Inherited Father's Reloading Stuff

Status
Not open for further replies.
K

KFD147

Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2003
Messages
104
Location
Central Texas
I just received all of my father's reloading equipment. He has not used it in a few years. He has alot of powder and primers that have been sitting in a cabnet in the outside storage building. Keep in mind that this is in West Texas. Are these items still good or do I need to toss 'em and start over with the primers and powder?




Thanks
Jason:cool:
 
Unless that shed was climate controlled, I would pitch the primers and powder just to be safe.
 
What is the usual shelf life of smokeless powder in a controlled climate? Also, What would be the worst thing that could happen if I used the powder and primers? I helped my father reload when I was alot younger, but do not remember how to setup. So I am actually just starting.:D Any help would be appriciated.



Thanks
Jason:cool:
 
The first thing to look for in the gear, or to buy, is the BOOK. I think Lyman is the best reference, 48th edition just out. Speer is ok, too.

Otherwise, it depends on how long, modern components are pretty stable.

Decomposing powder will have an acid smell - not the acetone, alcohol, and ether odor of fresh, get somebody to let you sniff a can - may put out red nitrate fumes, and will be corroding a metal can.

A bad primer just doesn't go off, they don't get stronger with age. Test small samples then work up to larger batches. If they fire, great. If you still have doubts use them for practice, not match competition, trophy hunting, or self defense.

I think it is worth a try. There is WW II ammo still being sold and I somehow doubt the French and Russians had it in air conditioned warehouses. Most is ok, some is erratic. Hodgdon recently took old H870 off the market after many, many years because their remaining inventory of surplus powder of that grade was going bad.
 
Oil is about the only thing that screws up primers......i bought some once that had actually been in a flood somewhere and everyone of them went off....the boxes inside the sleeve were actualy stuck together.....DICK
 
Do NOT go stuffing your nose into a can of old powder and taking a big snort!

That red dust is pretty toxic and can cause you no end of problems.

If you want to inspect a can of old powder, get a sheet of bright, white paper.

Uncap the can slowly, then pour some of the powder onto the sheet of paper and slowly shake it around. Any decay of the powder granules will be immediately visible.

If that doesn't show anything, use your hand and "waft" some of the odors coming out of the can toward your nose.
 
No problem Mike. I am a Firefighter/ Haz-Mat Tech. I don't take big whiffs of anything but fresh air. I live longer that way.:D If the powder is bad, hey its close to the 4th of July. Smokeless powder flares off in pretty colors:D . I don't like the idea of just throwing it in the trash. Does it make good fertilizer?



Thanks
Jason:cool:
 
Even the decomposing powder stuff makes good fertilizer. Lawn & garden, nice slow=release nitrogen source. Heat water and light break it down.

I've used primers 30 years old and stored at seasonal extremes of up to 85 F with no problem.

If there's any black powder (muzzleloading stuff) DO NOT shake the can, ever.

Keeping the powder in original containers and tightly capped goes a long way in preventing deterioration. Heat may be the biggest problem if that outside storage area was not cooled in any way.
 
I have loaded with powder 12 years old. The only powder I distrusted was that which had previously been opened. This powder did have a different smell but when I weighed my charges I noticed that the there was some red residue in the weight pan. These cans had been tightly sealed but still deteriated. Whether it makes makes any difference, all the powder was IMR.
 
Well, I went through all the powder and seperated the opened cans from the unopened cans. Most of the opened cans were Hercules and IMR, and a half a pound of black powder. A total of about 13lbs.

I did find a few that were not opened, 1- 3 lbs. big round can of Winchester 231 ball powder, 1- 1lb. black plastic container of Winchester 231 ball powder, 2- 1lb. cans of IMR 4350 brown, and 1- 1lb. can of IMR 4831 orange. Are these all used for pistol loads? I plan on loading up 45acp. Can I use any of this? Just asking before I start reading the reloading book. The rest of the cans will be used for fertilizer.:D



Thanks
Jason:cool:
 
Ball powders _tend_ to last longer than extruded (IMR and most Alliant) powders. It's a stabilizer thing, according to the Army powder stocks inspection protocols I've read.

My dad watched a Navy rifle team win a match once with WWI ammo that had it's powder caked into a mass inside the cases. They rapped the ammo to break up the clump and got great accuracy. The ammo was then between 40 and 45 years old. Extruded powder.

The most important thing with deteriorated powder is to disperse it so it's NOT in any mass greater than 1 centimeter thick. Either the Army or Navy found that it could "conflagrate" or spontaneously combust in amounts that small, though it was almost unheard of if loaded into small arms fixed ammo. Arty shells are another story!:eek:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top