Use of Pydrodex/Black Powder Substitute in a Flintlock

It's been awhile since my last post, but I'm possibly acquiring a TC Hawken Flintlock (in a very mutually beneficial deal to me and the trader). I read the manual on the TC Arms website and it mentions that Pydrodex is NOT recommended for use in a flintlock. Now the problem is while my wife is fine...err tolerating me keeping smokeless powder and primers to start reloading 8mm Mauser and 30-06, I know there is no way I can convince her to let me keep Black Powder. Now before people say don't mention it to her, it's not how our relationship is and considering the amount of guns I own and the time I have to shoot,she's been good on her end, I owe her the same. More so I rent and I'm pretty sure my homeowners association would flip if there was an accident and black powder was found and I suspect my landlord would too (then again we had to buy a very high amount of personal liability insurance when renting vs the standard lol). Plus I'm getting used to smokeless powders and primers, I'm not ready include black powder. So is there anyway to use, safely of course, Pydrodex or a Black Powder Substitute in a Flintlock so I can avoid needing to buy and store black powder?

Thanks!

No. To shoot a substitute black powder in a flintlock you must have a duplex load. That is a small amount of Black Powder on the breech for the black powder prime to ignite. Around ten grains of black powder for each shot.

grzrob said:

No. To shoot a substitute black powder in a flintlock you must have a duplex load. That is a small amount of Black Powder on the breech for the black powder prime to ignite. Around ten grains of black powder for each shot.

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So regardless I need black powder. This is a problem, I am just very worried about storing it and avoiding safety issues.

You need some education on this as many are misinformed about black powder. It is not like nitroglycerin. Black powder is very stable.

It is no more dangerous in storage than pyrodex. A can or two in a safe place is fine. It is no more dangerous than aerosol cans,propane cylinders, smokeless powder, gas cans, loaded guns and ammo in a fire.

As far as homeowners associations, frankly it's none of their business. This is not Russia.......yet. :shake:

No real problem storing black powder at home. If you are really worried, consult your local fire department and see what their regulations (or advice) is.

This is not Russia.......yet.

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I think Russia kicked out their homeowners association awhile back.

54ball said:

You need some education on this as many are misinformed about black powder. It is not like nitroglycerin. Black powder is very stable.

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It is a bit hard to shake the image/idea of black powder being like nitro or something unstable. The explosive warning doesn't help. Then again if it's the same as say storing fireworks (commercial ones like mortars and roman candles), then my mind is a bit more at ease.

It is no more dangerous in storage than pyrodex. A can or two in a safe place is fine. It is no more dangerous than aerosol cans,propane cylinders, smokeless powder, gas cans, loaded guns and ammo in a fire.

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Well if the storage/safety is the same I guess I'm not as worried. It's just that the place I could keep it would have on one end of the shelf primers, middle BP, and the other end Smokeless powder. The closet (in the bedroom) isn't temperature sensitive as we have central air. Like I said I guess because the label also says explosive and not just flammable is part of the issue.

The main reason black powder is labeled an explosive is because of how old it is. When it was classified as an explosive, there was no other term for it.
If sporting black powder were invented today, it would be classified as a propellant.

54ball said:

The main reason black powder is labeled an explosive is because of how old it is. When it was classified as an explosive, there was no other term for it.
If sporting black powder were invented today, it would be classified as a propellant.

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Well that makes things a bit better. It's just explosive does a heck of a job of conjuring up mental images.

If you were my man and I caught you with black powder after I specificaly said no....
The dog would be charging you rent for awhile.

Now I know that you have no real worries. If you have one type of bullet making supplies whats the issue with anouther type?

However I know us estrogene fueled life forms can be irational on occasion.
Perhaps your best friend will let you store your stuff there or the local gun club or fireing range has rental storage spcae for such things.

Sounds fine for a few cans.

As a retired FD Captain, if you have a few cans of smokeless,BP,substitutes and primers in the house that's fine but use common sense.

If you had 25lbs of all powders combined I would consider a a special bunker box to store all your powder and primers. The box is more to protect the powder and prevent an explosion than too contain one.

As said smokeless is as dangerous as BP. Under the right conditions, flour, sawdust, grain dust and even talcum powder can explode.

Gasoline is a far greater safety hazzard than black powder. Does she allow you to keep a can of gas in the garage for your lawn mower? Does she refuse to ride in a car??? Jeez... :youcrazy:

cynthialee said:

However I know us estrogene fueled life forms can be irational on occasion.

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:shocked2: :rotf: :rotf: :rotf:

nmdd said:

Gasoline is a far greater safety hazzard than black powder. Does she allow you to keep a can of gas in the garage for your lawn mower? Does she refuse to ride in a car??? Jeez... :youcrazy:

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We live in a first floor condo, so no gasoline or lawnmowers, as that's done by the Homeowners Association. That said her dislike of it is was only one aspect and truthfully this hasn't even been brought up yet as I've been tied down with work. If it's the same as the smokeless Varget I have on the walk in closet shelf, I don't view them as separate items requiring much discussion. It's just if it is different/more dangerous then it's a problem. Plus there is a bias (even non maliciously) to explosives, gun powder, primers etc than to other equally if not more dangerous objects if you aren't normally around them.

