What to do with Pyrodex?

[HardBall]

I've got about 6 or 7 lbs or Pyrodex, mostly RS granulation but some is P grade.  About half is in the newer plastic bottles and the other half is in the old cardboard bottles.  I've been given these by friends who ended up with it somehow and thought they'd be generous by giving it to me.  I didn't want to be rude so I accepted hoping I would eventually find some other person who would take them since I'm only interested in real BP.

I've had these for 10 years or more and I'm tired of having to store them and want to get rid of them.  If someone is in the NW Louisiana area and wants them they can have them FOC, just come get them.

My other option is to pour it out.  I guess it's safe to pour out in the woods on my property?  No risk of ground water contamination as i'm on a well?

[Rootsy]

I included the 2 bottles of RS and 1 bottle of T7 I had when I delivered the last percussion rifle I delivered...  I was glad to get the stuff out of my magazine so I could make room for more of the real deal.

[bgf]

Maybe make some flashpots and have a pyrotechnics show at the family get togethers !  Anybody play electric guitar?

[hanshi]

I have a couple bottles of it and have no plans to pour it out.  I tried it and found I didn't like it and since I had plenty of black powder, I put it away in storage.  My take is that if you have a caplock gun you shoot, then I'd go ahead and shoot it up saving a bit of black powder.  Nothing wrong with using it for plinking and such.  I'm OCD and NEVER throw anything away.

[Roger Fisher]

If you are not in to paying a pow wow lady to come into your property so say a few words over it as you scatter it about the leaves, I suggest that you should hang on to it ($#*! you don't have to feed it or pay rent on it) someone will come along later on to take it off your hands.  Be sure they clean and oil after using it so their bores don't rot..

[William Worth]

Pyrodex does not store well.  It's probably a light, powdery grey material by now.  I would pour it on the yard or garden for fertilizer.

I gave away some as well.

Or you could tamp it into a stump you might want to remove.

[HardBall]

Or you could tamp it into a stump you might want to remove.

There's an idea...  If it has something in it that acts as a fertilizer, wouldn't too much in a given space kill grass or stumps?  I've got my gun range cut but haven't removed all the stumps yet.  I could drill holes in the stumps and use the pyro as a stump killer (not as a blasting powder).   ...If it worked that would make Hanshi happy since I found some use for it and didn't "throw it away" 

[HardBall]

...so say a few words over it as you scatter it about the leaves...

I'll say a few words over it all right.

[TMerkley]

Make a nice long trail like in the Davy Crockett movie and see how long it takes for it to go up in smoke. Or the tree stump.  Just make sure the tree stump is far enough away from the buildings or you will end up like a friend of mine about 18 years ago.  If you drive past the pole-barn you can notice a fresh piece of sheet metal near the top of a wall about 40 feet from where the tree stump was locate.  OOOPS!!!!   I am glad I wasn't there to witness that one.  I think he used BP though.

[tuffy]

A lot of the hunter education programs use Pyrodex to teach muzzleloading. If you have one close, you may check with them to see if they could use a little extra propellent. I don't know of too many HE groups that use flintlocks. Just a thought.

     CW

[jamesthomas]

 I think I would go the fertilizer or stump killer way myself. I have a jar of pyrodex that I use as a door stop.

[xring2245]

Old Pyrodex...??  Bury it.

[WadePatton]

blow up a pumpkin?

cauterize a wound?

spook the herd?

make a rocket?

anthills, launch some fire ants...

[Rifle]

What would old Pyrodex look like if it was over it's self life and was rotten?  Smell or look funny somehow? Shoot weird like just fizzle or not ignite?
I poured out some black powder I had that was from a bad lot. It was lighter grey (meaning not black) and gave terrible groups and wouldn't work well in smooth bore shotgun or cap&ball revolver. I would have sent it back to the dealer but didn't start into it untill years after I bought it. I got rid of a cache of Clear Shot FFFg since it was old and was never any good anyway.
Anywhooooo......I should have kept the powder since any gun powder will be valuable when civil unrest hits the streets and people are running chaotic in the streets eatin each other. I saw  a show on Direct TV about "Prepars" that are stocking up on supplies for when the $#@* hits the fan. They stock up on food and fuel and ammo and gunpowder and are getting ready for the civil unrestthey say is coming. A person could trade old Pyrodex for food if the $#@* hits the fan. 

[TMerkley]

Another option is to check with your nearest Law Enforcement Agency to see if their Bomb Dog Handler can use it for training.  Explosives K-9's are trained in BP, Pyrodex, smokeless powders etc as well as a few other explosives.  My K-9 partner is trained in 6 Narcotics odors as well as BP and Smokeless.  School Resource K-9. But he does show interest in Pyrodex. 

[HardBall]

Another option is to check with your nearest Law Enforcement Agency to see if their Bomb Dog Handler can use it for training.  

That's a good idea, I'll check into that. 

[gunner69]

You could always donate it to a good charity........ ME.   If you are willing to do that my Zip is 36047 and I don't mind paying for the packing.

[Hungry Horse]

 Buy a cap and ball revolver, or double barrel shotgun, or both, and shoot it up. It works fine in direct ignition firearms.


                          Hungry Horse

[WadePatton]

Buy a cap and ball revolver, or double barrel shotgun, or both, and shoot it up. It works fine in direct ignition firearms.


                          Hungry Horse

i wouldn't pollute those bbls with it. nothing to do with ignition, it's the possibility of horrid corrosion from the residue that will forevermore keep me away from such products.  (and i did ruin two bbls as a youngster with it).

but this horse has been whooped mercilessly postmortem twice already.

[dagner]

 give it to your buddies that have in line actions and shoot sabots.  that is all most of pellets are
dag

[doulos]

Pyrodex has about the worst shelf life of all the black powder subs. Older pyrodex will constantly hang fire and give very inconsistent velocities even in caplocks. 

[WadePatton]

speaking of shelf life-I just found a partial can of Pyrodex (my organizational habits leave something to be desired) and promptly used it to burn my initials on a rock.

Methinks that's a great application of the product.  One could do all sorts of burn-on designs upon all sorts of materials. 

And i noted the price 13.99 and the date code 1982.  it _was_ kinda hard to light with a butane lighter.  hey don't do as i do yo.

[Dphariss]

Buy a cap and ball revolver, or double barrel shotgun, or both, and shoot it up. It works fine in direct ignition firearms.


                          Hungry Horse

This is not a good way to save money.....
Cheaper to dump it. Then use the money that would be used to buy the guns to buy a case of good BP.

Dan

[Chris Treichel]

Here is what the safety data sheet says about Pyrodex

Waste Disposal Method:   Wet thoroughly with water to dissolve the powder. Comply with all federal, state, and local laws.

[stone knife]

I gave all mine away because all I use is the real deal. Do you know someone that shoots a inline? Give it to them or maybe someone with a cannon.