storing black powder in powder horn and/or flask

[deerstalkert]

There was an old old hardware store near me years ago you know the kind with the creaking wooden Flores and stuff every ware hap hazard, and they sold black powder and even dynamite in the 1920’s but what I am getting at is we all know back in the day Black powder came in casks and what he told me was his great grandfather sold powder straight out of the cask into cotton bags when you needed a pound or 1/2 pound .I guess just don’t let your bag get wet or you would wind up with a block of coal. Ha Ha.. pretty cool some of the old story’s that you here from days gone by.

you can wet BP as much as you want. all it does is turn into a goo. dry it out recorn it and completely dry it and she is ready to bang again. sometimes i think twice wetted powder has more snap.

 

[Two Feathers]

you may have the special touch

Jake2454;
I've been accused of a lot of things, BUT having the special touch has never been one of them.
God bless:
Two Feathers

 

[deerstalkert]

my wife always says i'm touched but never adds the special part!

 

[Two Feathers]

Ironically, Same here. I guess it goes with being hitched for 53 years?
God bless:
Two Feathers

 

[deerstalkert]

hitched , with who in the traces?
no doubt whom in my house.

 

[.36Rooster]

I have yet to have a problem storing powder long term in flasks.

I definitely see where problems can arise. I may find one some day yet. But I have been storing my 3f in a flask for up to a year at a time. Temperature change will probably be what gets me eventually. Going from cold outside to a warm toasty house. I do it. Have yet to ever find a clump when I refill it, I'll deal with it when it happens. It's too much of a pain to loosen the screws and dump it and refill it with every outing. So far I've been getting along alright.

My rifle horn never gets empty. I top it off and refill it every time I shake it and hear a sound.

Just me, but I don't like pouring powder back in the can once it's been out. I keep my main supply in a controlled environment, that way if I ever encounter a problem, I encounter it at my horn, and not in the main supply. I don't disagree with any of what I'm reading here though.

 

[Tenring]

.36Rooster I feel the same way about pouring powder back in the can once it’s been out , like it got tainted some how or something i am glad it’s not just me, I do have OCD though yea thats probably it.

 

[.36Rooster]

Yeah. I'd say let the horn get tainted. Not that it does get tainted. But if there is ever a moisture problem, why bring it back into your main supply? Keep it at the horn. If you need to dump it and refill, then not as big of a deal.

 

[.36Rooster]

But then I'm also the guy that doesn't like to shoot while wearing the horn. Or at least spin it behind my back before I fire. Sparks, and a pound of black powder against my torso...it's a miracle that the practice is as safe as it is. As long as you remember to plug your horn...

 

[deerstalkert]

never a need to dump damp BP. just dry it out and its ready to go. if it clumps a little just shake it like......... well just shake it!

 

[.36Rooster]

I agree with that statement because I've seen how it's made. It starts out wet...

I've never actually had to dump a horn to be honest.

 

[Steve Martin]

What others have said is correct. I also live in Florida and have powder horns I have had powder in for years that still shoots just fine. None of my horns have any valves just wood plugs (which I do keep tight) so I can't speak to the issue of faulty or leaking pour valves but otherwise I don't know if there really is any reason to worry about the powder "going bad" even over many years, provided the horn is indeed airtight.

 

[Bearkiller]

I left a horn full of powder for 15 years and it went bang just fine.

 

[deerstalkert]

recently i found a old square can of Hercules FFg with the pressure pop top, sitting in the wife's canning shed.
i vaguely remember buying it at a shoot about 30 years ago. i make all my own powder so it just got set on the window sill of the uninsulated shed.
i was curious and shot some in my Hawken 54. still goes boom, makes white smoke and was very accurate. that lid can't be all that much of a seal so that powder cycled through 30 winters, wet springs, and sometimes wetter summers here.
i have done experiments with my concoctions . the dryer it is the more velocity i get. but i have fired powder that was so wet it smeared on my finger. creates a poof! you can almost see the water vaper in the discharge.

 

[Colonial Boy]

I never leave powder in the horn, soon as I get home I tip it back into the tin, not because of any issues other than that my powder horn won’t fit into my locked ammo box, too much ammo in there.
Am afraid of moisture?
Nope, but I am wary of our laws which mandate that all fixed and loose ammo must be locked up (except inert projectiles).

Once was a day when I’d just hang the horn on the wall and leave it till I went out again for a shot.

Count your blessings.

 

[deerstalkert]

you have our sympathy CB.
hopefully in the short time i have left i will never have your pain.

 

[troy2000]

i just found a powder horn i made and filled 25 years ago. it was left in the wife's canning shed out back. this was filled with my home brew fffg without any graphite even. i fired 21 shots in Zonie's memory yesterday with it. had to replace the leather lace because the mice had eaten it to a stub, but no damage to the horn.
the powder worked like it was made yesterday.

I'm a little surprised the mice didn't also gnaw on the horn. Maybe because of the powder in it?

 

[troy2000]

my wife always says i'm touched but never adds the special part!

My wife says I'm definitely 'special.' But I don't think she means it in a good way...

 

[Eric Krewson]

I was gifted some horns from the 70s, they had been stored in a climate controlled environment, some of them were still full of powder, there was some 3F and 4F. I dumped it back in the cans of powder that were gifted to me at the same time and shot it up, no problems what so ever. I never use a horn, I use a can with a spout at the range and premeasured loads in tubes when I hunt.

Nice horns;

 

[SamTex1949]

Dearstalkert, Id like to know more about that can ! 30 year ago would just be 1991. I dont recall Hercules making , selling BP , doesnt mean they didnt just never saw it ! Been shooting BP since early 70s and only saw dupont/GOEX and the other smaller suppliers. Interesting !