Pyrodex RS vs Black Powder FFg

[Gene L]

What is the shelf life of Pyrodex?

 

[rodwha]

The bottles of Pyrodex my father gave me were very old (the sticker said something like $9.99) and one bottle was open.

 

[BrownBear]

What is the shelf life of Pyrodex?

Keep it dry and it will certainly last longer than I ever will. I have bottles dating back to 1977, a year after the first year of release. A couple were opened and partially used at the time. Every year I fire a few rounds with it, along with chronographing in a search for deterioration. Still goes bang reliably and little if any velocity loss.

But let some moisture get near it and it goes clumpy just like any other powder.

 

[mooman76]

I prefer the real stuff but will not hesitate to buy/shoot Pyrodex if need so. I've never had a problem with it either and I have some over 20 years old.

 

[Mean Gene]

I have to respectfully disagree with you about pyrodex having ignition problems, I have never experienced an ignition failure yet using Pyrodex.
As a matter of fact the chain fire I experienced the other day was while using Pyrodex and the cap did not detonate, so for that to happen I think the powder has very good ignition qualities.
As for corrosion I haven't had a problem there either, if the gun is properly cleaned in a timely manner it's just fine.
From a lot of comments I have read on here I feel there is a degree of prejudice toward pyrodex or even misconceptions based on what people have read from other postings.
I just don't get why it works fine for me and not for so many others.

 

[Okie Hog]

i don't get it either.

The other day i sat down with a .50 TC New Englander rifle and fired 40 rounds without a misfire or hangfire from a partial can of Pyrodex that was opened over ten years ago.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I shoot both pyrodex and black powder too. I have some pyrodex that is at least 25 years old and still seems to be okay. Of course I live in Kansas and we don't have ongoing humidity problems. I've picked up a few pounds of Pyrodex at garage sales or in trades etc. over the years and being frugal, I'm going to shoot it. I prefer black, but the other stuff isn't going to go to waste.

In revolvers and good firing percussion long arms, I've not been able to see any difference in ignition etc. I do have an older CVA that is a little iffy with it, so I just shoot black in that rifle.

 

[coloradoclyde]

From a lot of comments I have read on here I feel there is a degree of prejudice toward pyrodex or even misconceptions based on what people have read from other postings.
I just don't get why it works fine for me and not for so many others.

That's an easy question to answer...

Temperature , humidity. salt spray in the air, storage and handling conditions, granulation choice, nipple size and cleaning methods all affect the outcome....

If you live in the right climate and do every thing else right you will probably never have a problem......Do one thing wrong and you're a Pyrodex hater for life.....

I like Pryrodex P....(I've shot a ton of it...(Not literally ) But I still prefer the real stuff.....

 

[coloradoclyde]

Pyrodex does not go bad or deteriorate with time unless it is exposed to moisture from improper storage.....Because it is more hydroscopic than real BP.

Almost all problems are a result of "user error".

 

[AZbpBurner]

I use Pyrodex and BP interchangeably by volume in both rifles and revolvers and don't see any difference in performance.

Corrosion is only a problem if you're too lazy to clean the same day you shoot. Never had any issues with some 20+ year old powder degrading, either.

 

[john gill]

I cannot lie; I hate Pyrodex due to its corrosiveness and relatively short half-life.

Real black or BH209 for me.

I've been shooting 15 year old pyro all summer and i've had no problems. I live in CO, a dry state.

 

[Grenadier1758]

I have to respectfully disagree with you (Loyalist Dave) about pyrodex having ignition problems, I have never experienced an ignition failure yet using Pyrodex.
As a matter of fact the chain fire I experienced the other day was while using Pyrodex and the cap did not detonate, so for that to happen I think the powder has very good ignition qualities.
As for corrosion I haven't had a problem there either, if the gun is properly cleaned in a timely manner it's just fine.
From a lot of comments I have read on here I feel there is a degree of prejudice toward pyrodex or even misconceptions based on what people have read from other postings.
I just don't get why it works fine for me and not for so many others.

My experience with Pyrodex is certainly dated as I last used Pyrodex about 40 years ago. Pyrodex was new and being written up in the Muzzleloading literature as being this wonderful substitute for black powder since it was volume for volume replaceable with black powder and there was little to no fouling build up. Cleaning was always mentioned as needed, but wiping between shots wasn't necessary.

