but, has a red/brownish dust when poured. Any concerns?

After only 15 years!!

I am not a gunwriter, but I was always told the rust colored residue means you powder is bad and should not be used.

I have 70+ year old H-4831, no rust, smells good, shoots good.

I've had much newer powder develop the brown dust and I chunk it.

DF

But, it smells good

then smell the heck out of it while you are using it for lawn fertilizer.

^^^^^^^ THIS^^^^^^^^^^

Nothing smells as good as a Just Fired Winchester Shotshell or 22 LR case, while sitting under a Hickory Tree Squirrel Hunting early in the morning when the sun is just coming up.

Potpourri for the man cave???

That would be Hoppy Number 9

These guys are right! Don't shoot it!

Just enjoy the aromas...

Dang it, cost me $10.16!

Put some in your food for supper and spice up your farts

Stan V;
Top of the morning to you sir, I'm sorry to read that your powder has gone off - but that's what it sounds like to me.

Over the last couple of years I had two different containers of IMR powder go bad on me - one looked to be semi ancient IMR 4320 and one was a fresh but at least decade old can of IMR 4831.

The IMR 4831 really hurt as the .270 I was shooting at the time just doted on it and it's been all but impossible to find up here.

Anyway sir previous to that I had about 6 lbs of a bulk canister powder go bad on me that ended up eating the cases too - so on top of chucking the powder we ended up tossing close to 150 cases away. That one was not the "usual" red dust though as it clumped together and there was a definite exothermic element going on with the deterioration - ie the jug was warm to the touch....

Lastly, based upon how I found that the clumping powder had gone "off" - having it split cases when firing - which while it was educational on some levels was not exactly an uplifting experience, I'll vote for fertilizer.

All the best to you folks this Fourth of July weekend sir and again sorry to read about your powder issues.

Dwayne

I have never had powder go bad on me. I always keep it in a cool place with no wide temperature swings. I have several pounds of surplus H4831 in a cardboard 20 pound drum that Dad dated March of 1967 when he purchased it from Gart Brothers in Denver. It hasn't deteriorated one bit. Constant temp storage is what is needed to keep powder fresh. Take it out and dump it on the lawn.

My powder and primers are stored indoors with A/C. This particular can was opened 15 years ago and I guess is indeed deteriorating, but still smells very good.

I'm still not convinced it needs to be discarded.

Just poured the contents of the can onto a white paper plate and the dust is more like the color of the grains of powder, not red.

Did I mention it smells very good?

After I ascertained the appearance is what it should be, I'd see if it smelled good...

Amen !

Agreed!

Or a burnt paper shotgun hull on a cool fall morning.
Good memories......

You beat me to it. Paper hulls are so aromatic. I have almost a full box of 16 gauge paper Winchesters and I fire off one every fall just to remember.

I agree, they need to make an air freshner with that scent . I've never seen red dust you are talking about though..

I do the same thing LH.
Every year I try to knock down a bird or two with one of my Dad's shotguns that I learned to bird hunt with, and do it with paper hull ammo I've saved over the years.
It always takes me back to hunting with him when I was a kid...

BTW, it's a 16ga too!

If it is not Red then the call is yours. All powder has some dust remaining from the manufacturing process. It is mostly graphite.

Well, upon further review and comparing to a can of imr 4064 from 2001, this 4350 is different.

Oh by the way, the can in question is dated Sept 1990....25 years. I switched powders.

Well, if in doubt, don't.

It's not worth it.

DF

been opened 15 years?

Sycamore

Open 25 years

I'd better get cracking !

Sycamore

Myself.! I have 2 5lb tins of SR 4756 and SR 7625 dated 1982 and 1986. They smell good, too!

Load a few rounds, put it in your shooting buddy's loaner gun, and see what happens.

So what does the red powder do???I have used cans and cans of IMR with red powder in it and could not tell the difference between it and fresh powder on my chronograph.

I didn't see this question asked, but is it old enough it's in the old metal IMR canisters? I've known a handloader or two who found "red dust" in their metal canisters that ended up being rust from an aged can. The powder was still fine.

Dumping it out is still the safest road to travel...

It is in a can dated 1990.

why not load a couple rounds, fire them and see what happens before you make it fertilizer?

I have zero experience with red powder and it appears no one on here is certain either. I'm still thinking it over. I did just order an 8lber of H4831 and an 8lber of imr 4064, so I'm not short powder.

That is why I would shoot it and see what happens since nobody else has any more experienced opinions. As long as you have a rod to push out any stuck bullets if the powder is really bad, what bad things could happen other than needing a good cleaning?

I had some 4831 from a metal can that was like that. I think that it was rust from the can. I did not want to run that rust down the barrel of my rifle. I dont think it could be good for it.

Uhhhhhhhh...there a few of us with experience and we told him not to shoot it if it has 'rust' on it....

Pretty common knowledge......

From what I gather, the reddish dust is likely powder that has broken down over time, and typically burns faster than the intact composition of the powder, which can lead to higher than expected pressure spikes. I'd either sift the dust out of the powder, or discard it. Probably chuck it.