storing black powder in powder horn and/or flask

[desi23]

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.View attachment 91567View attachment 91568

That is a very cool old can, would love to have one of those in my old powder can collection. If you only got it @ 30 years ago it would have been old when you got it. Hercules quit using those little square cans a long time ago (in the 1960's I believe) switching to a cardboard tube type can for their standard 1 lb size packages.

 

[deerstalkert]

That is a very cool old can, would love to have one of those in my old powder can collection. If you only got it @ 30 years ago it would have been old when you got it. Hercules quit using those little square cans a long time ago (in the 1960's I believe) switching to a cardboard tube type can for their standard 1 lb size packages.

it is pre 1964 as there is no zip code on the address. of course my recollection of when i got it is as hazy as my eyes! its possible i could have picked it up in the early 60's.
my wife say's i have everything i ever owned! except my stunning good looks!

 

[Rifleman1776]

Before there were plastic and tin cans, that is what was used.
No problem. Just keep dry.

 

[smoothshooter]

as someone new to flintlocks i like to shoot as often as i can and as the time to do so is limited and on the spur of the moment i wondering how long is too long to keep black powder stored in a powder horn or flask. your input will be appreciated. thanks in advance

Don’t worry about it too much. Unburned black powder CAN draw a little moisture and have a few clumps from high humidity in a flask over a very long period of time if it has remained stationary for many months or years. If it does just give it a few good vigorous shakes and those clumps will break right up. Then get on with your shooting.

 

[smoothshooter]

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.

Don’t worry about it too much. Unburned black powder CAN draw a little moisture and have a few clumps from high humidity in a flask over a very long period of time if it has remained stationary for many months or years. If it does just give it a few good vigorous shakes and those clumps will break right up. Then get on with your shooting.

What do you mean “ in Zonie’s memory “?

 

[deerstalkert]

What do you mean “ in Zonie’s memory “?

you do know Zonie passed right? my reference was to a 21 shot salute to Him.

 

[smoothshooter]

What do you mean “ in Zonie’s memory “?

What do you mean “ in Zonie’s memory “?

I just now went back and checked “ Across The Great Divide “ and saw that Zonie has passed.
This was the first I had read about it. Saddens me.
He would have been a good man to be acquainted with personally, I think.
Even though he dinged me a few times on my posts, he was fair and I never harbored any hard-feelings toward him.
Can’t help but wonder if it was the China virus that got him?
He will be missed . . .

 

[Crow-Feather]

Only one real way to find out as humidity varies from state and house to house. Put some powder in a horn and hang it up.

 

[deerstalkert]

what i really want to stress as i have seen people reference "tossing it out" is that it will dry out and be just as good as the day it came in the can. there are no chemicals that break down in BP.

 

[Eterry]

I bought a collection of old black powder supplies, including 2 horns and a flask. The larger horn was old enough the leather strap had dry rotted and crumbled in my hands.

I shook the horn and Behold, it had powder in it. Poured about 10 grains in a pickle jar lid and lit it. Flash of light, puff of smoke convinced me it's still good.
No idea how old it is. Horn looks homemade, very rough exterior.

 

[chiller]

Jake2454,
I store black powder in my horn during the shooting and hunting season but, empty my horn into the original metal container stored in a cool dry place (basement) during the winter. I have used a brass flask with spring control opening from time to time. Likewise, I empty the flask into the original powder container and store along with the rest of my powder containers. Smokeless powder company websites, such as Hodgdon, will give you the proper way to store black powder or smokeless powder and I follow those directions. A full powder horn can be thought of as a bomb waiting to go off if you do not take proper precautions. Store away from open flames or heat. Be safe and you will stay safe. The same goes for how you store bulk powder. My only issue is most powder companies now sell powder in plastic containers, be it smokeless or black powder. Metal is the only way to go for long term storage. For bulk storage, I place all my powder containers in a wood box with a lid that is not locked down. The wood is a safe storage material that insulates and prevents temperature swings and in case of a home fire, the lid is able to lift away if the powder inside ignites, preventing a extreme pressure build-up and creating a very large bomb.

 

[OhioHawkeye]

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;

View attachment 91587

Actually the best way to keep horns bug free.
As long as it's real black powder