Powder - how old is too old?

[Irelander]

A few years ago I visited an old lady who is a friend of the family. Her husband had passed away the month before and she was trying to figure out what to do with some of his things. She had a few cans of reloading powder and gave them to me even though I didn't reload back then but I had intentions to. Anyway, I've been doing some rearranging in my reloading room and came across this powder again. One thing that concerns me is that I have no idea how old they are or how they were stored by the previous owner. The cans look to be in good condition. Will powder go bad and become dangerous to use if it is too old? Is there any way I can tell how old they are? Here is a picture of the cans.



I'm not too worried about the H110 since it is in the plastic can which should be newer production...right? What do you guys think? I'm no expert on powders or anything so I thought I'd ask before I use this stuff or let someone else use it.

[Tycer]

I want to know too!




Although I will give my 2¢. Those powders are not old. Give them a sniff and if they smell like solvent, they are fine. Bad powder smells bad in my very limited experience.

[wolfdog]

If they were unopended they should be fine. If had been opened I would use them for fertilizer since you don't know history. Should be lot number stamped on can(on the bottom if I remember right) can track date by them.

[JB]

Powder does loose some of it's stuff over time, but if the cans were sealed I wouldn't be afraid to try some. I'd never touch an opened can someone else gave me. You don't know what nut mixed the powders or perhaps put something in a non original can. My eyesight isn't worth the cost savings.

[Bill in Oregon]

If it is unglazed black powder made "from ye pysse of ye kine," it prolly belongs in a museum ...

[MrMurphy]

One of the bigger powdermakers (European IIRC) has a sealed batch of test powder they occasionally sample.

It's been sealed up for around 130 years now. Still works.


If it's been kept dry it should likely be good.

[Thunder50]

I am a bit leary of using powder, from someone else, that has been opened. That said, I am still using powder that I bought in the early 70's. Works fine

[earlmck]

Heck, those are practically brand new. I've got just a little bit of the stuff Hodgdon was selling in the early 60's as "4831", which was undoubtedly WWII surplus at the time. It hasn't got any special storage treatment other than I've always kept it somewhere where the temperatures didn't go extremely hot. It was originally in a cardboard keg and later transferred to a plastic powder jug: it's still good (loaded grandson's 270 with it a few months ago).

I did have a can of IMR4227 that looked just like your can there. It had sat around half-full for some years and started producing a red-brown dust when poured into the powder measure. I didn't like the looks of that and I did use that one as lawn fertilizer. If the powder looks good it is good.

[Sixgun]

Like Tycer says, give it a whiff. It should have an ether smell.

I somewhat regulary use powders that are 50-90 years old.

Even without the smell, I have used many pounds of old powder but you need a chronograph as charges will need to be less, but thats another story.-------------Sixgun

[Irelander]

Thanks guys. I didn't even think about someone perhaps mixing powders. Most of the cans feel like they are new or only slightly used. If I can tell that they were unopened then I'll keep them but if they have been opened then I will probably chuck them. I don't want to take the chance of mixed powders.

[Booger Bill]

I reloaded a lot starting around the early 70s. I havent reloaded in the last few years but still have a lot of reloads from in the 70s. I have never had a problems caused by the powder. I have no idea though if there is any loss of velocity.

[Irelander]

After looking them over, the 4320 is the only unopened can. Guess I should get rid of the rest. Don't want to take the chance of mixed powder.

What is the best way to dispense of powder besides loading it and shooting it?

[Tycer]

Too bad I don't live nearby. I'd take it off your hands and load it. In my opinion, for my load bench only, the chance of new cans like those being mixed powder is very low.

I hear it makes great fertilizer.

You can save it and check it against new cans of the same for appearance and weight/volume when you need that powder. Then check it at lower loads across the chrony to confirm.

[Griff]

I wouldn't worry about unopened cans. However, some powders have had their formulations changed over the years... today's loading data may reflect today's formulation. Finding data for the older formulations shouldn't be an issue. Contact the manufacturer with the lot numbers to find the age. Just don't wait till the last minute before you contact them, sometimes they ain't the fastest to respond. But, I've always found them to be extremely helpful.

I've got powder that old in my cabinet... I had IMR tell that they've tested 100 year old powder and found it just as potent as new stuff. It doesn't decay very rapidly. In old cartridges, it's usually the primer mixture that decays. And newer, (say post WWII) primers are extremely stable.

[Chuck 100 yd]

I have lots of cans of powder in cans of that age.
No BAD smell,no rust inside the can, it should be just fine.
Griff`s note as to changes in powders is correct. Newer powders may not be exactly the same as older powders of the same designation(old 2400 is different from new 2400 etc). Start low and work up. Dump any that are unsealed as suspect. Keep the can for your collection.

I have a can of Bullseye that still has the metal seal on the lid and a price tag of $2.49 on the side.
Those were the days!

[rhead]

I still have one of the cardboard kegs of unique that is unopened. The one I am using out of right now is still good.

If age was the only consideration, which is seldom the case, the answer to the question How old is too old? when applied to smokeless powder would have to be "No one knows yet."

[madman4570]

My opinion only---(for myself to use)
I would as some say------(look at the powder)does it look "normal"??????
Are the containers in good condition either unopened or caps tightly closed????(they look it)??

I would (by the apperance of those shown)if the powder looks normal-----I would use any of it.
The ones especially that have been opened prior(would I shoot a compressed load at first go)????---No
Would I try a low-medium loading-------------------sure.

I had some powder(left in a shed)plastic container(opened prior)3/4 full that was in a box for probably 15years
Just fine!

Would I load some rds and stick em in say a AR15(.223)and right off the bat(do the rapid fire)-------No
One at a time-------and insure the gun acts/sounds normal.(to start out with)

JMHO

[earlmck]

One at a time-------and insure the gun acts/sounds normal.(to start out with)

JMHO

I'm with the madman on this one. Cold day in youknowwhere I'd throw out powder in new-looking cans just 'cause it'd been opened. But I've used all those powders and am very familiar with what they should look like. 4831 and 4350 -- good sized tubes that are large enough to be a factor when metering as the grains get cut; 4227 -- nice little dinky tube that meters easy; H110 -- ball powder that meters like water.

[M. M. Wright]

I buy powder from yard/garage sales and have never had a problem. Opened cans I do pour out a little and under magnification look to see that all the particles are the same shape and size.
I bought, I think about 10 pounds of 4831 back when Hogdon was selling surplus powder. It came in a foil lined card board can or sleeve that slid together. I think there is a little of it left and I think I bought it in the 60s and it was old surplus then.
I have loading manuals from many different years and notice that newer manuals generally show lower loads but I doubt this has anything to do with changes in powder, just cya. But I do try to match the manual to the era of the powder.