Powder shelf life

[cocopuff]

I have 2 lbs of Trail Boss that I had forgotten about and it was in the
shed for maybe 6 yrs. Do you think this will still be good? I never got
wet,just hot and cold. I want to try it in my 44.. Thanks

 

[2506]

Take a look at it, if it looks different than when it was new that is a bad sign. Smell it, it if smells sour acid like, not either that is a bad sign. If none of these apply shoot a light load of it and see what happens.

 

[searcher]

The hot seasons could have taken a toll on it. I'd dump some into a container and look at it and smell it as 2506 says. If it looks to have deteriorated at ALL, I'd use as fertilizer and not try it. It should look and smell like new. The age alone is nothing to worry about.

 

[NorCalMikie]

Load some up an d shoot it. That should tell you one way or another. Smell?? I LOVE the smell of "burned" gun powder in the morning.

 

[D-4297]

In a .44 ? I think caution is the "word" for today . Had to dump 6 lbs. of 4064 that went bad in less than two weeks . Contaminated at the factory . And it was stored in a dry , airconditioned closet . A .44 only lets ya make one mistake ....

 

[searcher]

went bad in less than two weeks

Wow! Makes me want to open all my powder containers and take a peek inside.

 

[Papa Charlie]

When you open a container of powder you can tell if a can of powder is good or bad by giving its contents a sniff test. Smell ranges from no detectable odor to resembling alcohol, ether or acetone (from its solvent content), it is okay. If you get a terribly unpleasant, acidic odor that fries your nasal passages, extreme deterioration has taken place. Likewise when you open the container if you get a brown or rust colored fume that comes out or the anything seems changed from when you first purchased it, then it is bad and should be disposed of.
I have read where a powder that has gone bad and in that I mean it has undergone chemical changes, it can cause a metal lid to rust very fast or a plastic lid to be bleached white.

Generally speaking, if you have kept the powder in the container with the lid tight in a tempered environment, the powder will last many decades. Loaded it can last a very long time. I read that some of the 50 cal. ammo used in desert storm was left over from WWII and performed equal to recently produced ammo.

In my M1 Garand, I use surplus ammo that is at least 40-70 years old, as long as the shell has no corrosion. I have never had a misfire or an issue.

 

[Jet]

In a .44 ? I think caution is the "word" for today . Had to dump 6 lbs. of 4064 that went bad in less than two weeks . Contaminated at the factory . And it was stored in a dry , airconditioned closet . A .44 only lets ya make one mistake ....

There was a recall on 4064 a few months back. You might of had one of the bad lots.

 

[jds holler]

In a .44 ? I think caution is the "word" for today . Had to dump 6 lbs. of 4064 that went bad in less than two weeks . Contaminated at the factory . And it was stored in a dry , airconditioned closet . A .44 only lets ya make one mistake ....

I've never heard of any problem concerning old powder that would cause a "hot load/high pressure" situation. I'd be interested to know if anyone else has, as I shoot more ancient powder than anyone I know.

At any rate, I don't see why a .44 would be any less forgiving than say a 30-06. jd

 

[ebb]

Ive been reloading 38 specials with a pound of Unique that a friend gave me in the 90s, it has 1967 written on it with a sharpie. They all shoot fine and accurate, hope it never runs out.

 

[Evan]

I have a keg - 20 some pounds of surplus 3031 - that I inherited from my grandpa in the early 90s. The keg is sealed with duct tape and is from an unknown date in the past. Still shoots great. I pour it a pound at a time into an old metal 3031 tin to use regularly.

 

[Twicepop]

I have IMR4895 that is Vietnam era surplus powder that still functions fine.

 

[jonbearman]

I have reloader 21 from the days of pop tops and a 1.5#'s of 4831 from WWII and it still smells great and I covet it for my .243 win.

 

[Webster]

I have 2 lbs of Trail Boss that I had forgotten about and it was in the
shed for maybe 6 yrs. Do you think this will still be good? I never got
wet,just hot and cold. I want to try it in my 44.. Thanks

I was in the Army 1964-66. In basic training we shot 7.62mm ammo labeled 1952. Basic training used up the old stuff. Troops in the field got the newer stuff. Once when we were out in the field traing we had to dig fox holes. We uncovered many ammo boxes with blanks that god only knows how many years they were buried. They all went off.
!st Infantry Divion Vietnam 1965-66.

 

[D-4297]

I shoot Com-Bloc 7.62x54r Mosin Surplus made in the forties and some of the most accurate surplus is the Hungarian 182gr from the 50's , but I still exercise caution when starting on a can .

 

[bloc]

Confirming what Papa Charlie wrote above: From SAAMI:

HOW TO CHECK SMOKELESS POWDER FOR DETERIORATION

Although modern smokeless powders contain stabilizers and are basically free from deterioration under proper storage conditions, safe practices require a recognition of the signs of deterioration and its possible effects.

Deteriorating smokeless powders produce an acidic odor and may produce a reddish brown fume. (Don’t confuse this with common solvent odors such as alcohol, ether and acetone.) Dispose of dete- riorating smokeless powders immediately.

Check to make certain that smokeless powder is not exposed to extreme heat as this may cause deterioration. Such exposure pro- duces an acidity which accelerates further reaction and has been known, because of heat generated by the reaction, to cause sponta- neous combustion.

Never salvage powder from old cartridges and do not attempt to blend salvaged powder with new powder or attempt to blend two types of powder to make a “custom” blend. Don’t accumulate old powder stocks.

 

[Webster]

The hot seasons could have taken a toll on it. I'd dump some into a container and look at it and smell it as 2506 says. If it looks to have deteriorated at ALL, I'd use as fertilizer and not try it. It should look and smell like new. The age alone is nothing to worry about.

Cannot use as fertilizer. It isn't water soluble. I make powder trails along fence rows to get rid of weeds. Big flames.

 

[Clark]

I have IMR4895 that is Vietnam era surplus powder that still functions fine.

So do I.
It's only enemy is mice, that may knaw the jugs.

 

[Ralph Littlefield]

I have reloader 21 from the days of pop tops and a 1.5#'s of 4831 from WWII and it still smells great and I covet it for my .243 win.

I also have an unopened "pop top" can of rl 21. Is that what you are using in your 243, or were you referring to the 4831? I am looking for a use for the RL21, my choices are 22-250, 243 Win, 308 or 6.5CM. Any suggestions?

 

[stacy]

I was in the Army 1964-66. In basic training we shot 7.62mm ammo labeled 1952. Basic training used up the old stuff. Troops in the field got the newer stuff. Once when we were out in the field traing we had to dig fox holes. We uncovered many ammo boxes with blanks that god only knows how many years they were buried. They all went off.
!st Infantry Divion Vietnam 1965-66.

Thank you for your service sir !