How corrosive is Pyrodex?

[zimmerstutzen]

Frankly, whether what he says is true or not, I would not expect any different response from a representative of Hogdon.

So, perhaps, we need a test. My thoughts are take a piece of bar stock so the steel is the same. Clean it good. Pour 15 grains of black in a spot on one end and light it. then repeat five times. Do the same on the other end with an equal volume of Pyroduh and place the piece of bar stock out in my pump house, so it is exposed to humidity but not weather. And photograph the results each day. We could even use a spot in the middle as a neutral to show the corrosion from just humidity on the steel.

See which, if any, produces the most evidence of corrosion.

Would that be scientific enough?

 

[junkman_01]

Make sure you document each step with pics, as it's clear from your posts that you do not like Pyrodex (Pyroduh).

 

[J-Bar]

additional reading for entertainment and such...

http://www.chuckhawks.com/blackpowder_pyrodex.htm

http://www.chuckhawks.com/doc_white2.htm

 

[Acorn Mush]

So, perhaps, we need a test. My thoughts are take a piece of bar stock so the steel is the same. Clean it good. Pour 15 grains of black in a spot on one end and light it. then repeat five times. Do the same on the other end with an equal volume of Pyroduh and place the piece of bar stock out in my pump house, so it is exposed to humidity but not weather. And photograph the results each day. We could even use a spot in the middle as a neutral to show the corrosion from just humidity on the steel.

See which, if any, produces the most evidence of corrosion.

Go for it Zimmerstutzen! If you can leave your sample under the proposed conditions for a long term, say six months, the results may be very interesting indeed.

 

[Plastikosmd]

I think we should come up with accepted parameters and have a few of us try it

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I have a few pieces of bar stock
A piece that is 1 x12 ought to be large enough.
My thought would be to sand the surface to make sure it is clean metal
Clean it well and namely the ends for black & pyro
Then measure out and burn 5 equal charges of each
Place out of the weatheri

 

[frontiergander]

Whats the test going to prove? Both black powder and pyrodex will destroy a barrel when you dont clean it?

 

[Plastikosmd]

I will poke around for a scrap barrel to cut up. Maybe mimic bore condtion and the outside/surface condition. Maybe several storage locations (outside/garage/basement/house) and see how it changes over a fixed period of time. Could do new england vs west vs south etc. Of course different steels may become an issue between test sites. I was thinking lit bp/pyro, unlit pb/pyro and blank steel as control.

 

[Pyro]

Works just fine. Use it in my pistol and my shotshell reloads.
People on the internet think to much.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I suspect modern steel is much different than older steel and iron barrels. Cleanup with modern steel is probably less problematic.

ie Where there are more microscopic pores in the older steels if would be a problem.

If you only shoot modern recently made guns, there may be little to no problem. My experience has been that in old barrels Pyrodex is far worse.