Black powder life expectancy?

Two questions:
How long is a sealed can of BP expected to last?
When was the last time you can remember a one pound can of Hodgdon FFFG selling for $4.00?
:hmm:

It will last much longer than you will remain on this mortal coil. That stuff will, when sealed up and kept at room temperatures (temps. that are comfortable to you), will last forever. I think the last time I got a can of black powder of any kind for $4 was back around 1970. That's about what I was paying for it at Rebel Arms in Pasadena, Texas back then. I bought some Goex 3f for $8/lb. as recently as 2008 in Friendship. "Tain't that cheap now.

I've been using Goex that's about 20 years old and it goes bang just fine. :thumbsup:

My good friend, and neighbor, is a FFL dealer. He just took in a big collection of BP guns & access. on consignment. The wife's husband died over 25 years ago, so this stuff has been stored, neglected, all that time. Thanks for your help.

Billnpatti said:

I think the last time I got a can of black powder of any kind for $4 was back around 1970. That's about what I was paying for it at Rebel Arms in Pasadena, Texas back then.

Click to expand...

It was a dark day when they closed a few years back. It was always a treat to stand in their place and look at the 'miles' of racked guns!

Powder made today will be good when it's $200 a pound!

Geo. T.

Quiet!
Don't give the Lib's no ideas,,

I've got hemorrhoids older than that powder. I'm still using FFFFG Goex for priming my flintlocks that I bought 2 cans of in 1968 when I got out of the service.

500years

I know that one of the main reasons that Ron closed the business was because of all of the building that's was taking place all around him and creating a safety problem for him. Also, I know he had too much money tied up in inventory creating a cash flow problem. Ron refused to get involved in mail order sales. I told him to start advertising in all of the muzzleloading magazines but he didn't want to for some strange reason. He also told me that BATF was pretty heavily on his butt about his powder magazine saying that it didn't meet the standard that was required. When they were going out of business, I was there looking for some bargains and one of his employees told me that Ron had developed a drinking problem and that was having a bad effect on his business. In the end, Ron just decided to pull the plug. You are right, that was a black day. I bought a lot of stuff from him and put a lot of lead down his range. When it was up and running, there was no muzzleloading emporium equal to it anywhere in Houston.....or all of Texas, for that matter.

I think the last time I got a can of black powder of any kind for $4 was back around 1970.

Click to expand...

The first bp I ever purchased came from E. Christopher Firearms at Miamitown, Ohio.
It was five pounds in a round carboard canister. I don't recall the brand, if it had one. I paid $4.95.
Edit: That was 1970.

I'd heard similar and it's a shame. We'd make the trip from the Smithville area to Deer Park, where my brother lived at the time and Bev always knew she'd get some reading time in while sitting in his parking lot. It was an amazing experience to be able to choose from 5 to 8 of the same thing. Always felt I'd won, being able to check several and choose the best wood or best touch hole location, etc. To go back to my growing up years...'that place was a trip'! :wink:

Ronnie was an interesting person and so was his pricing system.

Fun was going into Trail Guns Armory in League City and being able to go through the rifles in the back and chose the wood you wanted on a rifle.

Box by box, choose the very best you could find, it was no better.

Yeah, Mike P. had a pretty nice set up too. He was also one of the original "Colonels" of the Texas Army too. Meeting night for the San Jacinto Muzzleloading Rifle Club could be like 'banana night' at the chimp cage! :rotf: Did Mike ever tell you his story about the Cape Buffalo and the double .58 cape rifle?

Wes/Tex said:

Yeah, Mike P. had a pretty nice set up too. He was also one of the original "Colonels" of the Texas Army too. Meeting night for the San Jacinto Muzzleloading Rifle Club could be like 'banana night' at the chimp cage! :rotf: Did Mike ever tell you his story about the Cape Buffalo and the double .58 cape rifle?

Click to expand...

Nope.

I spent a lot of my time shopping with Ronnie and Mike P. I was a member of Pasadena M/L and still have all my jackets and the Levi Garrett shoot medals there.

rde

My first can of black powder was DuPont 3F, bought from the hardware store in my hometown in western Va. in 1960 and it cost $1.25.

I only finished up two cans of Dupont I bought in the 1960s that cost me $1.10 a can. I even have a can of 4F I've yet to open and its sister can works great and is even older. Don't get it wet or contaminated and it will last as long as the container it's in.

I also have three cans of Dupont left that I purchased in 1968 for the cap & ball revolver I purchased. It still shoots great.

In a sealed can I wouldn't hesitate to use 30 year old powder. Probably some in the bottom of my flasks and horns is that old. ;-)

Black powder has a very short shelf life. Probably less than a year. It's also very dangerous to dispose of. Any of ya'll that have "old" powder can send it to me and I'll dispose of it free of charge. :rotf: :rotf: :rotf: