Powder Shelf Life
- Thread starter onelastshot
- Start date
You probably shouldn't be using powder that you aren't sure what it is, because you don't know what it is, not because it's degraded.
Given that, does it smell bad? Does it look funny, or red? Was it stored in a hot, hot location for months/years? If not, it's probably good.
I have not noticed "red dust" from any plastic containers only tin. I think this is from the container and not the powder.
I am surprised no one has tested what we think may be "old" powder with a newer powder of the same kind. I probably have 70-80 1 lb tin cans of various powders. The first powder I ever loaded with was a 8 lb tin keg of H4831 from the 2ed batch during WWII.
I am surprised no one has tested what we think may be "old" powder with a newer powder of the same kind. I probably have 70-80 1 lb tin cans of various powders. The first powder I ever loaded with was a 8 lb tin keg of H4831 from the 2ed batch during WWII.
RegionRat
Gold $$ Contributor
Just in case anyone hasn’t already seen this material from SAAMI related to storage of related materials.
https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Info-Doc-Smokeless-Powder.pdf
https://saami.org/wp-content/upload...Ammunition-Storage-and-Handling-1-18-2018.pdf
https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Info-Doc-Primers.pdf
https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Info-Doc-Smokeless-Powder.pdf
https://saami.org/wp-content/upload...Ammunition-Storage-and-Handling-1-18-2018.pdf
https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Info-Doc-Primers.pdf
I have a couple pounds of H4831 that I purchased in 1974.....and it was $2.95 a pound....ohhhhh, think I am gonna be sick.
joshb
Gold $$ Contributor
Toss it!
I didn't say "it cant happen" I said I have not seen it happen.
Looks to me like the lid failed and was exposed to a high level of moisture.
KMart
Gold $$ Contributor
The most likely scenario I see is that as the powder degraded, it gave off some off gases from some chemical that was used in the manufacturing process. It doesn't take much and is measured in the PPM range. That chemical attacked the metal cap and started degrading the metal. Even looks like a little pressure was created.
The lid didn't fail without outside influences.
KMart
Gold $$ Contributor
Or floating around in the ocean having been pushed off/ fallen off the ship
A fire broke out on a cargo ship after about 40 shipping containers fell overboard due to rough seas off the coast of Vancouver Island
"The ship is on fire and expelling toxic gas," the Canadian Coast Guard said of the Zim Kingston, warning other vessels to steer clear.
RegionRat
Gold $$ Contributor
Some things to understand about propellants and their chemistry, with respect to the photos above.
As reloaders we have more than a few types available to us based on their chemistry and manufacturing methods. Some pretty harsh chemicals are used to make our powders. Some of these are ingredients and some are just participants in certain reactions which would ideally be removed after their job was done.
In a perfect world, the engineers/chemists would want to be able to remove 100% of the chemicals that if left behind would have a negative effect on the shelf life, but we don't live in a perfect world.
So those complex chemical processes leave behind a little residue when everything is done, even when it is done well. If there is any escape we can get a problem like the ones on the photos above, even without the user being at fault or opening the container.
There are tolerances on the concept of bad residues being left in the powder, but those test measurements are done on samples, not the whole batch. It is best when there is no stagnant point in the batch that prevents the whole batch from being evenly mixed or leaving behind bad residues, but no plant or process is perfect. All it takes is a little bad luck or a splash in the wrong place to get a bad spot in a batch. Frankly I am amazed it doesn't happen more often that it does, but I am grateful it is rare.
Sometimes, it is our fault because we contaminate the powder, sometimes the powder is delivered contaminated from the onset and it only takes time for those residues to create the problem.
If you are agonized over the stability of your personal powder, you have to make the choice between "leave it sealed" and "check it on an interval". You are taking some risk either way. If you are not disciplined, you can make things worse by contaminating the powder with sloppy handling and you may want to consider leaving it sealed if that describes you in a lab or kitchen.
Those are personal risks and I won't give advice, but I check mine if it is more than five years old before I count on it being good. I don't open it on really humid days and make sure I close the container well when done and I write that date on the container. I make sure everything it touches when I check it is sterile. YMMV
As reloaders we have more than a few types available to us based on their chemistry and manufacturing methods. Some pretty harsh chemicals are used to make our powders. Some of these are ingredients and some are just participants in certain reactions which would ideally be removed after their job was done.
In a perfect world, the engineers/chemists would want to be able to remove 100% of the chemicals that if left behind would have a negative effect on the shelf life, but we don't live in a perfect world.
So those complex chemical processes leave behind a little residue when everything is done, even when it is done well. If there is any escape we can get a problem like the ones on the photos above, even without the user being at fault or opening the container.
There are tolerances on the concept of bad residues being left in the powder, but those test measurements are done on samples, not the whole batch. It is best when there is no stagnant point in the batch that prevents the whole batch from being evenly mixed or leaving behind bad residues, but no plant or process is perfect. All it takes is a little bad luck or a splash in the wrong place to get a bad spot in a batch. Frankly I am amazed it doesn't happen more often that it does, but I am grateful it is rare.
Sometimes, it is our fault because we contaminate the powder, sometimes the powder is delivered contaminated from the onset and it only takes time for those residues to create the problem.
If you are agonized over the stability of your personal powder, you have to make the choice between "leave it sealed" and "check it on an interval". You are taking some risk either way. If you are not disciplined, you can make things worse by contaminating the powder with sloppy handling and you may want to consider leaving it sealed if that describes you in a lab or kitchen.
Those are personal risks and I won't give advice, but I check mine if it is more than five years old before I count on it being good. I don't open it on really humid days and make sure I close the container well when done and I write that date on the container. I make sure everything it touches when I check it is sterile. YMMV
Make sure your metal cap has a paper liner on it or it can go bad.
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