black powder ammo shelf life
what is the shelf life of black powder ammo (i.e. shotshells)? Are there any signs not to shoot it. I've heard that it is ok as long as it is not oozing green stuf from the primer. That ment that the powder turned to nitro gliseren. is it true?
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As with standard ammo, it matters much more the way the ammo was stored then how long it was stored. If stored in places that the temp and/or humidity change a lot it'll last a lot less time then if stored in a safe with constant temp and humidity (low). I've got 15 year old black powder that is stored in its original can and I can't see any change at all in velocity or point of aim. But of course these aren't loaded, primered cartridges... 0 -
I've heard of Civil War era firearms being found still charged with powder, they fired OK with a fresh cap. I'd worry more about corrosion than anything else, it attracts water. 0 -
The ammonia base to smokeless powder will dissipate over time making the powder unstable. Thus there is a shelf life to smokeless powder.
Black powder's base is charcoal. Its enemy is moisture. Keep black powder 100% dry and it will last indefinetly.
Thats my understanding.
Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.
--General George S. Patton, Jr.0 -
A while back I pulled a 45-70 cartridge made in 1890.The black powder was in a solid chunk.I got it broken apart,dumped it on a big flat rock and threw a match on it and the big smokey flash was there.I put the case in a rifle but the primer was dead,so it appears the powder outlast the old primers. 0 -
In about 1950 I got some 50-70 military ammo from Robert Abels in NYC.
He dealt in old and odd ammunition. The primers were all duds so I replaced them after pulling the bullets and scraping out the old powder. They were reassembled with pliers using the original powder and bullets.
A friend shot a nice spike buck with my 1869 Springfield Trapdoor rifle and this ammo.0 -
quote:Originally posted by v35
In about 1950 I got some 50-70 military ammo from Robert Abels in NYC.
He dealt in old and odd ammunition. The primers were all duds so I replaced them after pulling the bullets and scraping out the old powder. They were reassembled with pliers using the original powder and bullets.
A friend shot a nice spike buck with my 1869 Springfield Trapdoor rifle and this ammo.
Wouldn't you love to order from one of his old catalogs? I remember the Railway Express shipments to this day!!!Those days will never return[:(]
Love them Pre-64's!!!!-Bob0 -
As others have indicated, given proper storage conditions, BP's shelf life is undetermined. There was a fellow sometime in the past decade or so who tested several hundred .56-50 Spencer rounds in a Spencer carbine. The ammo he used was loaded during the period of 1863-65. A very high percentage fired. The ones which did not were largely from a supplier whose product was reported to be unreliable during the war . . . it appears it did not improve with age! Of course, these were rimfire and thus the primer element was protected. I can remember as a kid reading every so often of a farmer blowing up a plow on a piece of BP ordnance from the Civil War or in one of the European nations.
Shotshells are especially likely to absorb moisture because of the paper tubes and organic overpowder wads, but I'd not bet against the powder still being good.
BP *cannot* degrade into nitro. Entirely different family of chemicals. Smokeless and nitro are more closely related and while I do not know the exact chemical difference, in thirty five years of collecting ammo, I've never seen any caution about this happening. The green substance is acidic (I think; might be basic) and the green is its reaction to the copper content of the shell components.
Bulging, cracking and "the ooze" are all signs of degraded shotshells.
Original BP shotshells, if in nice condition, can bring some surprisingly high premiums with collectors (depending on many factors). If you have some, especially if they are in the original box which is also in nice shape, you should be able to realize some coin . . . more than enough to buy modern BP shells for CASS or hunting with money left over, and perhaps a substantial amount. This is way outside my normal collecting niche, but if you wish to tell me what you have, I might be able to give you some idea of the value.
"There is nothing lower than the human race - except the French." (Mark Twain) ". . . And DemoCraps" (me)0 -
heck we find civil war artillery shells that still have powder that is very reactive from over 140 years ago..like posted above all depend on conditions stored at
it is good that we meet in the struggle of life or death.. .....it shall be life!0
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