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Pyrodex

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For what it's worth, even Thompson Center's ad for #13 says it is a "bore cleaner". It is not intended to be used as a patch lube or a lubricant of any kind.

Now, lets get back to discussing and arguing about Pyrodex.
 
For cleaning Pyrodex I recommend lots of warm soapy water.
Place the breech in a bucket and change the water at least twice, 3 times would be better.
 

My opinion seems to be confirmed, sadly.

My original post was (Molybdenum grease? Sounds rather NON-traditional to me. I would have thought that one of the moderators would have banned reference to it ;-) )
I followed this up with ( Perhaps I am being a bit "thick", but I can't see why it seems to be o.k. to discuss Pyrodex, Triple7 etc -- all of which are NOT "Black Powder". )
Your response ( Yep, you are! ) shows that I got it wrong, but I was surprised by your response(s).
I always thought that you caught more flies with sugar rather than salt.

I am obviously going to go no further with THIS particular thread --- but in my defence I would say that I meant to be gently ironic. I really am NOT "thick" -- having been Head of the Science Department in a Senior High School for 25 years. You could ask a few of my American colleagues, such as Jerry Coates (ex President, Gettysburg Preservation Society, past National Commander, N-SSA) or Phil Schreier (Curator, NRA Museum, Fairfax, VA)

Jim Hallam
Vice-President, NRA (GB); Vice President Emeritus, Historical Breechloading Smallarms Association; Asst. Curator, NRA Museum (Bisley); Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers of the City of London (founded 1637); etc...
 
My opinion seems to be confirmed, sadly.

My original post was (Molybdenum grease? Sounds rather NON-traditional to me. I would have thought that one of the moderators would have banned reference to it ;-) )
I followed this up with ( Perhaps I am being a bit "thick", but I can't see why it seems to be o.k. to discuss Pyrodex, Triple7 etc -- all of which are NOT "Black Powder". )
Your response ( Yep, you are! ) shows that I got it wrong, but I was surprised by your response(s).
I always thought that you caught more flies with sugar rather than salt.

I am obviously going to go no further with THIS particular thread --- but in my defence I would say that I meant to be gently ironic. I really am NOT "thick" -- having been Head of the Science Department in a Senior High School for 25 years. You could ask a few of my American colleagues, such as Jerry Coates (ex President, Gettysburg Preservation Society, past National Commander, N-SSA) or Phil Schreier (Curator, NRA Museum, Fairfax, VA)

Jim Hallam
Vice-President, NRA (GB); Vice President Emeritus, Historical Breechloading Smallarms Association; Asst. Curator, NRA Museum (Bisley); Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers of the City of London (founded 1637); etc...
Jim,

Howmany etc.etc? ;):):):)

I'm on Melville on Thursday afternoon, Bay 'A'

poppalong

J
 
Boston Bill,

Couldn't help noticing that you have a 1/2" ROA!

Bet that kicks a bit?;):):)

I can manage five inches!!!(in the warm)

Stay safe friend

Bisley John

p.s. It shoots Pyro sometimes and cleaning is no problem, being stainless it goes in the dishwasher.
 
Does Pyrodex go bad with age? I loaded my double 12 percussion with some 25 year old Pyrodex Friday to shoot skeet and it absolutely would not fire. I just wanted to use it up. I Pulled the load then used the real BP and everything was normal. The Pyrodex was in the original container and had always been dry. I can't see the point as long as you can have the real stuff shipped in.
yes I have a pound of Pyrodex for more then 25 years and very hard to ignite. If you are not sure about a powder sprinkle a small amount on a metal surface spread it out and lite it with a barbecue lighter. you will see how easy or hard it is to ignite. I had a container of american pioneer powder same amount of time and it lit instantly
 
Indeed. It really is very fascinating the level of scientific discovery that was going on at the same time men were running around in loin cloths.
Yep. It really is very fascinating the level of scientific discovery that was going on at the same time men were running around in loin cloths.............and knaping the flints.... 😊😊
 
My opinion seems to be confirmed, sadly.

My original post was (Molybdenum grease? Sounds rather NON-traditional to me. I would have thought that one of the moderators would have banned reference to it ;-) )
I followed this up with ( Perhaps I am being a bit "thick", but I can't see why it seems to be o.k. to discuss Pyrodex, Triple7 etc -- all of which are NOT "Black Powder". )
Your response ( Yep, you are! ) shows that I got it wrong, but I was surprised by your response(s).
I always thought that you caught more flies with sugar rather than salt.

I am obviously going to go no further with THIS particular thread --- but in my defence I would say that I meant to be gently ironic. I really am NOT "thick" -- having been Head of the Science Department in a Senior High School for 25 years. You could ask a few of my American colleagues, such as Jerry Coates (ex President, Gettysburg Preservation Society, past National Commander, N-SSA) or Phil Schreier (Curator, NRA Museum, Fairfax, VA)

Jim Hallam
Vice-President, NRA (GB); Vice President Emeritus, Historical Breechloading Smallarms Association; Asst. Curator, NRA Museum (Bisley); Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers of the City of London (founded 1637); etc...
NOT THICK!
Hey Jim no disrespect. You seem to be a little thin skinned, I was just pokin a little fun at ya. That’s the way a lot of us Texans are! Looks like your all PAPERED-UP I’m impressed! But hey I’m just dumb country boy from East Texas. Sayin all of that your welcome at my camp anytime, your friend in the Big Thicket of Deep East Texas said that🇨🇱.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Thicket
 
