Fire

[Tequila Jim]

 One of the local ranges has disallowed black powder for the summer months. My
question is are the BP subs ( 777, APP, Pyrodex, et all)  prone to starting fires?
                                                                           Regards, TJ

[Brian Why]

AFAIK only if you set a match to 'em.

[Dick Dastardly]

Generally speaking, it's not the Holy Black that's the culprit.  It's those flammable wads, cookies and accoutrements that some pards like to add to their bp ammo.  I've seen everything from what looked like tracers to spark showers from bp guns.  Upon examination of the residue, it wasn't black powder, but some junk added to the load that the Holy Black set afire.

Heathen fad smokeyless powder is every bit as dangerous if the same stuff is added to those loads.

Stick that in their fire extinguisher if they have need of it.

DD-DLoS

[Sunwapta Haze]

IMHO DD has the right of it.  It's the wads/grease cookies that seem to be the fire starters.

We did have a fire at our range last year started by BP ejecta.  The shooter was using a grease cookie 'cause he wasn't using Big Lube (TM) bullets and the wad started a small fire in the grass adjacent to the target which unfortunately ran quickly to the hay bale berm.  Then all heck broke out and we had a good old bucket brigade working until the fire trucks arrived.  It was hot time in the old town that day.

[Doctor Bill]

I second the information about wads, cookies, etc.  I don't use any of those in my 0.45 pistol or rifle loads and never get any of the smoke streamers that you frequently see with C&B pistols using grease-soaked wads.  Plenty of smoke and a big fireball at the muzzle but nothing that looks like a WP round going down-range.

Doctor Bill

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Howdy!

TJ, I'll go along with the rest.  I've shot MANY BP only bullets (NO grease - NO wads - NO fillers - round ball with no lube) and from a pistol, any BP that exits the barrel still burning is either burned out or on the ground (and instantly out) within 6' to 10' beyond the muzzle.  Rifle will be a bit longer, but not much.  At that distance, any fire started can be stomped out by the shooter.  On the other hand, any OTHER junque (fancy word for junk) that goes downrange will be the REAL cause of range fires.

Yer mileage may vary

[Delmonico]

I am going to add this although it shouldn't be a problem at a range.  A good friend who I know would never tell me any stories that wern't true did start a fire with a TC White Mountian Carbine and a Hornaday Great Plains bullet about 10 years ago deer hunting.  But he was hiding behind and shooting through the bushes he caught on fire during a very dry fall. 

I doubt though anyone will be shooting through bushes at a range.

[Dick Dastardly]

I did start a minor grass fire with a greased patch in my Seneca .45 Cal rifle.  The greased patches would carry enough fuel and heat to start burning after they landed.  It was a heads up for me and I switched to Maxi Balls.  Now I'm shootn' the EPP-UG out of that gun and killin' varmints like mad.  No problem with fire there.  The grease lubes the barrel and is GONE when the bullet exits.  The muzzle is wet and the fouling is soft.

So much for patched round balls in that gun.  The EPP-UG, which emulates round ball ballistics, is a much better solution.

DD-DLoS

[Tequila Jim]

Seems I was a bit off the page so to speak. It was not the range management but a gentelmans agrrement
between the 2 outher Pards that shoot BP to stop using BP for the remainder of summer.  As for old me, I am trying to
shoot up the thousand or so rounds of that outher stuff. Regards, TJ

[The Elderly Kid]

In the CW Battle of the Wilderness, famously, many wounded men burned to death in the brushfires started by gunfire. But in that fight there were many men lying on their bellies firing directly through dry grass and brush. Plus, cannon wads probably played a part. A bit of a stretch to worry about modern BP shooters, though, especially if you don't adulterate your loads with stuff that ain't powder or lead.