Oops- I hope this isn't a problem

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mefitz

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Ohio
I can't believe I did this!

After loading several rounds with some Unique powder, I mistakenly dumped the rest (about 1/4 of small dixie cup - maybe 130 grains or so) into a newly opened (and barely used) 1 pound container of Red Dot powder.

What should I do if anything?
 
The very first thing you should do is re-examine your powder storing habits. You should never have another powder container on your bench that is different from the one you are currently using. In other words, one can at a time on the bench.

You will get advice to dump it on the flower bed, burn it up in the back yard, etc.

What I would do in your case: if you haven't moved the container or foolishly shaken it, you should use a flashlight and try to scoop out as much of the Unique as possible off the top. (That powder can be poured on the flowers or burned.) Then shake it up a lot to get a homogeneous mixture of any Unique that might remain. You should end up with about a pound of 99.9% plus of Red Dot. Since Red Dot is much faster than Unique, you shouldn't have any problems using it as Red Dot, but taking extra care with that pound to work up loads slowly.

I honestly think you would have to really work at it to cause any damage to anything with a slight mixture of those two handgun powders. Now, if you had mixed 4227 and, say, 4350, we would have a different tale to tell.
 
What should you do?

Rule #1. NEVER ever have more then one container of powder on your bench or in reach at the same time.

2. Logic would say since Unique is the same type of powder as Red Dot, with a slower burn rate, you won't get in trouble by mixing it up well and using it.

3. But, proper Reloading Safety demands you dump it in the yard and let it be an expensive lesson to you to always obey Rule #1.

rc
 
I only pull one container out of the cabinet at a time. I NEVER have two or more out of the cabinet at the same time (to prevent what just happened).

I was using a dixie cup-full to hand-load about 20 rounds (testing various load) and apparantly put the Unique container back into the cabinet once I poured out a small amount into the dixie cup.

When I returned to the cabinet to pour the unused dixie cup portion back into the Unique container, I mistakenly pulled out the Red Dot container.

What about that? I really think I'm very careful, but am not opposed to making a change so this doesn't happen again.
 
All my powder stays in the cabinet, except the one I am using.

And it then stays on the reloading bench right behind the powder measure until I am through using it, and it is all safely back in the same can again.

Your mistake was putting the can away with some of the contents still in use.

rc
 
I agree with RC, I think you should dump it just to learn a lesson. Paying always makes me remember. On the other hand I know times are hard and it hurts to dump 20-25 bucks on the ground. I have a feeling you wont make this mistake again:)
 
Sounds like you do have generally good powder practices, mefitz. The improvement is obvious - leave the powder can on the bench for the powder you are using. By placing it back on the shelf ... well, you know what happened. Murphy says that's exactly what would happen, and Murphy is a dictator.

Out of curiosity, please let us know what your decision is concerning the mixed powder. There are several different course of actions you can take, and most of them are correct.
 
Mal

I've received a few options/suggestions as you stated at the beginning of this thread. I've taken them under advisement, along with the fact that I am pretty much a beginning loader (as if you couldn't tell) and decided to properly dispose of the powder.

I know it's possible to mix the small amount of Unique in with the Red Dot, but I think I'll always be suspect of the powder if I were to load it...don't want the worry.

A lesson learned for sure!
 
Before you do throw it away, let's think about the properties of those two particular powders.

Let's use a .45 ACP as the test case. It takes more Unique to reach a certain pressure level than it does Red Dot. For example, you would use 6.5 grains of Unique with a 230 gr, FMJ, but only 5.3 grains of Red Dot for the same velocity with the same bullet. So, supposing you are using Red Dot data (which you should, not Unique data), even if you happened to deal out a load of practically all Unique in a few rounds, those rounds will actually achieve less pressure (and velocity) than the equivalent weight of all Red Dot. That is why I said you won't get yourself in trouble by going ahead and using the powder as long as it is well mixed up (or even if it isn't). Obviously, you wouldn't use it for any serious competition target work, but I see no reason why you can't make a good supply of plinking rounds with it.

What caliber(s) are you loading?
 
Mal
That's a great example, and I understand what you're trying to say. Thanks.

I am loading 9mm 125 gr LRN using 4.2 & 4.4 gr Unique (10 rounds each) and another load of Red Dot 4.0 & 4.2 gr ( 10 rounds each).

Thanks for taking an interest. I'm 49 and just started this fantastic journey in January of this year and it has snow-balled every week it seems. It's a great hobby/sport.
 
It could be used, but lets say you find the most absolute perfect load with it. You could never duplicate it when that ran out. :evil:

Sorry. :D

but I see no reason why you can't make a good supply of plinking rounds with it.
Agreed.

Mark it for what it is now of course. Use Red Dot Data. Don't try to interpolate and increase it a hair because there is a tad of Unique in there. :)
 
Get rid of it.....you can NEVER trust ANY loads made with it.

Think of it this way, if you had a beer and a buddy dropped a cigarette in it, would you
still drink it??......Why not, it's still almost ALL still beer in the cup. LOL!
 
I guess discarding it would be a form of self-punishment, but as Mal says, if you stir it up and load it with Red Dot data, it will shoot ok.

I know of a case of inadvertent powder blending that worked out like Walkalong says. A friend got black and Pyrodex in the same can. He mixed it up and shot it. It gave higher and more consistent velocity and better accuracy than either alone. Pity he did not know the proportions.
Another guy dumped a measure hopper of AA2520 into a Varget can. I found a laboratory testing sieve with the right size screen mesh to separate them and got back a hopper's worth of clean AA2520, great. The recovered can of Varget had just a few visible granules of AA2520 and shot ok, their burn rates are close enough.

One of the old time contributors to Guns & Ammo, back when that was a fairly serious publication, described blending powders so as to get the .222 Remington up to the velocity the DoD wanted and show that it would indeed penetrate a helmet at 300 yards. Then Remington and Armalite went on to develop the .223 which would give that velocity without such tricks.

So save your powder if you like, but clean up your act. I keep the powder can in use standing behind the measure or progressive loader, and nothing else out of the cabinet.
 
Stuff happens. The main thing is to learn from it. I did many years ago. Now I do it as described here. One can on the bench until I am done with it then all powder back into that can and back into the cabinet. Only took once with the expensive fertilizer to not do it again.

KeithET
 
Greetings,

+1 for him to pick up on his mistake in spite of the distraction that occured.

+1 to ask the question before trying anything foolish.

If I would be able to pick up most of the powder, then mix it up vigorously, I would use it. I would even probably pick up more of a new can and mix it up with the old can vigorously to lower the density of the Unique powder.

I would not throw it away if I could apply the previous paragraph.

RCmodel advices are ALWAYS good. But darn, he is a tough guy! :D

Thank you
P.S.: I wonder if he is Catholic...Catholics do pennance, confess every week and do more pennance...And there is that thing called purgatory....:what:
 
Kestak

Wow, very insightful on the Catholic angle! Very good. However, we won't go into the purgatory thing just yet. I'm saving that for a different forum.

Thanks to all for great advice and comments.
 
There's the root cause...

Mefitz -
Well, gee whiz! There's your problem right there staring you in the face. You're in Ohio and trying to use Dixie cups. Gosh dang! Didn't you learn anything in school? You're supposed to use Mason jars north of the Mason-Dixon, and Dixie cups south of the line.

There's your public education system, once again failing to teach the bare essentials.


:neener:
 
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