nervous about using true black

[nodakhorseman]

I've been muzzleloader hunting for quite a long time, but I've never used true black powder. I'm not worried about the safety of using true black, rather I'm worried about the corrosive nature of true black.

I'm very diligent about cleaning my MLers every time I use them. But, what do you do when you are in the field on a multi-day or week-long hunting trip when you are using true black? How do you clean the gun so damage does not occur?

I do hunt on week-long trips and am ignorant in many regards on true black powder. That's why I've always used Pyrodex and have been comfortable with it on these trips.

--Nodak

 

[Zonie]

IMO, real black powder fouling is no more corrosive than Pyrodex fouling. Some people say that Pyrodex is worse.

If the gun is unfired, true black powder is not corrosive at all by itself. It does soak up moisture from the air so I suppose if it were left in a totally clean (unoiled) barrel for a long time the moisture might start rusting the bore a bit but I think this would take longer than a week for it to do any damage.
Just sitting here thinking about it, I doubt that a load of powder in the barrel would actually soak up enough moisture from the air to do much either as long as the patched ball wasn't lubed with spit or a wet lube that contains water, and the vent hole on a flintlock or the nipple hole was tightly sealed with a plug or rubber/plastic cap.

 

[renovato]

Pyrodex is corrosive too, in fact it's a little more corrosive than black powder. If you have a cleaning regiment that works for Pyrodex, it'll work for black powder too. The most important thing with either powder is rinsing away the salts after firing so that they can't attract moisture and rust the metal. That's pretty easy in the field since they came out with those hose cleaning systems that replace the nipple.

As for the powder itself, there are a lot of folks who leave charges in their guns for weeks, even months. I haven't ever heard of rust issues. I always assumed the saltpeter, being a salt, would attract moisture and cause corrosion, but apparently it isn't an issue. Maybe in high humidity environments it would be. I still dump my charge at the end of the day and start fresh. There's probably no reason to do so other than I feel reassured by doing it.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I plug the nipple and dump scalding hot water down, flush and repeat. then wet patch with GoJo white hand cleaner and patch until clean. wipe down exterior with hand cleaner too. pull drum screw and dry with pipe cleaner and good to go.
I always carry C&B revolver w/me afield and have shot a lot then cleaned with GoJo on a rag and poured hot water over. no problem, when home I take down and clean well.
windshield washer fluid does well also. get the winter mix has more alcohol in it.

 

[Ridge]

Although I'd never suggest it to anyone else, I often allow my rifle to sit for 3 or 4 days after I shoot it without cleaning it. I only use real black powder and I've never had a problem with the barrel rusting.

Just follow the same routine that you do for Pyrodex and you will be fine.

 

[bob308]

i am a myth buster the subs. will rot your barrel qucker then real b-p.

i have seen a lot of barrels runined when they were not cleaned.after using the subs.

 

[MikeC]

I've used Pyrodex in the past in percussion guns and it fouls just as much as BP and it's just as corrosive.

 

[bwhoffman]

I found out, way back, that I got more fouling/white fuzz, using pyrodex than I do now using Goex.
They both act different with different lubes.

Do as you are nowand you shouldnt have any issues!

 

[Black Hand]

I've been muzzleloader hunting for quite a long time, but I've never used true black powder. I'm not worried about the safety of using true black, rather I'm worried about the corrosive nature of true black.

I'm very diligent about cleaning my MLers every time I use them. But, what do you do when you are in the field on a multi-day or week-long hunting trip when you are using true black? How do you clean the gun so damage does not occur?

I do hunt on week-long trips and am ignorant in many regards on true black powder. That's why I've always used Pyrodex and have been comfortable with it on these trips.

--Nodak

Lots of "smoke and mirrors" by the substitute crowd. They convince you that black powder is dangerous and corrosive so that you will use their substitute which is peddled as "Less dangeous and less corrosive". Absolute manure!

Shoot real black powder, clean your gun and be done with it. The only real difference is in the price and performance. Black powder is usually cheaper and works better than the other stuff.

There is no need to be nervous. Welcome to the dark side!

Signed,
A former user of the fake stuff and a staunch supporter of real BLACK POWDER.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Gentlemen: The " g " that follows the powder size, ( ie. FFg, FFFg, FFFFg) indicates that the powder has been rolled in graphite, and coated. Graphite both insulates the granules of Black Powder from static electricity, AND, from attracting moisture.

It is the Black Powder residue that attracts moisture from the air. You have to use a water based patch lube, or pour powder down a barrel that is still wet with any water, or water based cleaning fluid, to spoil the powder charge.

