Pyrodex Shelf Life

[vega72]

I have some Pyrodex RS that I have had for years. 10 plus years. I took out my 50cal percussion last night. I shot 4 shots at 25 yards with no problem. The container was about 3/4 full. I have heard people say the shelf life is about a year. I guess that might be true if you stored it in a wet damp basement. 60 gr patch ball ignited fine, and shot accurate. I have had this for a long time because I use black powder.

 

[Trigger]

Dry powder is dry powder you know.

It would not surprise me if you wet it dried it out and ran threw a chronograph that it wouldn't pick up that big a difference.

Basement here. I had pyrodex from high school.. lol 25 years basement. I used it to sight in and finished off with new pyro.. no difference on paper.

 

[Trigger]

Caps old work too.. and 777

When first started muzzloader.. I was afraid everything went bad and sometimes it's just not going to work when..

I'd re load it every other day afraid it took moisture etc.. unless it rained on you it's fine all season/week

 

[russellshaffer]

I once shot up some that was in an old cardboard container with a plastic plug and a really low old price tag on it. Worked just fine. I don't dump out my smokeless powder when it gets a few years old, either. Just keep it dry.

 

[#BPBReloadingFFL]

Shelflife forever! I have 2 coated cardboard cans here,one is round the other square.

 

[Black_Feather]

Phew, that’s good to know, I have about 3 unopened cans that I had for quite some time.

 

[Togo]

I have a full to the lid of Pyrodex P and a partial of Select FFG that I bought in 1993 all still good.

 

[smoothshooter]

I have some Pyrodex RS that I have had for years. 10 plus years. I took out my 50cal percussion last night. I shot 4 shots at 25 yards with no problem. The container was about 3/4 full. I have heard people say the shelf life is about a year. I guess that might be true if you stored it in a wet damp basement. 60 gr patch ball ignited fine, and shot accurate. I have had this for a long time because I use black powder.

Pyrodex seems to last indefinitely.
I never shot a lot of it, but I know that if undisturbed for a long time it can develop clumps. If that happens, just shake the container vigorously for a few seconds and break up the clumps.
No harm done.

For some reason a lot of people worry excessively about the shelf life of gunpowder.
As long as it has not gotten wet, it will outlast you and your children. Including smokeless.
The Lewis and Clark expedition got a lot of their powder thoroughly saturated with water at least once, and spread it out on large canvas sheets over two days to dry it out in the sun. They repackaged it and continued to use it.

 

[CaptainKirk]

I've used Pyrodex over a decade old with no issues. The key is keep it in the ORIGINAL container and tightly sealed. If you have it in a damp are or plan on not using it for a while, simply put the original container in a gallon size Ziploc baggie.

 

[Eutycus]

Yeah, the containers with the old price tags on them work just fine .

 

[Rifleman1776]

In my house, only minutes. I would dump it into the garden.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

for what it is Pyrodex gets a bad rap here. It is though a usable item.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

When I got my first Dixie Gun works catalog they were selling rev war powder, when it ran out they sold civil war powder.
The gobermint keeps loaded ammo with modern powder for 30 years then sells it off to scrap dealers.
They sell the powder and we the people use it.
So Id have to figure if you store correctly you should be able to keep it at least 30 years. Should last longer in the bottle and not in a brass case.

 

[springfield art]

I have some Pyrodex RS that I have had for years. 10 plus years. I took out my 50cal percussion last night. I shot 4 shots at 25 yards with no problem. The container was about 3/4 full. I have heard people say the shelf life is about a year. I guess that might be true if you stored it in a wet damp basement. 60 gr patch ball ignited fine, and shot accurate. I have had this for a long time because I use black powder.

Come on! It surely has a longer "shelf life" than a year! That's BS! Properly stored it's probably like real BP or the old military surplus powders after WW2; indefinite! Good luck!

 

[hanshi]

I was gifted a couple of cans of Pyro that had been stored in a barn and previously opened. I tried it out in a couple of pistols and was disappointed (to say the least). Shot to shot velocity variations were enormous along with low velocities across the board. I dumped it.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I've used Pyrodex over a decade old with no issues. The key is keep it in the ORIGINAL container and tightly sealed. If you have it in a damp are or plan on not using it for a while, simply put the original container in a gallon size Ziploc baggie.

For me, the last time I used Pyrodex was at least 30 years ago, and it was in a new, original, cylindrical can in my revolver. I had to use the new improved powder. Nothing but hangfires. Probably should have used magnum caps if they had been available. The unused remainder is still on the shelf on my safe.

If the choice is Pyrodex or no black powder available and the ignition is a percussion cap, then do everything to get a hot shot of flame to the Pyrodex. That would be magnum caps and top performance nipples.

 

[PastorB]

Got a bunch 30+ year old cans/jugs of Pyrodex (bought them for $1 a jug, end of season clearance), and have never had a problem with them. I suspect it is as stable as real black when stored in the same conditions. Leave them in your garage, wet basement, or camper all year around, and you will have problems, real black, Pyro or whatever. Same with caps, got hundreds of 40+ year old tins, they fire without a hitch.

 

[morehops52]

I have pyrodex from the early 80's that I still use in my thunder mugs. It doesn't go bang as good as my real BP but it still fires no problem.

 

[sussexmuzllodr]

Pyrodex can be considered by some the second coming of Christ...when you have nothing else...