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NOT THICK!
Hey Jim no disrespect. You seem to be a little thin skinned, I was just pokin a little fun at ya. That’s the way a lot of us Texans are! Looks like your all PAPERED-UP I’m impressed! But hey I’m just dumb country boy from East Texas. Sayin all of that your welcome at my camp anytime, your friend in the Big Thicket of Deep East Texas said that🇨🇱.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Thicket

Hi Bradly --- not thin-skinned, just YEARS of having spent much time working (for free) to try to preserve what little of our traditions the d@^*$d politicians leave us. I do have a very good friend who was a State Attourney in Texas -- one of his jobs was deciding who went to the chair. He collects howdah pistols --- used to keep one on his desk. Last year he bought a 16-bore one from me, but I didn't tell you that because it wasn't a front-stuffer ;-)
As Dan used to say " Ah don't git NO trubble from no-one" (or words to that effect.)
To be honest, there's no such thing as a "dumb country boy" -- just someone who likes to let people think so. Some of the best 5-string banjo players that I played with were just "dumb ol' country boys" --- but the modernists ruined the Old Timey String Bands by turning it into Bluegrass.

Best wishes
Jim H.
(I might just get to the Vegas Show one more time -- if I do, we can have a beer.)
 
(A bit off topic but part of the "thread... ... )
"Look for CDs with "Charlie Poole & the N Carolina Ramblers" or "Gid Tanner & the Skillet lickers".... THAT's Old Time String Band at its best. My first "modern" banjo was a long neck bought from Peggy Seeger (Pete Seeger's half-sister and relative of Mike Seeger - New Lost City Ramblers) but I always preferred my 1880s fretless one for its "thunky" sound. Sadly I was too busy teaching and also conducting Brass & Concert Bands to keep it up -- even stopped playing tuba -- so my only "hobby" was shooting "historic arms and setting up & running the main Meetings at Bisley.

Isn't it sad that the two main hobbies that I had are slowly vanishing --- shooting and community bands. When I was the solo cornet of the Walthamstow Silver Band (early '60s - I was 15) there were 8 local Brass Bands - excluding the Sally Army --- now there is ONE. The same for rifle/pistol Clubs --- in my part of East London there must have been 6 or 8 indoor (.22) ranges plus several fullbore pistol ones -- now there is one.

We all need to get the youngster back in DOING things, exercising a trigger finger rather than two thumbs ... ... at least in the US there is enough space to have decent ranges.
 
Guessing you will not believe me, so look up potassium perchlorate, a primary ingredient of Pyrodox not included in black powder. Personal experience and independent data shows it will even destroy stainless steel, not to mention the low carbon steel used in muzzleloading barrels.

That's totally unlike my experience with Pyrodex.

Now riddle me this: If potassium perchlorate is so awfully corrosive why is Triple Seven much less corrosive than either black powder or Pyrodex? After all Triple Seven contains a large slug of potassium perchlorate.

Answer: Sulfur is the corrosive agent in both black powder and Pyrodex.

Clean your gun and there won't be any problem.
 
Boston Bill,

Couldn't help noticing that you have a 1/2" ROA!

Bet that kicks a bit?;):):)

I can manage five inches!!!(in the warm)

Stay safe friend

Bisley John

p.s. It shoots Pyro sometimes and cleaning is no problem, being stainless it goes in the dishwasher.

No kick with the black powder. On the other hand hits the knuckle pretty hard with the 45 Long Colt. Even with it loaded down!
And as far as shooting Pyrodex, I use Bore Butter with it and I may have not cleaned a gun for a few months and NO rust. I use Bore Butter on the nipple threads also and the nipples came right out. Love that Bore Butter.
On the other hand when I use the real stuff I clean it the same day. Won't take a chance with the real stuff.
 
Also an indicator of incomplete cleaning.
Actually, the bore and the breech plug face were as clean as could be. The breech plug had to be removed to observe this corrosion. And many here are of the school preaching it best not to remove nipples or touch hole liners, not to mention removing breech blues. Are you saying that not removing your breech plug is incomplete cleaning?
 
That's totally unlike my experience with Pyrodex.

Now riddle me this: If potassium perchlorate is so awfully corrosive why is Triple Seven much less corrosive than either black powder or Pyrodex? After all Triple Seven contains a large slug of potassium perchlorate.

Answer: Sulfur is the corrosive agent in both black powder and Pyrodex.

Clean your gun and there won't be any problem.
When I had a metallography lab reporting to me we discovered that Pyrodox residue was nearly as aggressive as far as etching metal as the regent solutions we used. It would take the Pyrodox residue a couple hours to etch the metal to the same level that hydrochloric or sulfuric acid would in 30 minutes while black powder residue essentially did no etching. Never tested Triple Seven.
 
Never tested Triple Seven.

Both Pyrodex and Triple Seven contain about 30 percent potassium perchlorate. Leave your gun un-cleaned after firing Pyrodex and it will be ruined. Not so with Triple Seven, which also contains about 30 percent potassium perchlorate. The sulfur is the corrosive agent.

BTW: With the exception of Black Horn 209 all the black powder substitutes contain potassium perchlorate. Black MZ contains about 30 percent potassium perchlorate.
 

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