Does black powder really cause rust ? I havent seen it

[Candymancan]

So i got a question for you guys. Ive always read. You must clesn your guns right after you shoot them.. or at least the next day no later.

Due to rust in the barrel and the gun itself yada yadas.

Well i havent seen this.. once.. I have 8 black powder revolvers.. a flint lock pistol.. 54 cal hawkins a howdah pistol 20ga.

Never. In fact i bought 14 acres 40 days ago.. when i got the keys on closing first thing i did was shoot about 5 of my guns into a wood pile 30 yards out.. was deff a form of freedom i havent had living in townhouses all my life.

But due to the move and house repairs and everything needing to be done. I havent had time to clean them. I finally clean the revolvers maybe 5 days ago when i got my 1847 walker.. but my 54 hawkins and flint lock pistol.

Havent touched em. The revolvers i did clean had no rust or pitting or corrosion at all.

Decided to take a look.. and there is no rust on the flint lock or hawkins either. They all had a white powder inside the barrels and cylinders came out in chunks. But once cleaned with water and bore brushes.. nothing.. all shiny.. smooth etc.

This is 40+ days after shooting. Starting to not believe this needing to clean your guns right after you shoot thing. Also i use real black powder.. 2f or 3f.. goex and that german stuff

 

[bpflint2007]

I think a lot of it has to do with humidity in the air. I’ve heard the fouling will draw the moisture out of the air. I will say the fouling will get hard and you kind of make more work for yourself when you do get to it.

However I have a Pietta that has turned into a bit of an experiment on this. I haven’t cleaned it in months and it just has the same white powder in the bore you describe. Maybe today or this week I’ll clean it up. That is with shooting Pyrodex however. GOEX in the summertime I have noticed rust form within days. GOEX in the winter, not the case.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I had a friend whose grandson shot his black powder revolvers and put them back into a damp basement with out cleaning them. They were so rusted that it took me a week to get the first one freed up and working again, plus I broke about ten nipple wrenches getting the nipples loose . I got and add in the mail for a large can of Kroil for 16 dollars delivered so I figured I had only 16 dollars to lose. I waited until I got the Kroil to work on the second one. I soaked it over night and had it all freed uo and working in an hour with no broken nipple wrenches.

 

[Daveboone]

Here in Upstate NY if I shoot one shot out of a black powder firearm, I will have rust the next day. Two days later I will have a major problem. Where are you located? Certainly we have members who live in the drier areas who can offer a viewpoint, but even even under the best of circumstances I think a shooter will be very unhappy eventually if they think they can get away without cleaning very promptly. Not to mention why would you not want to protect your investments? Even shooting Triple seven (when I did)..in a stainless barrel...I had rust after a couple days.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Rust free here, but I clean regular and it's a dry climate.

 

[hawkeye2]

Black powder fouling can draw moisture from the air faster than Sponge Bob Square Pants so It's in everyone's best interest to clean ASAP. High humidity is your worst enemy and you may see little or no rust in a dry climate. The lube you use can also either delay or encourage rust. Years ago I was working, going to school and often had a part time job too and my cleaning habits got slovenly and the lube I was using allowed, possibly even promoted, rusting and I have a gun with a frosted bore which still shoots good. No, not going to name the lube, don't want to go down that rabbit hole. I've used more than one different lube since then and haven't had a problem. Remember a clean bore can rust too so one should always use some form of rust preventative after cleaning and drying.

 

[Danny Ross]

One of my best friends one year shot his Cabela's Investarm's rifle the last day of Deer Gun Season. When we left where we were hunting he got a massive Migraine Headache. When he went into the house he stuck his rifle in the closet and forgot about it, at that time he was shooting Pyrodex Select. Well 11 months later he went to take it out of his closet and saw white powder residue in his barrel, he had totally forgot to clean the gun. When he cleaned it there was no rust. The only thing we could figure out that saved the barrel was it was inside his apartment in a climate controlled environment with the heat and air conditioning with very low humidity. We live central Ohio where it can get very humid in the summer. He was really lucky. DANNY

 

[deerstalkert]

i live in North Idaho.
In the winter it is so dry we have two kettles on the wood stove to put some humidity in the air.
if we don't, static electricity will cause sparks when we touch!
imagine that 55 years together and sparks still fly!
my guns live in the bedroom and i usually clean them every time i shoot.
yesterday i shot and just put my mountain rifle in the garage without cleaning.
today i shot again but swabbed before this session. nothing but black . i have seen rust lightly form along the lands, in the bottom of grooves, but that is the only rust i really have ever seen.
i gave a CVA mountain rifle to my Photographer brother for use as a prop. that was 30 years ago.
i got it back last may.
it had not been cleaned when i gave it to him and he never cleaned it. no rust, no corrosion.
some barrels will rust if you sneeze close by. others just won't.

