• This Forum is for adults 18 years of age or over. By continuing to use this Forum you are confirming that you are 18 or older. No content shall be viewed by any person under 18 in California.

Powder question .... why 8 pounds?

Back in the '90s some friends bought a drum (40-50 gal) of something like "WC 5050" for like 50¢/lb. They tried everything to make that 50 BMG powder useful in normal rifle cartridges, to no avail. Then 50 BMG rifles became de rigueur and they were able to resell that drum for a tidy profit.
 
Back in the mid 70's I bought 100 pounds of H335 demilled powder from Bruce Hogden. I went to pick it up and it was in 2 cardboard boxes with black plastic trash can liners inside. Hand written H335, in magic marker on the side of the box. Times have changed.
Edit to add that I paid the enormous sum of $1 per pound for that powder.
 
Last edited:
Here in Maryland, you can only store five pounds of smokeless and five pounds of black powders in one place. Yet, Some of the retailers will ship 48 lbs for one hazmat fee. I have two powders that I shoot almost exclusively. We all know different batches of powder have different characteristics. How many of us follow the letter of the law in this case. Is it even possible for a serious reloader? God help you if you have a fire that requires the Fire Marshal to make an investigation. What will your insurance company do? Will they use six pounds of powder storage as an excuse not to pay a claim?
 
View attachment 1189443 when I was active shooting on a regular basis 30 yrs ago,,the powder was in a big plastic bag with a re-bar metal wire tie around the end to seal it up,,,,,plus we bought Rx-15 in 100 lb kegs,,,Roger

why did you buy in such a large container instead of several 8lb containers? Seems like getting the powder out of a 30 lb drum is less convenient than using an 8lb jug.
 
why did you buy in such a large container instead of several 8lb containers? Seems like getting the powder out of a 30 lb drum is less convenient than using an 8lb jug.
Cause probably when you buy in bulk like that your going to get a better deal than buying several 8 lb containers.
 
As Jim said earlier in the thread I got that powder for $11 a pound and I was burning one or 2 pounds per week when I was shooting at my prime and oh by the way I didn’t leave it in the big bag I put it in some empty 8 pound jugs I had laying around here ha ha Ha
 
OSHA regs only apply to businesses with more than 20 (? Used to be 50) employees. Not private citizens.
My question though, was how come I'm seeing explosive stickers on Smokeless powder. There's one in this thread, and I just got a jug in that had an explosive sticker on it.
 
My question though, was how come I'm seeing explosive stickers on Smokeless powder. There's one in this thread, and I just got a jug in that had an explosive sticker on it.

Here's the quote, note that it says, "some smokeless propellants", not "all".

1910.109(a)(3)(ii)


"Class B explosives." Possessing flammable hazard, such as propellant explosives (including some smokeless propellants), photographic flash powders, and some special fireworks.
 

Upgrades & Donations

This Forum's expenses are primarily paid by member contributions. You can upgrade your Forum membership in seconds. Gold and Silver members get unlimited FREE classifieds for one year. Gold members can upload custom avatars.


Click Upgrade Membership Button ABOVE to get Gold or Silver Status.

You can also donate any amount, large or small, with the button below. Include your Forum Name in the PayPal Notes field.


To DONATE by CHECK, or make a recurring donation, CLICK HERE to learn how.

Forum statistics

Threads
165,790
Messages
2,203,509
Members
79,128
Latest member
Dgel
Back
Top