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Old 10-10-2020, 06:43 PM
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Default BP Shelf Life??

What is the useful shelf life of a sealed can of Black Powder??

Thanks,
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Old 10-10-2020, 06:59 PM
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100 years ...easy .
A shell from the siege at Port Hudson , a fort on the Mississippi River from 1865 was dredged up in river sand and deposited at a construction site , Fuse was intact and shell not exploded ...they were filled with black powder and round lead balls , the fuse was usually ignited during firing of the shell and the shell would explode inside or above a fortification ... this one didn't ... the bomb squad was called and they hauled it off for safe disposal ... it exploded after being in river sand since 1865 ,,,which surprised me but didn't surprise them !
This was about three years ago ...the bomb squad guy said black powder shells were very dangerous and if you had any ...call him .
I only have shell fragments but I know some people that have complete shells and they need to make sure the fuse and powders has been removed .
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Old 10-10-2020, 07:22 PM
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Coastguardsman Is Killed In Training Center Blast - The New York Times

This report from 1973 was caused by some coastguardsmen trying to salvage the brass case from a WWII era naval shell with black powder that had been brought in by a local fishing trawler who pulled it up from the seafloor in their nets. It had been surrendered at the base's docks and the gunner's mates had moved it out near one of the bunkers on the north end of the base. I had reported it as being an unsecured hazzard to the OOD on one of my lasts duty nights on Roving Patrol before being transfered to the 7th district in late 1972.

Talking with one of my shipmates on the Provost Element after I heard of the explosion I understand that investigations indicated that a couple of the FN / MM at the motor pool had decided to use a torch to cut into the shell to get the brass to sell for extra money. It flattened the welding shop and a good portion of the garage.

If I recall correctly two members lost their lives with one being dismembered pretty severely.

The black powder was still very explosive after several decades under salt water.
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Old 10-10-2020, 08:02 PM
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Thanks guys, I had heard of stories of ordinance dredged up from underwater and still going boom....Just wasn't sure if someone was yanking my lanyard.
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Old 10-10-2020, 08:06 PM
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Originally Posted by goatsnguns View Post
Thanks guys, I had heard of stories of ordinance dredged up from underwater and still going boom....Just wasn't sure if someone was yanking my lanyard.
If you yank the lanyard, that old ordinance will still fire.
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Old 10-11-2020, 10:54 AM
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And I'm still using fffg black powder from a can I bought in 1965 for a 1851 Navy Colt reproduction revolver . Opened container on the shelf in my house but the powder is still very much usable and I shoot a 36 cal Colt Pocket Police reproduction ... no deterioration noticed .
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Old 10-11-2020, 01:18 PM
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Kept dry, black powder is essentially immortal. It is not a chemical compound but a physical mixture of its three components -- charcoal, sulfur, saltpeter. All three are stable items and do not deteriorate or degrade -- again, as long as they are kept dry.
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Old 10-13-2020, 01:09 PM
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I was given a Civil War musket that had a plugged bore> Had been in my FILs family since the 60's the 1860s. The nipple was peened pretty badly so it had been played with extensively over the last 120 years. Wanting to see what the bore was plugged with I used the normal techniques to get stuff out. The bore was plugged with 7 loads of powder and minie bullets. I was amazed. Don't remember the amont of powder but there was quite a bit. I actually shot most of that powder in my TC Hawken and in fact shot a nice whitetail with 80 gr using a 490 RB. My father in law born, in 1899, Told me he had played with that musket cocking it and firing it at anything and everything until he was allowed to have his own real muzzle loading rifle at the age of nine. I can guarantee you that gun had been loaded for a very long time...probably since the war. Raised by his grandfather who had been a participant of said conflict. So BP seems to last for a very long time. Still have that old musket. Never even considered firing it though.....Just wanted to add that lead lasts a long time too I melted those ruined minie bullets and made the lead RBs that I shot the deer with...2 in fact

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Old 10-13-2020, 01:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sistema1927 View Post
If you yank the lanyard, that old ordinance will still fire.
Is that like the old 'Pull my finger' thing?
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Old 10-13-2020, 02:32 PM
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Is that like the old 'Pull my finger' thing?
Only louder!
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Old 10-19-2020, 12:19 AM
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Not black powder but this bomb was under water since 1945 and still exploded.

WWII Tallboy bomb explodes in canal in Poland - CNN

In Germany every year they find dozens of bombs and have to dispose of them. Mines kill and main thousands of people each year and they're exposed to rain/snow/heat cycles for years.
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