[TomADC]

I have a can of FFg that I don't have a clue how old it is I bought it years ago to shoot my Zouve, same with the percussion caps. Any way to test this to make sure its still okay to shoot or should I dispose of it and if so how is that safely done. The caps I'm guessing if they fire they are good?

[Dave Markowitz]

As long as black powder is stored in a cool, dry place it does not deteriorate.

[Das Jaeger]

your can of BP is perfect as day one . As long as it hasen't had constant moisture to it , it is good to go .
Caps too , as long as they were sealed , dry , in a can , your good to go .
I shoot caps that are over ten years old plus from a bulk order I did with Navy Arms, still going strong .

Jaeger

[TomADC]

I will say both have been stored well, just wasn't sure if age would be a problem.
I may load up everything except the bullet and see what happens just to be sure.

[mykeal]

You asked how to tell.

I'll agree that, if you are confident you know it's history as being 'stored well', you shouldn't see any degradation. It certainly will not be unsafe to load up a few cylinders and see how it works, because if it degraded, performance will drop off rather than the powder becoming dangerous.

However, if you want to get an idea about how good it is, pour a small mound (say, about 5-10 grains) on an outdoor concrete surface and light it with a long kitchen match. If it's still good it will burn very rapidly with a 'whoosh'; if degraded you'll get an uneven or incomplete slower burn that might even sputter or pop.

[4v50 Gary]

Even wet powder, after being dried, will still burn. Go ahead and use the stuff.

[JamesKelly]

I'm still shooting du Pont.
Lately took up caplocks again & am happy with my 25 year old Navy Arms caps.
Recently a friend from Mississippi mailed me an article about the last casuaty of the War Between the States. Someone had been careless with a dug Civil War artillery shell. He won't do that again.

[Jim Watson]

A gunzine writer tested the story that the .32 Winchester Special was meant to be factory loaded with smokeless and reloaded with black in the days before smokeless was much trusted or understood. Fresh powder did not do much; slow, dirty, and inaccurate. But he found some pre-WW I DuPont and got better results.

[Jim K]

Black powder is a mechanical mixture, not a chemical compound. Some smokeless powder, especially if improperly made or stored, will deteriorate, but black powder will not.

Jim

[mykeal]

You are correct; it will not chemically deteriorate. It will, however, absorb moisture (slowly) from the ambient air or from being exposed to the liquid form. In that case it can clump and lose granularity; it can also remain moist inside the clump and give very unsatisfactory results, aka degraded performance. As 4v50Gary mentioned, it can be restored by simply breaking up the clumps, spreading it out and allowing it to dry.

[TomADC]

Just went out and checked the can, its made by GOEX and the bottom looks to be dated 02-85 so its not as old as I thought if that is a date..

[BHP FAN]

Should be good to go...