Is it OK to keep a BP weapon loaded when not in use?

[playtheblues]

Does the "corrosive" factor come into play with unfired powder? I want to leave my pistol loaded by my bed.
BB in SC

[Doyle]

I wouldn't do it. Black powder loves to suck up moisture from the air (I forget the technical word for it). It will corrode your cylinders.

[playtheblues]

That's what I needed to know. I guess the old SKS will have to remain on duty for home defense! :-)
BB in SC

[Tuckahoe]

I left mine loaded for a year and it shot just fine. It is one of the new inlines. I have bought muzzleloaders that were still loaded but I always pulled the bullets. The rifle that is fired and put away until the next year dirty is worth nothing to me.

[grymster2007]

I've read several cases of BP weapons being left loaded for long periods of time and firing without issue, while showing no evidence of corrosion in the chambers.

Stay tuned. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the more knowledgeable BP folks weigh in here.

[mykeal]

The technical term is hygroscopic (the 'g' is correct).

Black powder (real black or any of the synthetics) is mildly hygroscopic. That is, it will absorb moisture. However, only in small amounts, rarely enough to pose a problem to your gun. The real issue is that the powder itself is likely to be damaged by the absorbed water, resulting in reduced performance and even misfires. You are more likely to see rust damage from condensation in a humid environment than from absorption by unburned powder.

The exact opposite is true of black powder combustion byproducts. They contain salts which are highly hygroscopic, thus the admonition to clean your weapon soon after shooting.

There is a large body of evidence supporting the position that leaving a gun for long periods with unburned black powder is not damaging. However, if you intend on storing the gun it simply makes good sense to unload and preserve it.

[playtheblues]

Maye I can make a box for it with a silica gel packet inside it. This should take care of the humidity issues.
BB in SC

[Ifishsum]

I've left my C&B revolver loaded (but uncapped) for a few months at a time and it has always gone bang when I wanted it to, and I've seen no corrosion at all. If you capped it also that would further help seal the chambers. I say if you want to do it, go ahead. Shoot it occasionally, clean it up and replace the load.

[Raider2000]

I for one back before I could afford my more modern weapons ".45ACP ect." I used to keep my Pietta 1860 Army loaded as a home defence weapon & on a few occasions have had it loaded for almost 6-9 months before I had the chance to shoot it again & every time I would drop the hammer, it'd go BOOM & place that Ball exactly where I was aiming just as though I had loaded it that day.

My new toy Pietta 1858 New Army with 5.5" barrel is now my preferred carry piece when I'm on the club property checking traps, scouting sign or what not because there is always a stump that could use some correctin & the possibility of a Coyote encounter is always a possibility out there, I load it:

35gr. FFFG Goex.
Over powder wad.
.457 144gr. Ball.
#11 Remington caps.
Nail polish over the caps to seal from the weather.
A little Bore Butter over the Ball to ensure that I'm sealed there.
870fps. 240ft.lbs.

So far I've been caught in the rain with it on me & my holster is an open top western style & it has not failed to fire 5 times when I want it to.

Now I'm not condoning keeping one loaded for any length of time & using one for home defence when there are plenty of fine inexpensive revolvers & autoloaders out there that would fit the bill nicely & have a better safety than a C&B revolver "in my case I didn't have anything other than my 1860 at the time" but I am here to tell you that if loaded correctly & some of the steps that I take today "for going out & about with one" are performed that a C&B revolver will be reliable & will not collect any moisture in the chambers, I do so because I can & my lil Remington copy is a lot more fun than my M1911-A1 .45ACP is, tis all.

Oh & BTW, if you decide to keep your piece loaded, PLEASE ONLY LOAD 5 CHAMBERS & LOWER THE HAMMER ON THE EMPTY ONE, THIS'LL BE YOUR SAFETY FOR WHEN YOU CARRY I IN YOUR HOUSE....

[playtheblues]

<Oh & BTW, if you decide to keep your piece loaded, PLEASE ONLY LOAD 5 CHAMBERS & LOWER THE HAMMER ON THE EMPTY ONE, >

ABSOLUTELY! That is a no brainer for sure. I appreciate all the replies! BTW: How does bore butter hold up in heat? South Carolina is sweltering, and I will frequently take the pistol with me to the river when catfishin'. Will the bore butter melt and fall out?
BB in SC

[grymster2007]

Originally Posted by Raider2000

.457 144gr. Ball

Yer '58 Pietta takes .457?

Mine shaves a pretty good ring with .454.

[simonkenton]

I have a Uberti 1860 Army that I have left loaded for 2 years and it fired fine, all five cylinders.
I inspected the cylinders, no corrosion at all.
This is in the North Carolina mountains, very humid.

[jlchucker]

Simon Kenton: I've done the same thing. At one point I only had one handgun-an EMF 44 Remington cap n ball. Left it hanging in the closet for a couple of years, 5 chambers stoked with Clearshot, .454 ball, and greased with borebutter. Remington caps. Not only did all fire, they did so accurately. I noticed no corrosion--just the usual residue that comes after you've fired one of these revolvers. I've used Cap and ball revolvers, Colt repros and Remingtons, since the early 1970's. There's more gun magazine mythology about loading, rusting, cleaning, moisture, etc. than there is fact.

