In the ole day's shot and powder were something you didn't waste and so the gun's stayed loaded,I own 8 black powder rifle's and one of them is very old was made in 1799 and is a manti bought from a guy who was moving and said that it was an old wall hanger that no one ever used and that he got it from his grandfather and alway's was hung up but anyway when i took it in to see how old it was the guy found out that it was still loaded,he removed the load and checked it out and said that I had something that the powder and ball were almost as old as the gun how he tested it I dont know all I know is he's a professor at a collage and teaches history and is in to old artifact's but the barrel is in great shape and I even hunted with it once.