Pyrodex shortage, newbie question

[JamesA]

Me thinks lots of the mentality thats comes to preserving what you have is so that that you may pass it to your Heirs..a Legacy of sorts......but your heirs may care very little for the nurture and care you put into something. Not every Relative puts his /Her eye to the same thing as you did nor has the passion....you can hope. Your Baby could go at a garage sale after your,e done. Shoot it now and wear it out!

100% correct. Relatives don't often appreciate what you've acquired through hard work and time.

 

[Jruby38]

Toot is full of what makes the grass go green

 

[sawyer04]

I’m burning 8-10 yr old Pyrodex RS and P (friend passed on). It works just fine. I have had shelf life issues coupla times with Triple 7 3f that was 5 + years old.

Friend gave me some pyrodex that was in a round card board can. Didn't know how old it is. It fired just as well as his new pyrodex. I wanted to try the stuff and it worked, but I will stick with gun powder. Even if I have to make it.

 

[HiDesertHunter]

PYRODEX. is bad JU, JU. and no good !!

I assume you have tried it and had a bad experience with it?

If so please describe it for all to read because I find it interesting how so many have nothing but disdain for Pyrodex but never say why - and those that have used it seem to all report having good results.

 

[Bad Karma]

I assume you have tried it and had a bad experience with it?

If so please describe it for all to read because I find it interesting how so many have nothing but disdain for Pyrodex but never say why - and those that have used it seem to all report having good results.

Bad JuJu! How much clearer does he need to be? As another poster said, “I tried it once. Never again! Nuff said…”


Well, that’s as clear as it can be made, even if he didn’t reference the JuJu and if it was bad or just misunderstood. So much is misunderstood these days.

 

[HiDesertHunter]

Bad JuJu! How much clearer does he need to be?

Try reading my post again and you might notice I did not ask the OP to be 'clearer' - I asked HIM to describe his experience with it. 'Bad JuJu' doesn't tell me anything.

Kind of a difference between clarity and description wouldn't you say?

 

[Bad Karma]

To clarify, please don’t take offense where none was intended, maybe try Sanka next time?

 

[Sam squanch]

If you have to shoot pyrodex, shoot it! Just clean well, and check it EVERY day for rust! That said, I would never use it in a nice custom gun that I would want to keep looking good.

 

[Idaholewis]

I seen lots of Loose Pyrodex today RS and P, North Idaho

 

[tenngun]

PYRODEX. is bad JU, JU. and no good !!

You just have to kiss your barrel, turn three time in a sun wise direction then spit in to the wind
A **** tail feather tied on to the trigger guard will also protect your gun

 

[Okie Hog]

If you have to shoot pyrodex, shoot it! Just clean well, and check it EVERY day for rust!

Regardless of the powder used, the muzzleloader must be properly cleaned and preserved: Too many muzzleloader users are unable to accomplish that. There is no need to frequently check a properly cleaned and preserved muzzleloader for rust.

For many years, a few weeks before deer season, i would receive a dozen or more neglected muzzleloaders to clean up. Hunters had simply put their guns away without cleaning. There was no difference in rifles trashed by black powder or trashed by Pyrodex.

Most of those people never learned anything from having trashed a nice rifle. The same people expected me to do wonders on muzzleloaders they had neglected. The worst guns were those shoved into soft cases after deer season.

After complaints about my inability to restore neglected muzzleloaders to pristine condition, i just stopped messing with their guns.

 

[toot]

I assume you have tried it and had a bad experience with it?

If so please describe it for all to read because I find it interesting how so many have nothing but disdain for Pyrodex but never say why - and those that have used it seem to all report having good results.

one word RUST! after giving it a good cleaning. and hot soapy water causes flash rust. I have to check it a week later, and give it another good cleaning.

 

[toot]

remember that t every body can't be wrong on the bad, JU,JU, PYRODEX!

 

[Grenadier1758]

I assume you have tried it and had a bad experience with it?

If so please describe it for all to read because I find it interesting how so many have nothing but disdain for Pyrodex but never say why - and those that have used it seem to all report having good results.

It was the lag time from the time the cap popped to the time the charge ignited. This wasn't just my revolvers. I have seen the lag time when Pyrodex was used in a sxs shotgun.

The corrosive nature of the burned Pyrodex. The cleaning to get all those burned Pyrodex salts out is much more difficult than cleaning black powder.

 

[LME]

Not knowing your location, can't say to go here or there. I found Pyrodex and Triple 7 in a lawn and garden store in Texas recently.
You can order real black powder or substitutes online. Pricier doing it that way because of shipping and hazmat fees but at least you can get it.

Pyrodex has a limited shelf life, BP does not.

"Limited shelf life"? I guess the little bit of Pyrodex I have left didn't get the memo? Many years old and I can't tell the difference from the day I purchased it?

 

[mushka]

The black powder verses Pyrodex arguments remind me of the Ford verses Chevy arguments. Everybody has a preference. I got to laugh at some of them.

 

[HiDesertHunter]

one word RUST! after giving it a good cleaning. and hot soapy water causes flash rust.

Thank you for describing your experience with Pyrodex but the flash rust you experienced was NOT due to the Pyrodex since you described cleaning it well. Almost anytime metal (especial barrels) are cleaned with hot water they will flash rust if you do not remove the water quickly. I have experienced flash rust as well and that was after cleaning a barrel used with black powder.

When I clean with hot, soapy water, (and rinse with hot) I IMMEDIATELY head to the shop and blow the barrel out with a compressor until dry. A long blowgun tube helps if you can insert it all the way down the barrel as well. If its warm an sunny out Ill set the barrel out in the sun for a while to warm back up and then I use a bore mop with Rem oil and swab the bore leaving a heavy coat of the oil on it. In the winter I set it on the wood stove.

Bottom line is get the water off the metal and DRY as quickly as possible, and oil mop the bore.

 

[foresthawk]

Started using Pyrodex 20 yr. ago; used same container for years, until last year (2020),no storage problem noticed.
Moved over toTtriple 7 last year ( using caplock rifle and #11 caps.) Just my experience with it.

 

[tenngun]

I’ve got the evil stuff and use it slowly.
Black is best’ no doubt about it, but there are times I couldn’t get black. And shooting flintlocks I had to stretch my load.
The only powder one could get shipped was twenty five pounds and I couldn’t afford that at once. It was before I discovered Buffalo or other small batch shippers
So I bought some pounds of evil p.
It works and bad ju ju only comes poor care, poor storage and sloppy use.
Pyrodex was made to be easier for non ‘dyed in the capote’ shooters and store as a propellant and not as an explosiove.
It’s not. It’s made to rust your gun and go bad. And it takes much more care
I check my guns at least once a month, run a few patches down the gun and an oiled
Use of both at a time, as I need black to set off p in a flinter, or pure black I treat it the same way.

 

[user 48702]

Toot is full of what makes the grass go green

I thought that was Brawndo, it has electrolytes, its what plants crave.