is it possible to build a muzzle loader that wont rust

G

georgehwbush

New member
i didn't see any offerings on the web, or adds for a front stuffer of a "rust prof" design.

is it possible to build a gun that black powder and black powder residue will not affect ?

or is that just wishful thinking?
 
Possible? Sure. There are lots of alloys out there that would not be affected
by black powder residue. 316 Stainless, Inconel, Hastelloy, Monel, Iridium
and a bunch more.
Practical? Maybe with Stainless, but otherwise no.
 
It's very easy to do. Simply don't shoot anything through it.

Rust: do you mean the red rust on steel, Fe3O2? That's the oxidation of the iron in the steel. Even the best alloy of stainless steel will oxidize eventually in the roughest of conditions.

You could have a barrel made out of titaniaum.

The best solution is to design a muzzle loading firearm that is EASY TO CLEAN and have the right 'tools'... a big tea kettle, a stout rod, some brushes, patches and natural fats.

After shooting, a good flushing or soaking with boiling hot water is the way to go.

If you want to be really fancy, make a trough of a section of aluminum storm gutter that can lay across two burners of your stove. Get a trough of rain water boiling and dunk your barrel for 40 minutes.

Any red rust, Fe3O2 will be converted to magnetitie... Fe3O4 ... by the energetic oxygen in the H2O. Magnetite can't rust! It already has, and you converted it!

This trick about treating steel with boiling water is ancient. It's crazy effective. It only has two problems:
1. The process takes time and isn't good for factory work
2. No one can figure out how to make money selling boiling water.
 
Ruger Old Army in stainless steel pretty much proves its possible.

Yes, stainless steel does rust, but very, very slowly compared to carbon steel and minimal care will reduce or even prevent that.
 
Rust is part of the black powder game. Concussion for football, missing teeth for hockey, cut off fingers for woodworking, etc. Fun without pain is no fun. At least the prospect of pain.

Just kidding of course. There is reason I don't shoot BP.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 
Yep, build any muzzle loader you want and adopt a strict policy to clean them and clean them right and BAM, rust free muzzle loader. LOL I know when you meant in your OP, I'm just messing around.
 
hummm. ok. i guess that is why i never bothered to purchase a muzzle loading...anything.


i guess if i was going to have a muzzle loader it would have to be a breach loader that accepted smokeless/non-corrosive propellant. oh wait i have that already. ;/
 
Not crazy about the look

My favorite and only black powder revolver is of stainless steel construction. I've owned it over twenty years now, while not shot often, it has been shot a fair amount.
I'm a hot water is free fan as well. I do clean it after coming home from the range. it may not get cleaned that day, always within a few days.
I've not seen even a hint of rust I mostly shoot Pyrodex or 777.
 
I have been saying this for years, but I will say it again.

Black Powder is no where near as corrosive as most shooters think.

Back when corrosive primers were standard, the combination of corrosive primers and BP fouling was very corrosive.

We don't use corrosive primers any more.

If left uncleaned for 24 hours, a modern revolver fired with Black Powder will not disintegrate into a pile of rust. I don't shoot much CAS these days, but when I do, it is always with cartridges loaded with Black Powder. 45 Colt in my Colts, 44-40 in my Henry rifle, and 12 gauge in my shotgun. I NEVER clean them the same day I shoot them. Cleaning four guns after shooting all day and driving home a couple of hours is more than I want to do. My standard was to try to clean them within a week of shooting them. I will not state here publicly how long I have actually gone without cleaning my guns, but I can tell you it was much more than a week. When I got around to cleaning them, they were not reduced to piles of rust.

I will say it again, non-corrosive primers are the secret.

Go into a museum sometime and look at an old Flintlock rifle. There will be very little corrosion around the flash hole because corrosive primers were not being used. Then take a look at an old Cap & Ball rifle. There will be much more corrosion around the nipple, because of the corrosive primers used back then.

Anyway, here is a photo of the Stainless Ruger Old Army I picked up a few years ago. No rust with modern caps.

BSHxIZ.jpg
 
Actually, it is better to use Bronze Wool with Stainless Steel than Steel Wool.

Stainless steel has a small amount of Chromium added to the alloy. Different Stainless alloys will have different amounts of Chromium added, but they all have some. The way this prevents corrosion is a very thin layer of Chromium Oxide forms on the surface of the steel. This Oxide is the same color as the rest of the metal, but more importantly it provides a barrier that prevents atmospheric oxygen from attacking the steel and causing corrosion. If the surface of the Stainless steel gets scratched, the layer of Oxide will be broken, but it immediately 'self heals' and forms a new layer of Chromium Oxide, again preventing further corrosion.

The problem with steel wool is tiny shards of steel can break off and imbed themselves in the surface. Not being 'stainless' the shards can provide a path to the body of the steel, causing small surface spots of corrosion.

When polishing Stainless Steel, I always use Bronze Wool, available from Brownells.
 
Nope ... Wishful Thinking . the closest would be Stainless Steel ... but that is only rust resistent at best . The Stainless Steel Ruger Old Army still required cleaning and oiling .
It was not Rust Proof by any means .
Gary
 
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