Since the fouling build up while shooting my Navy Arms Reb revolver required a minor tear down and clean up every other cylinder, the use of a powder that didn't generate all that fouling was a compelling selling point. I knew of the need for higher ignition temperatures, but the path to the powder was straight and my Ampco nipples had been very reliable. The first thing I noticed using the Pyrodex P was a slight delay that I had never noticed using my DuPont 3fg. While there was little fouling to deal with, the results with the second and third cylinder were the same, a noticeable delay. The fourth cylinder was with my trusty DuPont powder. No delays. The remains of that can of Pyrodex still sit on my shelf. While I fired all the cylinders, the delay constituted ignition failure to me and I considered Pyrodex unsuitable.

Pyrodex may have improved the formula, but I will recommend the use of black powder unless it can't be bought.

 

[Patocazador]

I cannot lie; I hate Pyrodex due to its corrosiveness and relatively short half-life.

Real black or BH209 for me.

I've been shooting 15 year old pyro all summer and i've had no problems. I live in CO, a dry state.

I don't live in a dry state. Florida is not the place to use Pyrodex IMO.
I test-fired some old (20+ years) Pyrodex about 2 years ago. Some loads just fizzzzed before going "pop". I threw it on some of my pepper plants for fertilizer but it failed at that too.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

I'm curious as to why I read this claim often enough

Because other's experience have differed.

And as I pointed out..., pyrodex pellets come with a booster material (which is BP), and apparently if the distance from the nipple to the charge is long enough, primers not caps are needed.

There are of course devices such as the Mag Spark which converts your sidelock into a primer using caplock...., advertised as "..., for instant ignition of all powders and propellants. No more misfires, slowfires or dangerous hangfires. Works in any weather, with any propellant.". AND Pedersoli has gotten into the game with their 209 Primer Nipple Conversion Kit "which is neither water proof nor water resistant". Since these things first appeared shortly after the introduction of substitute propellants for black powder, and since the first ad clearly mentions twice "propellants", plus the Pedersoli product is abviously not sold because there is moisture problem with the caps...., there appears to be evidence of a problem with the ignition of the propellants themselves in some cases.

LD

 

[Rick Boylan]

I live in Iowa and had a bad pyrodex situation. I was using it in my CVA Hawken and when I dropped the hammer on the cap it failed to fire. Tried a second and third cap. Made sure that the nipple was clear and tried a 4th. Nope. Had to put real BP in the channel and then it went bang. This was many years ago and the bottle of pyrodex is still sitting on the shelf. I'll stick with real BP.

 

[Mean Gene]

I don't mean this as criticism but, have you ever shot 20+ year old Black Powder and had absolutely no problems?

I take it by what I'm reading that those who have had problems with Pyrodex have had no problems with Black powder such as moisture, humidity, failure to fire or hang fire?

 

[Grumpa]

Yes. Living in a climate that rivals Seattle for humidity I have shot Black powder from cans that have been opened over 20 years ago...works fine. In fact, I am finishing up a can of Ffg that was filled from another can over 30 years ago.
The only reason we are even discussing Pyrodex (and the other substitute powders) - all post-1865 - on this Forum, is because some of you live in People's Republics where real black powder is unobtainable.

Richard/Grumpa

 

[nhmoose]

I don't mean this as criticism but, have you ever shot 20+ year old Black Powder and had absolutely no problems?

I take it by what I'm reading that those who have had problems with Pyrodex have had no problems with Black powder such as moisture, humidity, failure to fire or hang fire?

I shoot 30 Plus year old BP same as new BP in my experience but I have never shot any Pyrodex as found no need to.

 

[Mean Gene]

Unfortunately that is a sad truth.

 

[Zonie]

...
The only reason we are even discussing Pyrodex (and the other substitute powders) - all post-1865 - on this Forum, is because some of you live in People's Republics where real black powder is unobtainable.

Richard/Grumpa

Speaking only for myself, the reason I don't have a problem with allowing discussions about the synthetic black powder can be summarized by saying:

Ӣ They are safe to use in muzzleloading firearms.

Ӣ They can be safely measured using the same type of black powder measuring devices that were used prior to 1864.

Ӣ They produce roughly similar velocities to real black powder.

Ӣ Most of them produce the same sort of smoke as real black powder when they are fired.

Ӣ They are readily available to the average muzzleloading firearm shooter.

Ӣ Occasionally a new synthetic powder comes on the market and I feel our members deserve to hear and discuss it's good and bad points.

There are some more reasons I don't have a problem with people discussing it on the forum but those are the biggies right now.