 

[Britsmoothy]

Yep, stop the fouling absorbing water and nothing will happen.
I often don't clean my guns, but they are kept dry!

 

[oldwood]

Around here , summer high humidity is the enemy........

 

[Britsmoothy]

Around here , summer high humidity is the enemy........

That is exactly why I use plenty of beeswax and olive oil lube, well, it's coconut fat and olive oil this time. Stops the waterborne salts getting to the iron.
Spit don't do it nor does fancy gun oils and certainly not soluble oil!

 

[Steve Martin]

A LOT depends on where you live and what time of year. Here in Florida, in the summer if I don't do a real good job drying off after I take a shower, I start to rust myself!

 

[Trooper]

So i got a question for you guys. Ive always read. You must clesn your guns right after you shoot them.. or at least the next day no later.

Due to rust in the barrel and the gun itself yada yadas.

Well i havent seen this.. once.. I have 8 black powder revolvers.. a flint lock pistol.. 54 cal hawkins a howdah pistol 20ga.

Never. In fact i bought 14 acres 40 days ago.. when i got the keys on closing first thing i did was shoot about 5 of my guns into a wood pile 30 yards out.. was deff a form of freedom i havent had living in townhouses all my life.

But due to the move and house repairs and everything needing to be done. I havent had time to clean them. I finally clean the revolvers maybe 5 days ago when i got my 1847 walker.. but my 54 hawkins and flint lock pistol.

Havent touched em. The revolvers i did clean had no rust or pitting or corrosion at all.

Decided to take a look.. and there is no rust on the flint lock or hawkins either. They all had a white powder inside the barrels and cylinders came out in chunks. But once cleaned with water and bore brushes.. nothing.. all shiny.. smooth etc.

This is 40+ days after shooting. Starting to not believe this needing to clean your guns right after you shoot thing. Also i use real black powder.. 2f or 3f.. goex and that german stuff

 

[Trooper]

I go by the old adage, " Never let the sun set on a dirty barrel". I don't care how tired I get after an outing, that barrel gets cleaned! I guess military training never leaves the old soldier.

 

[Sidney Smith]

I think some people are fishing for a reason not to clean their guns. My opinion is this: if you don't believe that you need to clean your muzzleloader promptly after a shooting session, then don't. It's your gun, treat it however you want. If it doesn't rust, then lucky you. If it does rust, I couldn't care less. It isn't my gun.

All I can say is,, I've spent a lot on my guns, I prefer to keep them looking as nice as I can. They get thoroughly cleaned the same day they are shot.

 

[jackpine54]

Mine get cleaned the day they get shot. I've never had a problem with rust and I don't ever want to.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

Agreed. Why take the chance. Besides, I like cleaning guns.

 

[William Lincoln]

It is not a real fast process, but if you wait longer than a few days you can get that
frosted flakes look coating starting--sulfur and other salts,and water leads to corrosion and small
pitting. The time required depends upon moisture in the air. Visible redish rust usually
is on exposed steel in humid conditions without a protective coating. Light speckling
is common on guns stored in humid conditions unprotected and not maintained.

 

[Candymancan]

Here in Upstate NY if I shoot one shot out of a black powder firearm, I will have rust the next day. Two days later I will have a major problem. Where are you located? Certainly we have members who live in the drier areas who can offer a viewpoint, but even even under the best of circumstances I think a shooter will be very unhappy eventually if they think they can get away without cleaning very promptly. Not to mention why would you not want to protect your investments? Even shooting Triple seven (when I did)..in a stainless barrel...I had rust after a couple days.

Northern va its winter now though so dryer out.. but in the summer i never noticed it either in my townhouse.. i also have my guns in my bedroom with a 27 gallon 135 gallon and 60 gallon fish tanks.. all at about 82f the humidity in here is so high my windows get wet... so i dunno

 

[Candymancan]

I think some people are fishing for a reason not to clean their guns. My opinion is this: if you don't believe that you need to clean your muzzleloader promptly after a shooting session, then don't. It's your gun, treat it however you want. If it doesn't rust, then lucky you. If it does rust, I couldn't care less. It isn't my gun.

All I can say is,, I've spent a lot on my guns, I prefer to keep them looking as nice as I can. They get thoroughly cleaned the same day they are shot.

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