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Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 25
Campfire Greenhorn
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OP
Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 25 |
So an old crony died, and his wife gifted me with a plastic tote partially full of various powders. This stuff has sat in a garage in Oklahoma (varied weather) for probably 10/12 years. They are all 1# plastic (original) containers with metal screw on lids. .All the lids show obvious rusting to the point of discoloring the top shoulders of the containers. When opened the rust has not gone past the lower rim of the cap. Some of these" are as new" un-broken seals, and some are partial. All the powders are IMR and Hodgdon. The opened containers do not display any discoloration in the remaining powder, or smell different than some current powder I have. With the current cost of powders today (23 1# jugs) sure would like to use this stuff. What say yea? Gary
The only thing "Normal" is the setting on your dryer. Don't let the number of my posts lull you into thinking I'm "New" at this.
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 66,948
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 66,948 |
Pffft
I’m still shooting metal can powder
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Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 2,060
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 2,060 |
Still shooting powder from ate 1970's. As long as it was sealed & stored where it did not extreme cold or heat . Got some Korean war surplus ammo that still fires fine.
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 66,948
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 66,948 |
I have some from the late 70s
Pics or it didnt happen 😃
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 6,402
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 6,402 |
The smell and appearance will tell you. Pour some on a white piece of paper and look for a reddish dust that occurs when powder degrades.
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
3-7-77
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 19,503
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 19,503 |
I have powder from the late 90's that I'm not worried about in the least.
4 out of 5 Great Lakes prefer Michigan.
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 13,606
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 13,606 |
I have some old square metal reloader 11 that still works fine. Load data is hard to find though
Beware of any old man in a profession where one usually dies young.
Calm seas don't make sailors.
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 14,488
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 14,488 |
If you still smell the ether or it doesn't smell odd, and isn't clumped together it is probably still good.
Years ago we had a storage area at work where the owner's deceased father had kept some reloading stuff. This environment was not controlled. There were jugs of smokeless powder that had been out there since Lincoln was a private, evidently...the production manager decided the area needed to be cleaned out and a good deal of the grunt labor was done by a certain individual who is as sharp as a bag of marbles. He came in asking me what to do with all this "black powder" so I told him I'd take a look. All of it was spoiled, most of it clumped together like concrete. I dumped what was loose in the grass, and buried the clumpy stuff in shallow holes. A while later Mr. Marbles wanted to know what I'd done with the clumpy powder, and I told him I'd buried it. With a look of panic on his face, he asked "where?" Just for fun I told him I couldn't remember. I'm sure he regarded the entire area as a minefield from that day forward. That gives me a reason to smile to this day.
Don't be the darkness.
America will perish while those who should be standing guard are satisfying their lusts.
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Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 5,243
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 5,243 |
I had the same question that I asked on another message board. I have a bunch of powder that I've had for many years, stored in an outbuilding.. in not the best conditions. The consensus was that unless it's turning red or smells bad, it's fine. No red, and it all still has the familiar light gunpowder scent, so I figure I'm good to go. I still haven't gotten my reloading stuff all set up yet, though.
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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,118
Campfire Savant
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Campfire Savant
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 151,118 |
Hopefully it is still usable, it’s hard to find now.
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Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 6,402
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 6,402 |
I got one can left of 4 cans an old dude gave me. One of the 4 was bad, had the red dust and off odor. Other 3 cans were fine.
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
3-7-77
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 56,097
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 56,097 |
Shoot it. How old was this? I dunno. Does it shoot OK? Yes....
I am..........disturbed.
Concerning the difference between man and the jackass: some observers hold that there isn't any. But this wrongs the jackass. -Twain
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Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 14,488
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 14,488 |
I got one can left of 4 cans an old dude gave me. One of the 4 was bad, had the red dust and off odor. Other 3 cans were fine. I bought several of those at Scheel's in Salt Lake for $2.98 each in 1991. Seems like powder was normally about $15 per pound in those days.
Don't be the darkness.
America will perish while those who should be standing guard are satisfying their lusts.
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Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,187
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,187 |
I recently obtained a nice cache of powder from a friend. In the metal cans. Cans were rusty on top and on the inside. Rusty dust cloud when I poured the powder into the hopper.
Took it outside on a breezy day and dumped the powder back-and-forth between two containers, letting the breeze carry the rust particles away. The dust was from the rusty cans, not from bad powder. Powder passed the smell test, and it looked like, well, gunpowder.
I picked a gun, that if it got ruined, I would be the least upset. Strapped it to the bench, tied up 30' of string, loaded a round and hoped for the best. 5 test rds. per can. 4 cans. Bottom of the charge range to the top.
The choice I had was maybe blow up a $300 gun, or toss $500 of powder.
I now have enough powder to last for a long time.
prplbkrr = Purple Biker
Can't score goals if all you do is pass.
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Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 3,910
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 3,910 |
$ 500.00 for 4 cans - how big are the cans?
8 lb kegs?
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Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,187
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 1,187 |
^^^^^Your math skills are excellent^^^^^^
prplbkrr = Purple Biker
Can't score goals if all you do is pass.
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,840
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 2,840 |
Yup. Red/rust colored dust & off odor =NG. If it looks good and has that normal "chemical" smell (at least that's what i'd call it), you're GTG. I still have metal cans of IMR powder that were my fathers from the early 1970's, and the resulting hand loads shoot fine. I think HOW the powder is stored is far more important that how old. I know the 1917 vintage, cordite rounds I bought in the 1980s still go bang in my 303 Enfield. -Tom
"I'm from the government, and I'm here to help"
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Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 25
Campfire Greenhorn
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OP
Campfire Greenhorn
Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 25 |
Thanks for all the reply's Always something to learn on the "Fire". Gary.
The only thing "Normal" is the setting on your dryer. Don't let the number of my posts lull you into thinking I'm "New" at this.
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Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 7,952
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 7,952 |
Thanks for all the reply's Always something to learn on the "Fire". Gary. You did sign and return the waiver, right?
Fall seven times, stand up eight.
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,736
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 5,736 |
i found a couple cans on the family farm last month. The steel can of 4350 had a good bit o' rust, but seems intact. The can of ? next to it crumbled when I picked it up, sending an extremely fine red dust throughout the room.
I may go back for the 4350. It's probably worth about $8,000 in today's market, age be damned...
FC
"Every day is a holiday, and every meal is a banquet."
- Mrs. FC
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