Older Goex black powder

[kelvinator]

I was gifted some older Goex BP yesterday from my Dad that was apparently in with some stuff from my Granddad's belongings that he'd forgotten about.
Best as I can remember my Granddad was fairly active in muzzleloading well into the 1990's so this stuff could be from there about's or older I guess.
About a pound and a half each of 2F and 3F.
The last of my Goex is about a half pond of 3F that's a little over 10 years old.
There are some lot numbers inked on the can bottoms that I cannot make heads or tails of.
I plan to use it.
Might be interesting to shoot it over the chrony and compare the older stuff to my kinda old stuff.

 

[Mulebrain]

It shouldn't matter

 

[Kansas Jake]

Difference over a chronograph would more likely be from lot variation than from age if all is GOEX.

 

[andy52]

The powder you are showing is really not that old my guess is that you will see very little difference velocity between the two.

 

[ETipp]

I'm still using some that I've had going on 20 years now. Works like it had oughtta, as granny Clampett used to say.

 

[kyron4]

It will be fine, it's black powder after all.

 

[TDM]

Yep, as said, it will shoot fine. And by all means save the cans, they’ll be collector items one day.

 

[Whitworth]

I got some in cans like that a few years ago at an estate sale and it shot fine I put new powder that comes in plastic bottles into my old metal cans for general use. I like the look and feel of the old cans.

 

[SDSmlf]

I have similar and older powder cans. Just make sure that they contain actual blackpowder before loading it and touching off that load in your favorite muzzleloader.

 

[Eterry]

I was gifted some older Goex BP yesterday from my Dad that was apparently in with some stuff from my Granddad's belongings that he'd forgotten about.
Best as I can remember my Granddad was fairly active in muzzleloading well into the 1990's so this stuff could be from there about's or older I guess.
About a pound and a half each of 2F and 3F.
The last of my Goex is about a half pond of 3F that's a little over 10 years old.
There are some lot numbers inked on the can bottoms that I cannot make heads or tails of.
I plan to use it.
Might be interesting to shoot it over the chrony and compare the older stuff to my kinda old stuff.

I used up a can last year that was stamped 1983.
Du-Pont tested some found in a desk there wrapped in 140?? year old newspaper. It had no difference than current made.

 

[lgrimes]

I have read that a court house in South Missouri was torn down and they found cannon balls that were fired during the Civil War that were still active and found that the powder was still usable. They even called in the bomb squad. As long as the powder has not been wet it should still be usable.

 

[akroguy]

The stuff never dies! Start eating black powder. It's the fountain of youth!

Yer pecker might quit workin' tho.

End of public service announcement. You're welcome.

 

[dave951]

The issue I have with black powder from an estate is you don't know if it's been mixed with other "black powder" to consolidate cans. That happened to a N-SSA member and the other "black powder" was smokeless. Result, a wrecked original Springfield musket and some destroyed undergarments but no permanent injuries to the shooter.

 

[maillemaker]

A couple of months ago I bought an almost-full keg of black powder still labeled Moosic, PA. I think that makes it about 30 years old. Shoots fine.

I would like to see Goex, when they come back online, do some kind of analysis and publish the data to show us that the new Goex powder performs similarly to the old Goex powder. I don't want to do load workups all over again.

 

[SDSmlf]

I would like to see Goex, when they come back online, do some kind of analysis and publish the data to show us that the new Goex powder performs similarly to the old Goex powder. I don't want to do load workups all over again.

Wish you luck while you wait. I’m sure it will be ‘similar’ to some extent, but even if data were to be published, how could it cover all calibers and other variables? Realistically, would expect to do my own testing in my own guns just like with any new or different powder.

I may use it up one day, but one of the reasons I hold on to various old powders is to have the ability to actually compare how new and old powders perform in my guns if I want to. Just prefer my own actual data over someone else’s chart.

 

[Brazos John]

I have similar and older powder cans. Just make sure that they contain actual blackpowder before loading it and touching off that load in your favorite muzzleloader.

I bought some estate bp, among other bp accessories.
I trust that it IS bp, although I haven't shot any yet.
I think I will open each can and check it out before I load any of it.
Just little comments from y'all sometimes put out info that is more important than you realize!
Thanks!

 

[maillemaker]

Wish you luck while you wait. I’m sure it will be ‘similar’ to some extent, but even if data were to be published, how could it cover all calibers and other variables? Realistically, would expect to do my own testing in my own guns just like with any new or different powder.

I may use it up one day, but one of the reasons I hold on to various old powders is to have the ability to actually compare how new and old powders perform in my guns if I want to. Just prefer my own actual data over someone else’s chart.

I'm not expecting testing over any variable but the powder itself. I have no doubt that Goex, like any chemical company, has means to check the quality of the product in a quantitative manner, and the new product can be compared against the old.

Even in ancient times they had mechanisms for testing gunpowder. I'm sure today with the advent of things like mass spectrometry and advanced chemical analysis there are even more ways to do this.

In fact, there is a government specification that includes testing of black powder. Since the US government was Goex's largest customer, I suspect they are very familiar with it and how to test to it.

http://everyspec.com/MIL-SPECS/MIL-SPECS-MIL-P/download.php?spec=MIL-P-223B.027977.pdf

 

[raylohr1965]

Makes me feel old when you say way back in the 90s
I have some from 1973

 

[david w]

I have few pounds of Goex that were made in the middle 1970's. They still good to go. That's from personal experience. I have read that powder made during the Civil war was proven to go boom.

 

[Mulebrain]

Powder from the Civil War will still shoot fine.