Truthfully after reading the TC Hawken Manual a greater risk is not cleaning it and letting some left of material drop on the floor and be found by baby or cat, but even that's pretty remote and I'm already anal about that.

Other things to help her understand:

1) The ATF regs specifically allow up to 50lbs of black powder to be stored in a single family dwelling with no requirement for any paperwork or special storage containment conditions, magazines, etc. Indeed, "containing" powder can make a situation worse by creating a bomb effect.
(PS: A state can issues a "state override" further restricting the amount lower than 50lbs in their state if they choose but I'm only aware of a couple that do...your State Fire Marshall's Office is the place to check for any state over-rides to the Federal ATF Regs of 50lbs).

2) Pour a cup of BP in a 2-3 foot line on bare ground, light it, and let her see it flare/flame up and create a lot of pretty white smoke, but she'll see it won't "blow up" a thing.
(However, if you seal that same amount of powder in a pipe with a fuse, THEN you have a bomb)

3) Explain to her how black powder is shipped...ie: when I occasionally order a case of Goex (25 - 1 lb cans), a Goex distributor hundreds of miles away ships it to me a simple cardboard box. That box gets loaded on and off trucks and loading docks a few times over several days, and is then finally dropped off on my front porch in the sun for a few hours until I get home.

4) I've stored my cartons of Goex out of the way on the floor of a closet in the house for years. It's perfectly safe, undisturbed, and if the house ever burns down we'll either be dead from smoke inhalation before any of the reloading stuff / powder catches fire, or will not have been home...so in either case it's not going to cause us any problems one way or the other, beyond what a normal house fire would.
(Gas cans, propane tanks, lawn mowers, etc, were already mentioned)

All powder is BLACK just some is classed a smokeless some isnt.
Here's an eye closer for you,,,do you smoke,carry a bic lighter in your pocket?????In our fire training class,the instructor pointed out that it is equal to ,3, that is three ,3, sticks of Dynamite in explosive power and you carry that in your pants pocket..
However happieness and trust are overriding conciderations,,if after some discussion it is still NO ..........
I have 4 lbs in a wooden footlocker at the foot of my bed,my wife says it's ok,,she shoots BP so she knows,

As I see it, you will have to change your wife's mind about blackpowder or pass on the flintlock. I've been married for 48 years and our marriage has lasted that long because of a mutual respect for each other and enough love for the other to forgo some things out of respect for the other person. At the same time, we have both given in when it was sufficiently important to the other person. If you have to shoot a caplock in order to keep peace at home, it is a pretty small price to pay. What the heck, you can still shoot a caplock muzzleloader.

If it were me, I'd sell it for a tidy profit & buy a caplock. Flintlocks are nice, but a happy Wife is much easier to live with...... :wink:

Billnpatti said:

As I see it, you will have to change your wife's mind about blackpowder or pass on the flintlock. I've been married for 48 years and our marriage has lasted that long because of a mutual respect for each other and enough love for the other to forgo some things out of respect for the other person. At the same time, we have both given in when it was sufficiently important to the other person. If you have to shoot a caplock in order to keep peace at home, it is a pretty small price to pay. What the heck, you can still shoot a caplock muzzleloader.

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That's true, and perhaps it might be easier to start out with percussion since even Dicks, sells the stuff for that, and not even behind the counter. Very true about marriage, one area is I clean my guns outside (which in summer and spring is nice) because the smell makes her feel ill, which obviously I don't want her to feel, even if it is a little harder to do outside. Though she lets me shoot a fair amount, even when she might rather take a nap.

robtattoo said:

If it were me, I'd sell it for a tidy profit & buy a caplock. Flintlocks are nice, but a happy Wife is much easier to live with...... :wink:

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I agree, but part of the problem is a non flintlock can't be used during the Winter Flintlock season in PA. Otherwise I would just use percussion since it also covers a period of history I like and it's not just an inline which just strikes me as a way to sneak into "ancient" hunting seasons, and just aren't historical.


I appreciate all the data and information people have posted as it helps me feel that it's the same as smokeless powder from a storage perspective. I guess I just had a lot of fear of stability and safety issues which don't seem to be as much an issue as I thought.

The other thing is that I haven't really brought this up with my wife, mostly because last time I just gave up due to finding a place to shoot. I'm currently studying to take the PA bar (already licensed in NY) so talking about guns vs studying isnt likely to good over well regardless of he specifics lol. Though she did consent to me starting to reload recently. So hope springs eternal.

a greater risk is not cleaning it and letting some left of material drop on the floor and be found by baby or cat,

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I wouldn't let the baby do it, but... the cat drank some of my blackpowder cleaning water 100's of times and ain't dead yet. :idunno: I think she likes the taste. Cats are strange anyway.

Like everyone else said, don't worry so much about the powder. Just don't put sparks in the container and it will be fine. As far as your wife goes, I'd bet to her powder is powder (and she's right!) (Except NEVER use smokeless in a BP gun 'cause it WILL blow the gun up!) and she won't know or care if it's smokeless or black unless you go making a big deal out of it.