Old powder

[mkk]

I was given some old (early 70's) powder. Its in 1# metal cans still sealed up. I opened the seal on one of them and it looks and smells just like any of the current powders I have on hand. Would you use it? IMR4350

[mkk]

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[JuDGe]

What do you know about it's history? Where and how it was stored, etc...

[Draco]

I bought a bunch of powder in 1973, I mean a bunch of it and I'm still using it, no problems. Most is in 5# cans but much of it is i cans just like you show there.

[mkk]

Originally Posted by JuDGe

What do you know about it's history? Where and how it was stored, etc...

Came from a friends dad, it has been stored inside

[Bucknaked]

Originally Posted by mkk

I was given some old (early 70's) powder. Its in 1# metal cans still sealed up. I opened the seal on one of them and it looks and smells just like any of the current powders I have on hand. Would you use it? IMR4350

If you were the original seal breaker Yes!

[Cajun Blake]

Remove top and do 2 things …. carefully smell the contents. If it smells strong like ammonia it’s bad. Pour some out to see if it’s clumped together. Is so, another sign it could be bad. I discard of old, bad powder in the yard.

[JuDGe]

Originally Posted by mkk

Came from a friends dad, it has been stored inside

I would try it but I would be sure to work up a new load slowly and not recycle data.

[mkk]

Originally Posted by Cajun Blake

Remove top and do 2 things …. carefully smell the contents. If it smells strong like ammonia it’s bad. Pour some out to see if it’s clumped together. Is so, another sign it could be bad. I discard of old, bad powder in the yard.

I did what you described, poured it out next to some current I4350 and couldn't tell the difference

[Killer]

If it was sealed in metal cans in good shape and stored inside it will be ok

[TacticalCowboy]

Load a few and see.

[Old Bald Guy]

I'm still using up some powders that I bought back in the 70's. It does get a tiny bit drier so weight compared to volume changes slightly.

[Chase4556]

When I started I inherited some bullseye that was old old. Broke the seal, sight and smell checked out fine and I loaded it up. Zero issues.

If it looks right and smells right, I’d send it without hesitation. Just be aware that recipes may have changed a smidge over the years, so don’t work up a load with the older stuff and roll right into a new bottle with the same data. Same for a new powder to old powder. Back off a smidge and make sure everything jives before you load a lot with a new bottle. Odds are it will be fine, but better safe than sorry.

[db@100]

I would try it on a few rounds.

[WyoBull]

If it has been stored correctly as said above, it should be fine.

[imyomama]

don't do it.. send them to me , i'll dispose of them!

[RifleBowPistol]

If, it was still sealed up, it’s probably still good, but it would test some of it. Pour some out, it should be dry, no clumps, no sticking together. Then put some maybe 100 gr. on the ground, then put a match to that pile. It should all burn, near instantly, with a tall hot flame. If it starts to burn, then starts to burn with a larger flame, that tapers off, and has a small lingering flame. It’s bad don’t use the stuff.

If it is dry and no clumps, stuck together. It should be pretty good. I have some IMR 3031, that is probably from the 1950s. It was still sealed up, never opened. I opened the fan and loaded up some rounds with it. It worked, but I did notice a lot more smoke, and powder smell, when I fired off those rounds. Than other ammo that I have I have loaded with much newer IMR 3031. I don’t think the powder was 100% good. Good enough to pop off some rounds, but I don’t think, it is good enough to produce loads, that would be identical to loads made using some new IMR 3031. I have shot a lot of rounds loaded with IMR 3031. That powder from that old can, does not burn the same. But it physically worked, I sent numerous bullets down range.

If you find the powder is sticky, any at all, or does not burn instantly, when lit with a match. I would dump it out. I had multiple cans of powder go bad on me; some years ago. I had those cans when I grew up on the coast, at some point the lids were not sealed properly, the powder got moister in it, the stuff got sticky. It would stick together in clumps. I knew that was bad, knew moister was the cause of the problem. So I dumped some out and lit it off. It would start burning, then the flame would get bigger and bigger, then taper off. Then eventually get to a small flame that would burn for maybe 5 to 10 seconds. This was the result of dumping 70% of a 1 lb. can out on the ground. I found I had three or four cans that has gotten moister in them, and had gone bad, out of about 15 cans of powder.

I started dumping out any powder, that I knew was over 20 years old. Three or four cans out of probably eight 20 plus year old cans were bad. When I would put a match to a good can of powder, it would instantly make a very large, very hot flame, that would be completely gone in one to two seconds, no lingering small flame at the end. Again those were probably 70% of one lb. cans. Of all of the cans of powder that did not burn correctly, the powder in those cans was sticky and the worst ones would actually have clumps of powder.

If the powderhas managed to stay dry all these years, I would at least try it. It may not produce the same pressures and velocities, that a new can of the same type would, but I wouLd not expect any serious problems.

[Kong]

If it doesn’t smell bad I’d load it, I loaded some of my grandfathers old IMR from the early 80’s along with primers I got from him that was manufactured in 1968 and I was more than pleased with the outcome.

The velocity differential from the exact same new powder was only 42 fps, I get those types of variations from new lots so it was a great test.