difference in rusting rate - goex vs pyrodex

[new2bp]

So as an excuse to be somewhat lazy, I let my pistol get a tad rusty on purpose.

First time I shot it, I shot one round (the night I got it) then the next morning I went to the range and put three full cylinders through it (so 19 rounds total), all using some Pyrodex I was given with the gun when I bought it. Had lunch, went home, went fishing, came back that night and sat down to clean it and .... ah! Rust! Easy enough to clean up, actually was easier to clean up than the pyrodex mess.

Recently did a mini-group buy of some powder and one of the other participants gave me some 3F Goex (I had ordered some Schutzen for myself since that is what was available at the moment), and so since I had read here that real BP was easier to clean and caused less rust issues, when I went to the range this weekend I though well, I'll let it sit for 24 hours and then clean.

Barely any hints of starting to rust, and definitely much easier to clean. Drastically different. Kind of amazing actually....

 

[44Bro]

Well two of the Pyrodreck residues are HCL and H2S, add a bit of humidity and instant corrosion. True black doesn't create the HCL.

 

[Winchester97]

I have bought a few "put away dirty" Guns expecting a trashed bore. I had 3 that were fired with real black that sat for years without cleaning. No pitting at all after cleaning. I also loaned one out that came back dirty. A little soap and water, and good as new. It sat for around a month after firing 2f Goex. It's hard to beat real black powder. I imagine in a high humidity emvironment, my situation may have turned out different.

 

[tenngun]

Britsmoothy has written that he has shot and not cleaned, it seems in my oldtimers memory over a month and no rust. He thinks we colonist are a bit OC about cleaning.
I won’t disagree, I am OC.
Real black or make believe powder I clean deep, soon after shooting and oil well then wipe so it’s not dripping oil.
It’s not s chore for me, it’s part of the shooting
I don’t let the sun set on a dirty gun
Shooting P it’s just safer to clean

 

[necchi]

. Kind of amazing actually....

It's not as simple as that.
You need to understand that the residue of both powders are "hygroscopic".
1.(of a substance) tending to absorb moisture from the air.
aka: Humidity.
And it's the water available that leads to the corrosiveness
Available moisture changes daily, and seasonably within a region of a country,
And more so within separate regions of our country,.
Minn ain't like Florida in August.
And Arizona ain't like Minn in January.
Nobodies really sure about California,,
Basically, if your lawns brown when ya shoot on Tuesday and it's the same on Saturday ya won't have to mow the grass.
But if there's dew on the grass and your windshield is foggy in the morning for a week,
Ya better get busy.
Here's a hint from experience:
Don't let cleaning go, even overnight. No matter what. Even if it's "easy" after a week being dry,, you've givin that stuff a chance to start.

On the other side of the coin,, Aghh, don't worry about it,, it's just a muzzle loader

 

[TrapperDude]

On the other side of the coin,, Aghh, don't worry about it,, it's just a muzzle loader

Something tells me that the only ones who would say that are those who don't actually own one.

 

[Okie Hog]

i've cleaned up and returned to service a couple hundred neglected and abused muzzleloader rifles. Cruddy Black and Pyrodex are equally corrosive. Both contain sulfur.

 

[IanH]

I have a theory that the type of patch lube used (grease/oil/wax vs. water-based or water/soap based) has more to do with the amount of corrosion an uncleaned gun experiences than the type of powder used in it.

I'm not a fan of Pyrodex for a lot of reasons, the main one being how irritating it is to my sinuses. I think it's the chlorine, I get the same irritation just walking by a chlorinated pool or getting a whiff of a fresh glass of city water.