Does black powder really cause rust ? I havent seen it

[Dave Fox]

Gentlemen, it’s all elemental chemistry. Black powder, unto itself is to varying degrees: “hydroscopic”. Meaning it draws moisture from the air - so, what happens depends on the conditions of the air around it.
Residual salts, are somewhat analogous. They don’t actually rust a barrel per se, they just speed up and facilitate the process.

Believe that should be "hygroscopic".

 

[Newtire]

I always clean my bp guns right after shooting if possible. I give them a preliminary cleaning at the range and then finish the job when I get home. It's always easier to get them clean when I give them the range cleaning first.

I learned my lesson about Pyrodex the hard way. Don't know if anyone remembers the advertising claims about how Pyrodex was so forgiving that you could leave your guns dirty without cleaning for a day or two and worry about cleaning when you got around to it. Of course we all know this is the farthest thing from the truth.

Due to the hygroscopic nature of real BP, I am a real stickler for getting rid of the residue right away. Living in Idaho is lots easier on things metallic than it was living along the Mississippi in Illinois or in the middle of the redwoods in Northern Kalifornistan but I still clean the BP guns as soon as I can.

 

[mooman76]

If I know ahead of time that I will be pressed for time to clean them, I don't shoot them. It also doesn't get put away until it's clean.

 

[Cattywompuss]

Here's what came out of a previously well maintained smoothbore after being neglected by me for four months. That's a formerly clean bore, in climate control. I live in Alabama, and I run humidifiers during the winter, but mind you, the bore is what rusted, not the exterior. Because black powder residue. Goex to be exact. Even after cleaning with warm water and soap, and some Hoppes BP solvent, just to be safe. All that on the patches was just from swabbing with oil when I took it down from the wall about 20 minutes ago, before any sort of brush even hit it.

 

[Festus]

I agree with the original poster. 30 years ago I used Pyrodex and had lots of trouble. If I didn’t have time to clean immediately I sprayed it down with some type of lube and two days later, I had rust. Blackpowder, not so much. I generally don’t shoot unless I have time to clean but sometimes I will carry a gun around in the pickup and shoot it off and on for 2-3 weeks and not have any issues. The humidity here can be bad in the summer and I have to say I haven’t seen any rust with real black powder either. Not to stir the pot but I am a firm believer in Ballistol.

 

[Trooper]

While looking for some ticking in a fabric store, I came across two cans of ballistol spray. I snapped them up as it seem to be pretty scarce up here.

 

[leadhoarder]

While looking for some ticking in a fabric store, I came across two cans of ballistol spray. I snapped them up as it seem to be pretty scarce up here.

Is the fabric store now placing tie ins for us muzzloading guys?

 

[Trooper]

Is the fabric store now placing tie ins for us muzzloading guys?

I asked the owner about having ballistol in a fabric store, she said that it’s great for lubricating sewing machines.

 

[david w]

During the summer I have seen rust start by the time I get home from the range (45 minute drive). Michigan is one humid state during the summer.

Arkansas is the same way. I always run a wet patch of Old Griz down the barrel as I leave the field. If I wait until I get home, the fouling ahs already began to get hard.

 

[Okie Hog]

Pyrodex and T7 have potassium perchlorate in them, and are considerably more corrosive than regular black powder when exposed to humidity.

All the black powder substitutes including Black Horn 209 contain potassium perchlorate: The only one that leaves a seriously corrosive residue is Pyrodex. Like black powder, Pyrodex contains sulfur, it's the sulfur.

For many years beginning a couple months prior to deer season i would get a dozen or two neglected muzzleloaders to make serviceable. The only difference between a cruddy and pitted barrel that fired black powder and a cruddy and pitted barrel that fired Pyrodex: The black power barrel had more residue.

 

[Jim K]

14 acres... a 150 year old barn... another building and the 30 year old house.. lets just say im not fishing for not cleaning anything.. just that real life like moving myself with no help and repairing this house and property alone happened... and that cleaning 3x 300$ revolvers and a 400$ hawkins rifle wasnt on my mind. all im saying is after 40 days nothing happened.. normally i clean them right away but yea..

My 450k$ property was more important and a bigger investment than any gun lol

Congratulations on your new place. It’s nice to be able to shoot at home!

 

[Idaho Ron]

If a guy doesn't want to clean fantastic. My guns are too valuable to me.

 

[bisleyjohn]

To answer the question ‘Does black powder cause rust.”

the answer is simply “No!”

Moisture, chemical reaction initiated by something cause rust.

 

[jimhallam]

Clean and clean again ! I taught Chemistry for 30 years -- - hyGroscopic is the correct term. The residue from combustion of BP is the problem -- would you wash your vehicle with salty water? Pyrodex is even WORSE (It will pit stainless steel).
Treat your smokepole in the way we used to do with our .303 Rifles when using cordite --- boil out, scrub, oil and then do it all over again 2 or 3 days later. THEN when the bore is really clean you MUST protect it with a moisture-displacing liquid --- there are a number on the market. DON'T plug the muzzle and vent (flint or nipple) as this will ensure that there is a humid environment to ruin your bundhook.

 

[Okie Hog]

One of my rifles is a cheap old CVA .50 caliber inline that's had the action glass bedded. Lost track of the round count a few years ago, somewhere north of 3,000. All those rounds were fired using Pyrodex, mostly RS. The bore of that rifle is shiny and i can't find any pits with my Hawkeye bore scope.

After a shooting session with Pyrodex the bore is swabbed with a patch wet with Windex with vinegar. The vinegar quickly dissolves the residue.

Irregardless whether you use black powder or a substitute, properly clean and preserve your gun and there won't be any rust or corrosion.

 

[DuncNZ]

Clean and clean again ! I taught Chemistry for 30 years -- - hyGroscopic is the correct term. The residue from combustion of BP is the problem -- would you wash your vehicle with salty water? Pyrodex is even WORSE (It will pit stainless steel).
Treat your smokepole in the way we used to do with our .303 Rifles when using cordite --- boil out, scrub, oil and then do it all over again 2 or 3 days later. THEN when the bore is really clean you MUST protect it with a moisture-displacing liquid --- there are a number on the market. DON'T plug the muzzle and vent (flint or nipple) as this will ensure that there is a humid environment to ruin your bundhook.

Cordite rounds had highly corrosive primers
If you are unsure about black powder causing rust , get a piece of steel , clean off the surface with alcohol , place a pinch of black powder on the cleaned surface , light it with a match and leave it where you store your guns .check it every day , that will tell you how long you can leave your guns uncleaned before rust sets in .

 

[Ohio Rusty]

Anything metal needs to be well oiled and protected here in Ohio. Long days of high humidity will cause your weapons to rust if not protected. Even the trees rust here ......
Ohio Rusty ><>

 

[Nobade]

I remember reading something from V.M. Starr about not needing to clean your gun if you shoot it every day. I can see how that would work, you're always blowing out the old fouling. I've never tried it but that would make for an interesting experiment if I had some sort of really cheap gun I could do that with and see what happened.

 

[rocullen]

yep, with a higher humidity, BP will rust anything; even stainless steel.

 

[nhmoose]

Most of the ML brought into my shop for sale were never cleaned. I would pay no more than 25-50 bucks for any of them. The owners would be upset until I said they caused the price not me take it or leave it I really don't want them anyway.