Remove Bullet & Powder
 

Got a CVA ProMagnum it has powder (Blackhorn) and a bullet loaded, has been in for a couple years. Is the powder still good, Ok to shoot?

first question fior me would be why was it loaded for yrs??

any how, MY suggestion is call a good gun smith and have them safely remove thinsg for you
as after all the time that passed, not knowing how gun was stored, the powder can have gone bad for sure
and NO one here can tell you if its good or not, not knowing 100% of details on how it was store the entire time!

SOP< for safety reason, Contact a smith, let him know the issue and have them handle it for you safely!

I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a bullet/Blackhorn load that's been sitting in the bore for a few years any more than I would hesitate to shoot powder that's been stored in a container for years. The powder is either good or weakened, but not increased in power. Just be sure to check the bore to make sure the bullet is fully seated and everything is clean from the bullet to the muzzle. If the powder is so weakened that the bullet does not exit the muzzle (unlikely) pull the breech plug and push everything out.

The old guru has spoken!
My question is why loaded so long too? Did you inherit it or just didn't use it in that long a time?

As long as the bore is otherwise clear and the load in question is known for sure to be a safe load, there can be no harm in attempting to discharge it. Plan b would be to pull the breechplug and push the old load out. Either way be sure to very thoroughly clean the gun afterwards. Then get in the habit of unloading, one way or another...if you do not know when it will be used next.

For those of you that leave a gun loaded on a clean barrel (as I often do) keep in mind that you never know when you're suddenly going to the big deer woods in the sky. So do your survivors a favor and flag that gun in some way.

If I loaded it, I wouldn't hesitate to shoot it. But if it was unknown or someone I didn't trust I wouldn't.

-Jake

I will still stand by my suggestion, and my reasons will be, that folks that STORE powder do so in a place where powder is safe and not exposed to a lot of changes in temps and moisture issue's

folks that LOAD inlines and muzzle loaders(and I base this on yrs of dealing with customers in my gun shop)
have a tendency to not store guns as well as powder
I have seen many bring a COLD gun into a HOT room, and condensation can form and alter powder, they have possibly carried the gun in the raina nd snow and possibly got some water down the bore which again can effect powder

it can also cause action of corrosion like build up on the bullet in the bore!
I have seen loaded guns stored in barns, sheds, trucks, and all over again exposed to many weather like changes and humidity and ??
add in YRS of this, and that powder can be BAD , and firing it might just be a fizz and and just lodge the bullet in the bore in a different place

the SAFE and propper way IMO< is have a gun smith remove it safely
so OP doesn't have to experiment doing so themselves,a s its obvious to me they DON"T know how to, or wouldn't be asking here

folks with more experience maybe can handle doing so themselves.
but suggestion to a a new owner of a unknown gun storage or history,(and again possibly how or when loaded and with what 100% for sure that is) to just SHOOT IT, doesn't sound very safe to me!

and to the OP< how do you even know for 100% what powder is in the bore?? maybe this question should be answered here before we give suggestions on firing it too?

Thanks for the replies. The previous owner had loaded it and then put it in a locked gun cabinet. He decided he didn't want to hunt anymore, and gave it to me recently. He is of sound mind, so when he says it's 90 gr. of BH, I don't doubt him. Bore is clean (looked with a light).
Edit: I know how to remove the breech plug, and can push it through. I didn't know how stable BH was with age.

why not email Blackhorn and ask them, after all its there powder, or call them for maybe faster thoughts?