Powder Ten Years Old

Use it, start with lite loads.

Pour some out and look at it and smell it. If it seems good try it out.
High storage temps are tough on smokeless powder.
I just used some old E I Du Pont IMR in the little flat tin can the other day and it was fine.
You know how old that stuff is! But, it's always been in a cool dry place.

Nitrocellulose-base propellants are essentially unstable materials
that decompose on aging with the evolution of oxides of nitrogen. The
decomposition is autocatalytic and can lead to failure of the ammunition or disastrous explosions.

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ROLE OF DIPHENYLAMINE AS A STABILIZER IN PROPELLANTS;
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY OF DIPHENYLAMINE IN PROPELLANTS

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/783499.pdf

Heat, as you can see in the report, will age gunpowder



A shelf life rule of thumb is 20 years for double based, 45 years for single based. But not stored in hot conditions. You have aged your powder.

Gunpowder that is red or smells is way past a safe shelf life. You can still have pressure issues with old gunpowder that does not smell.

I would start with a light load and if you get "funny" retorts or indications of high pressures with any cartridge, the powder is bad.

Without a chemical analysis to determine the percent of stabilizer left in the powder, the only signs are going to be the gross signs of color, smell, and pressure issues.

Old powder !!!! I have some H-110 that`s 18yrs old & it`s on the front to be used next !!!

Smell it ,it`ll smell like a solvent of sorts , but should have NO acidic smell.

If the color is deep black or gray from graphite it`s probably OK, if it j looks faded or rusty (yes rusty) lookin use it to green up the lawn .

Last week I loaded using 4895 from 1984. It performed perfectly.

If you can't use it, you can always use it for fertilizer (lots of nitrogen, but don't use too much or you will overstimulate your plants). Just for safety, I wouldn't use it on my vegetables. Lawn or flowers only and water well after application.

Or, you can pour some in an old hubcap or unusable pan and amuse the neighborhood kids. It will flare up and burn bright and hot. It only "explodes" when confined and can generate high pressure.

Be careful and keep the kids at a distance. And use a long-handled match.

Lost Sheep

I am currently shooting 45 year old Bullseye, 43 year old Unique, and 40 year old Red Dot. At 3.0-6.0gn charge weights, 8 lbs lasts a LONG time.
Loads perform the same as they did in the '70s.
PB is great and under-appreciated powder. It is perhaps the very cleanest burning I ever found for 9x19 and 9x21. Virgin cases were just as shiny after firing as before firing. Surprised that with so many people judging powders only on cleanliness, that PB hasn't been a #1 action pistol powder.

I have some powder that is over 40 years old and still shoots the same as always. Give it the sniff test and follow advice above.

Oops!!

LOL I have powder from the 60's. Works every time. Have a cardboard container that's marked simply "4895". WW2 surplus I suspect. Works well. Like others said, look for a rusty colored powder in the can. If you see that, toss it.

It's funny people bite their nails and worry about using 20 year old powder, but no one (including me) seems to think anything about 20+ year old factory ammunition that's been stored in hot conditions. I mean look how much old surplus 7.62x54r ammo from who knows where is out there!
I have almost a case of 7.5x55 ammo that's '79 vintage. Someone failed to tell it that it's too hot in my shop and that its powder is ruined. How many of us have fired decades old .22 LR ammo?

35W

I'm still using this up...Date on the label is '61...

I am loading the 38 Specials for someone else

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Lots of us here will NOT reload for someone else.

How fast will your friendship turn if you've made a mistake?
What if you dbl charged one?
What if you created a squib?

It's easy to say that'll never happen.
But we're all human, and humans make mistakes.

Invite your friends over to make rounds on your equipment.
If you're making 'em for someone who's not a friend, then definitely don't!

Stay safe my friends!

Smell it ,it`ll smell like a solvent of sorts , but should have NO acidic smell.

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This is my rule. If a big whiff is offensive feeling (not smelling) to your nose, don't use it. Powder should have an odor, but it shouldn't "feel" like anything when you smell it.

Salmoneye said:

I'm still using this up...Date on the label is '61...

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I have never seen a can like that before! This is good to know as I've got some AA#7 that's probably pushing 13 years old.

JSolie said:

I have never seen a can like that before! This is good to know as I've got some AA#7 that's probably pushing 13 years old.

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Ahh, yes. I have an 8 lb. keg of AA#7 that is probably at LEAST 13 years old. Works wonderfully for cast bullet loads in my .30 caliber rifles and also in my .357.
35W

I have never seen a can like that before! This is good to know as I've got some AA#7 that's probably pushing 13 years old.

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Later, they made them in a 'red' metal cannister instead of the pink...In the 70's they started using the 'cardboard' cannisters...I have one of these I am going to use after this is gone...

I chrono'd some light .38 spcl loads of each a while back, and they were statistically damn close...

I have decided to store my powder in plastic ice chests. It my hope that this will reduce the temp changes its exposed to in my shed, a shipping container that is under a lean to for shade and dehumidified inside. It gets warm in the afternoon in there, but I hope this plan will keep my powder in good shape for as long as it stays in cans.
Any one see a downside to this?

I too have never seen a pink(?) can of powder like that. Is it from the '50s or very early '60s (preceding the whole psychodelic era)?
An old non-functioning refrigerator works great. A functioning one with broke shelves that is worthless for home use might be even better--if the shed has electricity.
Powder must be stored such that the storage container fails before the powder can build up pressure and make a bomb, so don't lock down the container...

Here's another 'pink' Red Dot cannister for sale (NOT MINE):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-HER...ps=63&clkid=322168501306582457&_qi=RTM1062687

If I am reading the label correctly, the 'form' number dates to September of 1961, but I may be wrong...

The lot number on the side is only 3 digit...

I wish my Scotch was as old as my powder.

I have an old red dot can like that. It still works just fine. I also have an old red herco can that looks quite similar but is bigger. It is also still good. It has been kept in the garage too. I think the red dot is 5lbs and the herco is 13lbs. My hollywood single stage press also has a copyright date of 1935 on it. Reloading was passed down through our family. I wasn't born until 1980.

"...decided to store my powder in plastic ice chests. It my hope that this will reduce the temp changes..."

Temp changes, as such, don't matter to powder. Powder is a chemical compond and that means it breaks down with time and temperature; the higher the temp the faster it breaks down. If we stored powder in freezers it would easily last much more than a life time. Store it in an attic where the peak temps are high and it won't last very long.

I still have a little bit of a 50# keg of Hodgden's original 4831 surplus from WWII and it's fine.