lifespan of black powder and storage

[recycle33952]

currious if black powder degrades over time or has other pitfalls of stocking up on it for years to come.?? also what climate and temperature best suits it?

 

[Ridge]

I've seen powder shot that was at least 20 years old without any ill effect.

I think it boils down to the proverbial cool, dry place.

 

Proper storage ..cool dry and safe abnd it will last forever . Speaking to a plant manager at GOEX a few years ago ,asked him the same question and he told me they have some powder made during the Civil War and it was just as useable today. :v

 

[john12865]

Saw a capper go off after sitting for at least 50 years! I guess it has one hell of a shelf life if it stays dry or the powder drys back out. Nope, I didn't pull the trigger, my father did, I was about 8 years old at the time. Scared the **** out of every one and put a nice hole in the side of the house. Mom didn't think it was funny! :nono:

 

[thehorn]

Ten years years ago I was cleaning out my father's shop following his passing and came across several one pound cans of DuPont 2F & 3F made c. 1970. I still have some of that powder and have fired it over the years without a hitch. I've saved (conserved) it out of a sense of sentimentality for my dad. It's in my powder magazine (along with my Goex) and I expect that it will still be shootable when my son cleans out my shop in the hopefully distant future. Storage - cool & dry - is the key.