had been fired many times during the day, and then applying a match himself, the cannon burst with a terrific report into a dozen pieces, one of which hit the unfortunate man in the right side, mangling him fearfully, and causing his death in less than two hours. Portions of the cannon flew in every direction, but no other person was injured save one man whose head was just touched by a glancing piece which inflicted a slight wound as it shot by.

The Chicago Tribune reported Capt. Napier had also burst a gun on the Montezuma on his pleasure cruise that day, damaging the propeller but not injuring anyone, but upon his return to port had charged the gun on the bluff with five (italics in original) pounds of powder, ramming it down with sod. I haven't found any information on the gun other than these stories.

Captain Napier's headstone is a portion of the burst gun, just sitting on the ground.

Apologies again.

Wow! Five pounds of powder packed with sod…….

 

[cynthialee]

A friend found several cans of really old GOEX 2F and 3F in his garage, and has offered them to me. I could not use this for target or hunting, but I do wonder if it will be useful for our two black powder cannons. Presently I use Scheutzen FG cannon grade powder, which is pretty coarse. Any insights on using faster but older powder in a big bore cannon? Thanks

why do you think you can't use that Goex for targets and hunting?

Goex is good powder and age don't mean a thing to black powder.

 

[pamtnman]

why do you think you can't use that Goex for targets and hunting?

Goex is good powder and age don't mean a thing to black powder.

This is very old powder stored in a garage that gets hot in the summer. It has probably degraded pretty badly. I do not use GOEX, rather Swiss and Olde Eynsford, so whatever the results with this GOEX in particular, they would be different from what I would get normally. Sorry. Thought I had made this clear.

 

[pamtnman]

Our two cannons have bores 2” and 2.5” in diameter. Sounds like the FFG works, just cut back a little

 

[tenngun]

This is very old powder stored in a garage that gets hot in the summer. It has probably degraded pretty badly. I do not use GOEX, rather Swiss and Olde Eynsford, so whatever the results with this GOEX in particular, they would be different from what I would get normally. Sorry. Thought I had made this clear.

Black not like pyrodex, hundred year old powder works just like brand new
Wet can degrade it, but heat and long term storage doesn’t effect it

 

[pamtnman]

Black not like pyrodex, hundred year old powder works just like brand new
Wet can degrade it, but heat and long term storage doesn’t effect it

This has not been my own experience

 

[Rich44]

Sounds to me you have a bad feeling and really no use for this powder. Just forget it and go on with life.

 

[cynthialee]

Black not like pyrodex, hundred year old powder works just like brand new
Wet can degrade it, but heat and long term storage doesn’t effect it

yep, I have talked to old timers who have shot civil war powder in the 60's and 70's and the powder was just as good as the day it was issued according to them

I have shot powder that was about 30 years old and never noticed a difference.

 

[pamtnman]

Sounds to me you have a bad feeling and really no use for this powder. Just forget it and go on with life.

Cannon life, anyhow. Beginning of the question

 

[Old Shepherd]

I use a 4 ounce charge of Fg in my 2 inch cannon under a 2 pound lead round ball.
I wouldn’t be afraid to shoot 3 ounces of FFg in my cannon. My barrel is 5 inch OD and 2 1/16 ID and is seamless Timken tube with added rings and built up to look like a cast barrel. I don’t know what your barrel is made of, but if you are concerned about safety you could always use the powder up as salutes using 2 to 3 ounces max with no ball or bullet just wadding.
Old Shepherd

 

[pamtnman]

I use a 4 ounce charge of Fg in my 2 inch cannon under a 2 pound lead round ball.
I wouldn’t be afraid to shoot 3 ounces of FFg in my cannon. My barrel is 5 inch OD and 2 1/16 ID and is seamless Timken tube with added rings and built up to look like a cast barrel. I don’t know what your barrel is made of, but if you are concerned about safety you could always use the powder up as salutes using 2 to 3 ounces max with no ball or bullet just wadding.
Old Shepherd

Hugely helpful, thank you. Steel lined cast iron made by the outfit in Idaho.

 

[Old Shepherd]

Something else you could do is a novelty shoot or competition using light squib charges and shove a potato down bore and shoot at upright two tie hay or straw bales. That is hilarious. A nice firm Russet will knock over bales at 75 yards.
Old Shepherd

 

[smoothshooter]

This is very old powder stored in a garage that gets hot in the summer. It has probably degraded pretty badly. I do not use GOEX, rather Swiss and Olde Eynsford, so whatever the results with this GOEX in particular, they would be different from what I would get normally. Sorry. Thought I had made this clear.

High temps DO NOT affect black powder.
As long as it is dry, it will work as well as the day it was made.
Even if it had ever gotten wet, it can be spread out on canvas sheets and dried in the sun, and then used, as our ancestors had to do on occasion.
Unlike smokeless powder, black powder has an infinite shelf life. It does not break down over time.

 

[smoothshooter]

This has not been my own experience

Elaborate ?

 

[bud in pa]

pamtnman I agree with you, it's no good send it to me and I will safely dispose of it for you.

 

[pamtnman]

pamtnman I agree with you, it's no good send it to me and I will safely dispose of it for you.

Come and pick it up here in Dauphin County. The cans are probably collectable. Some are painted. I am going through them now. This stuff is decades old. Like I said above, I do not hunt or practice with GOEX, I use Swiss and Olde Eynsford. I was wondering if this old powder might be useful in cannons, which we fire all summer long. I will try it and report back in the spring

 

[pamtnman]

Elaborate ?

What is your advice on using this old powder in bp cannons? That is the question i asked in this post.