Frontier BP sales?

Z

ZVP

New member
Back in the Frontier days, how was Bulk Black Powder sold? Was it sold by the pound or by the sack, or whatever? I wonder because I remember seeing a clint Eastwood movie where he carried what looked like a 3-5 lb cloth bag of powder in his Saddlebag. So much powder would likely spoil (Absourb Moisture?) before it got shot up!
I am sure that there must have been some standard method used...
ZVP
 
Since smokeless powder did not exist yet, it was likely called 'gunpowder' not 'black powder'.

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Black powder could be had in small barrels. I was also told there were huge powder horns capable of storing five pounds of powder. These were used by hunting groups as they were lighter than a wood barrel.

I doubt if anyone actually stored spare powder in a cloth rag. As mentioned it could absorb moisture to easily.
 
I doubt the bag too. A small flask at least. It could be purchased in small kegs and up to 25 pounders if I'm not mistaken.
 
last i checked, once 1800 came, powder was sold in powder kegs that contained roughly half a barrel worth of powder. seen to many period illustrations showing the short flat powder kegs strapped to pack animals.

it was sold like dynamite, as much as you wanted and if you had the money.

theres an old color john wayne movie were in the end he blows up a store and it shows racks of powder cans roughly the size of those commercial 5 pound tin cans of stew/creamed corn/etc.
 
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