Have only seen this in powder packaged in metal containers. Haven't seen it when packaged in plastic containers, has anyone else?
bushrat;
Good afternoon to you sir, I hope you're all well up north and it's not quite as smoky for you folks either.
I have had IMR4198, IMR4831 and a bulk powder from Higginson in Ontario which I bought as VV N160 go off on me.
The VV N160 was in a plastic jug - I had 8lb of it and about 6lb went off.
When I checked on rounds loaded with it, it had caked inside the cases and cracked several of the cases off at the shoulder - as in sitting in the MTM boxes - the case necks got brittle and fell off. The bullets were the only salvageable thing from that mess and they were quite caked with verdigris on the bases. It really hurt me because I had to chuck a couple hundred unfired but loaded 6.5x55 cases and about 50 .308 Norma cases that I'd just fire formed from .338 Win Mag. I was a sad camper that day, but happy to have found it before it burned the house down.
The plastic jug was warm to the touch when I discovered it. I was nonplussed to say the very least as it was sitting with a fair bit of other powder.
The IMR4831 was a fresh can, but still a metal one if memory serves. It was just rusty and smelled off.
The IMR4198 was an older can by the price on it, was half gone when someone gave it to me and again was rusty and didn't have that nice "fresh powder" smell to it.
On the other end of life, I still have half a pound of WWII surplus H4831 that is useable, but a has lost a wee bit of weight. When one weighs the same volume of it along with a like volume of fresher H4831, it was a tad lighter so would be a tad hotter I'm thinking.
Anyways, hope that helped someone out there and was useful.
Dwayne