The whole purpose of cleaning between shots is to make sure the barrel is DRY, and either the flashpan, or nipple, is cleaned of black Powder residue. There is not a lot you can do between shots to clean and dry the flashchannel or powder chamber of a percussion action rifle( those that have the reduced size powder chambers), but if you are careful to PULL the crud out, rather than shove it down into the powder chamber and then back into the flashchannel, the cap on the end of the nipple does a pretty good job of keeping moisture air out of the flash channel from the back end. Therefore, The Powder chamber and powder should remain dry.

When you do clean the barrel, use Tepid water to rinse it to bring the barrel to room or air temperture. Then use a good non-petroleum based lube to protect the bore from moisture and rusting. If you dry a HOT barrel, the heat will condense moisture from the air, and you get "flash rust".

Follow these suggestions, and your concerns about rusting the barrel should be gone.

 

[jtmattison]

That's why I've always used Pyrodex and have been comfortable with it on these trips.

--Nodak

Whatever you do with your rifle for Pyrodex will work for BP.
Like others, I have heard Pyrodex is more corrosive than BP.

I have left a BP fired rifle overnight without even wiping the bore and there was no evidence of corrosion.

HD

 

[musketman]

Nothing smells quite as good as black powder being fired from a muzzleloading weapon. (with few exceptions) :thumbsup:

 

[BrownBear]

I have left a BP fired rifle overnight without even wiping the bore and there was no evidence of corrosion.

I've had to learn the ins and out of subs due to the difficulty, near impossibility, of getting real black into remote locations in Alaska. Even so, I've managed to get good supplies of black now and then.

The issue of cleaning is one of the big differences I've seen between black and Pyrodex. On one occasion I was forced to leave a Pyrodex-fouled bore overnight before cleaning. Darned near broke my heart when I cleaned it the next day, and branded the "always clean" mantra into my brain.

I recently forgot to clean one of three guns I had been shooting with black. No excuses other than CRS. You can imagine my anxiety when I discovered my mistake late the next evening. The gun had sat a full 24 hours and more, rather than the 12 hours of previous experience with Pyrodex.

To my great surprise and even greater relief, there was no corrosion, in spite of everything you hear about Pyrodex being better. NOT!!!!!!!

I do have to add however, that a friend using Pyrodex while also following the philosophy of no petroleum products in his bore has zero problems with Pyrodex corrosion in his bore. I helped him clean a gun that sat for three days without cleaning (yeah, he's pretty sloppy), and there was no corrosion whatsoever. Wierd.

I'll also add that another shooting pard uses 777 and another uses American Pioneer. Neither has the corrosion issues I do with Pyrodex. More wierd stuff to stick in your pipe.

No hype here and I don't have a stake in the holy wars over black versus subs. I use both because I have to and I try to find the truth about both. Truth has always served me better than dogma.

 

[jbwilliams3]

My friend gave me a 41 cal. lincoln derringer that had been sitting on a shelf in his garage for years while it was LOADED. Through at least a few changes of seasons the gun sat there with black powder in the barrel. When I clean the barrel, there were no real signs of corrosion. It was an old gun so it didn't look perfect and there was a little rust, but nothing that couldn't be cleaned up. It still fires as well as a derringer can be expected to.

 

[nchawkeye]

Take a few empty eye drop bottles, put alcohol in them and a small bottle of gun oil and clean as necessary...

 

[bingo1952]

You can get away with not cleaning immediately after a session if the gun is kept at a constant temperature and the humidity is fairly low but is you have fluctuations in temperature and humidity it is a recipe for a rust-up problem.

 

[poordevil]

If I have shot my Musketoon and just can not clean it the same day, I squirt WD-40 down the dirty barrel. I have had the gun for over 30 years and the barrel is good as new. Mind you I always try yo clean it the same day. If I am hunting and out in the booinies, I shoot the load in the barrel at evening time and clean and leave unloaded till morning, and start with a clean gun.THAT is if any shots were taken. If no shots were taken, then I leave gun loaded till its time to go home, shoot the load and clean as normal.

P.

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I've shot both BP and Pyro in my C&B revolvers out camping and did a basic cleaning that evening, pull cylinder and wipe down both and bore with white hand cleaner on a raq. pour hot water on the cylinder to rinse off any residue, wipe again including the chambers and set by the fire to dry.
when dry assemble and grease the pin, then wipe all with clean rag.
doesn't take long - I do a takedown and complete scrub when I get home but sometimes that's days if not a week away.

 

[jethro224]

Yep, you've been reading too many ads for subs.
Quitcher worryin', you'll like it.

 

[ohio ramrod]

I've never used pyrodex or any other substitute but like many I've heard it is just as corrosive. The main thing is no matter which you use cleaning and oiling is a must!My first Muzzle loader barrel is still in as new condition in the bore (not so on the outside-to many bumps and dings) after 48 years and who knows how many shots>