[phideaux]

Yesterday an old friend of mine stopped by to give me some OLD gun powder he had from the 1980s, Unique,Bullseye , many many more.
Probably (didnt count all the cans) 25-30 cans.I hate to just get rid of it ( how would I do that?)
Some of the stuff is in metal cans , some is in plastic bottles.
None of it has ever been opened, the labels nd markings and prices are still like new.a
Its been stored in a dry place all these years.

He says , dont worry, too much, but it only gets better with time.

Im trying to find out more about its usefulness , without blowing up a gun and losing the only hand I got LEFT.

I have in SHTF storage unopened powder, how long is too long?


Jim

 

[gpr]

i have some black powder form the late 70's....i built a 1858 remmy a couple years back....it stills goes bang.....gary

 

[3wbdriver]

I believe I have seen rcmodel post that he has stuff dating back to the 1960's he's still using. You might shoot him a PM.

 

[Rubb]

FWIW.. when I had my Mauser I shot plenty of ammo from the 40’s...never an issue.

 

[rcmodel]

1980's power is not OLD if it was stored properly.

When you open a can, smell it.

If it still smells like either solvent and not battery acid, you are good to go.

BYW: Yes, I do still have a paper bag in the basement with some old Alcan shotgun powder I bought in the early 1960's.

It is still fine, even stored in a paper bag for 50 years!

rc

 

[Ka6otm]

I just finished shooting up a few thousand small pistol primers from the early 1970s and a couple of cans of powder from the same time frame.

All went bang with absolutely no problems and, they had been stored at temperatures that varied from -40 degrees Fahrenheit to +110 degrees Fahrenheit over the years. In other words, I ignored what people say about storing this stuff in climate controlled conditions as I felt it was urban legend and...it was and still is.

There's a guy who lives not too far from me in Northern Phoenix who stores his primers and powder in a storage shed in his yard. He gets temps from around 20 degrees Fahrenheit to around 120 degrees fahrenheit and he's been doing it all his life. He's in his mid 60s, just to give a frame of reference.

 

[Sweet Chuckie]

Not a problem......

I've still got around 20 of a 25 pound keg of WW2 surplus 4831 that I bought in the early 60s. It still looks and smells good, and would not hesitate to use it.

Same with some 8 pounds of 4895 I bought around the same time. I've bought many types and amounts of various powders since, and have never had problems with any. I have always kept my powders stored in a somewhat controlled environment though.

As stated earlier, as long as it smells good, and doesn't have a funny coloration, yellows and browns from what I read years ago, I would certainly use it without worries.

Sweet Chuckie

 

[lop]

Man, I thougth you had gotten a new magazine subscription you were going to tell us about. BTW, I've got powder from January, and it is still working fine.

 

[billjohnso20]

Yeah powder rarely goes bad. When it does it is usually due to contamination with a foreign substance. The reason powder was once stored in metal cans was that plastics were not always "stable." Years back the chemicals from some plastics could leach into the powder ruining it. Even plastic powder measure hoppers were prone to do this. Today's plastics are far less likely to ruin your powder.

I read an article by Jim Wilson where he mentioned having left powder in the hopper of his powder measure for a few days. The result was squib loads in his 44 magnum. He said a cow had been severely injured in an accident and needed put down. The first slug bounced off the cow's skull. The second got stuck in the barrel.

 

[jccww41]

I have powder from the 70s that is still good. Some people have their loading eqpt in the garage, with the temprature changes. Probobly best kept in house, but stored properly, no telling how long powder will last.

 

[Ka6otm]

In the latest issue of Handloader magazine, Dave Scovill, the editor mentions he's using some powder he purchased in 1955 and it works fine. He also mentions that Phil Sharpe included a few comments in his Complete Guide to Handloading (circa 1941) that gunpowder might last indefinitely if stored properly.

I'll agree with that and add that properly merely means tightly sealed so it doesn't get any moisture in it. I just ignore the temperature part of the equation as conjecture on other peoples' part and my experiences over the last 50 years as well as other people's convinces me I'm right.