Corrosion test in Stainless Bisley Vaqueros

[Silver Creek Slim]

I have a brace of Stainless Bisley Vaqueros in which I shoot BP loads. The last match I shot with them was on April 21st. I have shot one of them a couple times since then. I kept forgetting to clean them. The next match is on Saturday so I figured I better clean them before then so I won't have any problems during the match. I cleaned them this afternoon. I did not find any trace of rust/corrosion. Granted, I kept them in a dry location. This is the longest they have gone after shooting BP without cleaning them.

Slim

[Driftwood Johnson]

Yup, I keep saying that BP ain't nowhere near as corrosive as most folks think. I used to shoot a pair of Stainless 'old model' Vaqueros when I first switched over to BP a few years ago. I was convinced that ordinary blued guns would disintegrate into piles of rust on the drive home if I didn't clean them the instant I stopped shooting them. Seldom cleaned them the same day, often went a week of even more without cleaning them. Never saw a hint of corrosion.

These days I shoot a pair of 2nd Gen Colts. Just plain blued and case hardened steel, no plating, certainly no stainless in them. I never clean them the same day I shoot them, usually try to clean them within a week. I've gone as long as 3 weeks without cleaning them. Never any rust, and the fouling actually comes out easier after it has dried out and gotten white and flakey.

I will say that one of my Colts, which has absolutely no blue left on it at all from a previous owner, is developing a very nice 'aged' patina, undoubtably from my lack of promptness in cleaning. No different than the patina that forms on a brass framed Henry if left to its own devices. The other Colt, which probably still retains 95% of its original finish shows no ill effects at all from my lack of prompt cleaning.

That reminds me, I shot them on Sunday. I really ought to clean them this coming weekend. No shooting this weekend.

Now my shotgun, hmmmmmm.... shot it for the first time this year in late April. Have shot it 2 or 3 times since then. Haven't cleaned it yet. Maybe I should clean it this weekend too. Oh yeah, no stainless anywhere in this one either. It was made around 1906.

[Arcey]

Corrosion.....

Just one of many Black Powder myths.

[litl rooster]

  I wish you guys wouldn't tell everyone all this,  it's hard enought trying to place amongest y'll

  I went 3 matches just as a test last season I did notice some accuracy problems on the third, cleaning made some difference.

[Fox Creek Kid]

All the above info is absolutely correct, however I want to add that for anyone using Pyrodex all bets are off. I never use faux BP but I have known people who shot Pyrodex and who had pitted barrels very rapidly as they neglected to clean for a day or two. With Pyrodex one would be wise to clean at the range IMO.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Howdy!

Humidity and nearness to water plays a big part in this, too.  In a good rifle/pistol case, the humidity won't bother the guns for some time.  This is NO excuse for not cleaning; only, just that ya don't have to worry 'bout yer toys "disintegrate(ing) into piles of rust on the way home" or other similar silliness!

Ralph, I won't tell ennyone iffn you won't! 

[Dick Dastardly]

I'm not sure just how it all came together, but when the major ammo manufacturers started makin' 'em heathen fad smokeyless loaded bullets, they also started usin' "Staynless" primers.  Them primers weren't available to hand loaders, so they had to use the old corrosive sparkplugs.  Soon enuf, shooters learnt that the new stuff was less corrosive.  The most obvious difference was the lack of smoke.  So, the smoke got the blame.  I'm thinkn' that all the time it was the primers doin' the dirty work, and not so much the powder.

Anyhow bp ammo got a bad rap.  It's taken Cowboy Action Shooting to debunk the "corrosion" boogyman.  I now use Holy Black for many of my hunting loads.  The need to clean immediately is far less evident than the old "corrosive ammo" myth would have us believe.

Now, I won't blame the major ammo makers but theirs was smart marketing, dontcha think?

DD-DLoS

[Delmonico]

A lot of the problems were the Mercury fulminate primers, they did in both brass and steel.  The "crossive"  Potassiumclorate primers like the old milatary ammo were not hard on brass like the Mercury based ones but still left a "salt" behind.

Go look at muzzle loaders in museums, the percussion ones are often ate uparound the drum area, even if the rest of the gun is in very good shape.  You don't see this near the problems on the flint-locks which were not exposed to Mercury.

[fourfingersofdeath]

Forgive me if you guys have heard this, I read it on the net somewhere (probably here )

A muleskinner was trying his mule up at the saloon. A dandy gunman/gambler was keen to impress the ladies and gents in the immediate area. He drew his pistols and said to the muleskinner, 'pilgrim, do you dance?' The muleskinner replied, 'nope, never was a mind to.' The Dandy laughed and said 'I'll give you a lesson!' and started shooting the ground around the muleskinner's feet causing him to dance avoiding the bullets. Whe the dandy ran out of ammo, he re-holstered and turn to talk to his admiring throng. He recieved a tap on te shoulder and turned to see the barrels of the Muleskinner's shotgun an inch or so from his nose. The muleskinner said 'Pilgrim, have you every kissed a mule square on the butt?' The dandy said 'No sir, but I've always wanted to.'

the picture above reminded me.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

     LOLOLOLOL