[Ifishsum]

Bore butter does not hold up well in the heat. I use only the lubricated wads under the ball, nothing over and never had a problem. Just be sure the balls you use fit tight enough to shave a lead ring all the way around when you load them. My Pietta Remington does well with .454s.

I also make my own lube with beeswax, crisco and olive oil that is soft enough, but won't melt on a hot day.

[Dezynco]

Storage after loading is not so much an issue as an issue as cleaning after a shot. Once you fire the weapon, the chemistry is changed. Clean well after firing, but not a big worry for loaded and stored.

[Raider2000]

Originally Posted by grymster2007

Yer '58 Pietta takes .457?

Mine shaves a pretty good ring with .454.

Yes mine would take .454's quite fine but since I've been casting my own since 1987 & my old Dragoon takes .457's I just keep casting them & they aren't much harder to load than the .454's to me any way, besides the extra weight & a little extra bearing surface makes the little Pietta 58' shoot nicely with just a little more punch at the recieving end.

Originally Posted by Ifishsum

Bore butter does not hold up well in the heat. I use only the lubricated wads under the ball, nothing over and never had a problem.

Yeah I really don't need the Bore Butter over the Balls but I still do for when I take my Remmy out, sortof a just in case thing with me I guess.

As far as Bore Butter running out of the chambers under high heat & humidity, I only use just enough to go around the Balls with a Q-tip & I've yet to have it leak out.

[Hawg]

I found an original 58 Remington in an old barn. It was rusty and pitted on the outside but when I pulled the loads the chambers were like new. I fired the powder out of a repro and it worked fine.

[Raider2000]

Originally Posted by Hawg Haggen

I found an original 58 Remington in an old barn. It was rusty and pitted on the outside but when I pulled the loads the chambers were like new. I fired the powder out of a repro and it worked fine.

I remember reading that from you once, just amazing that it had been sitting around loaded for close to or possibly over 100 years & still was able to fire & they didn't do any of what I do today when I take mine out to the club property.

[FLATWOODS FRED]

REAL black powder is not corrosive or absorb water from the atmosphere readily if made correctly. Thats why 100 year old powder is just as good today as it was yesterday. However, if saturated it will desolve quickly. Thats an easy way to tell if someone is using a duplex load. The BP disolves while the nitro is left behind.

What does absorb water is the fouling after it has been fired but only after certain conditions are met. One of the primary bi-products is potasium cabonate which readily absorbs moisture once the humidity reaches or exceeds 30% In fact at 80% its nearly totally liquified. If held against un-protected steel the moisture (not the potassium cabonate) eventually will cause corrosion.

BP subs are diffrent. One bi-product is potassium chloride which IS HIGHLY CORROSIVE. This us used to speed burn rates. One sub that did not like moisute was Clearshot. It tended to clump horribly.

Real BP will clump to some degree simply because of the film of potassium nitrate coating the grains. However, paying attention during the polishing process can eliminate most of this issue. Today, manufactures add graphite to prevent this (GOEX goes overboard in this regard). However, Graphite will slow the burn rate thus it was frowned upon in the old days. Simply shaking the can will breakdown the clumps.

If using real BP just keep the firearm in a dry place.

[simonkenton]

As I said above I have kept my Uberti loaded for two years with no problems.
I do use the cap and ball pistols for household defense.
I load with black powder and a .457 ball.
I also have Pietta 1860 Army that I keep upstairs.

I load the balls right on top of the powder, no lube or wad. I like the bigger balls as I get a tighter fit.
I can't see that moist air is going to get past that ball.
I use CCI #11 caps.
I keep the pistols in a drawer, not in a plastic bag.

[simonkenton]

Hawg Haggen:
That is a fantastic story, you found a loaded Remington in a barn!
Would you give us the details?
Was this gun from the Civil War?

[Hawg]

Hawg Haggen:
That is a fantastic story, you found a loaded Remington in a barn!
Would you give us the details?
Was this gun from the Civil War?

I was metal detecting on some property (with permission). There was an old house site and a dilapitaded barn. Wasn't digging much worthwhile so decided to explore the barn. It was hanging on a nail from a support beam with all six chambers loaded and capped.(the caps wouldn't fire)It was frozen but freed up fairly easy. Action was like new once it was freed up and oiled. Serial number dated it to 1862. It had a dovetailed silver front sight and the cylinder pin could be removed without dropping the lever. It also had the military inspectors cartouche on the grips. I've found several old guns, knives, bayonets etc. in old houses and barns. Yes I showed it to the property owner and he said he'd never seen it before and had been in the old barn several times when he first bought the property. He also said it was mine since I found it. He was planning on dozing the barn down, if I hadn't found it it would have been lost forever. It now resides in a gentlemans collection in NYC.

[simonkenton]

Great story Hawg, thanks.

[playtheblues]

Indeed, a great story!
BB in SC

[simonkenton]

play the blues I would suggest that you use black powder. As I understand it some of the subs don't have a long shelf life.