[JNewell]

I have had a couple of containers of powder for a seriously long time, as in 10-15 years. They've been kept in cool, dry conditions. I loaded up some .44 Magnum cases a while back and got a large percentage of squibs (as in maybe one every other cylinder). Needless to say, after three squibs I quit. (Probably should have quit earlier, but that's a different conversation :) ) The powder was Unique, if that matters.

So...does anyone have any experience that's similar? What is the best practice with powder storage? Is there a point at which it should be disposed of, maybe without even testing? Squibs can obviously be a huge problem, so I'd rather toss a can of powder every so often than burst a barrel, or worse.

[Standing Wolf]

I had most of a can of Bullseye that sat unused in assorted apartment closets for over a decade, hot and cold, humid and dry, and all parts between. I used it without encountering anything odd or unexpected.

I think I'd just throw away powder that old today.

[Werewolf]

From everything I've read about smokeless powder as long as it is stored in a cool dark place in a well sealed container it theoreticly will last forever. Practicaly I don't have a clue but I've seen anecdotal evidence that folks have used powder 70 to 80 years old without problems and have used powder less than 5 years old with problems.

How long powder lasts is a tough question. If I were you I'd contact the folks at the powder manufacturer and ask them.

[P95Carry]

I still have some powders from ..... hmmm ... way back when!! Generally, they do keep remarkably well .. if I am in doubt, apart from a smell test to see if any really strong odor ..... I'll load two or three rounds and fire em ... bit surprised to hear of your squib loads tho ... that certainly does suggest degradation.

You say Unique .... would not have expected that ... I have some old ''Hercules'' Red Dot, and Blue Dot ... still seems ''good''.

[C.R.Sam]

Or....
You have some contaminated primers.

Sam

[JNewell]

OK -- here's a follow-up question then, picking up on Sam's post. Questions (plural), actually.

Do primers have a shelf life? Some of them are the same age, but were well-stored.

I am nearly certain it's not the primers, since what I did was to pull the bullets, charge with powder from a brandy-new fresh can of Unique, then put the bullets back in. I've been shooting these with no hiccups at all...so I the primers are not a suspect. (And I did check all the cartridges that I unloaded -- they did all have powder! I always check when loading anyway but a post-mortem seemed like a good idea in this case.)

So, if the powder should be good, and the primers were good, any thoughts on the squibs???

[P95Carry]

From your ''pull & recharge'' .... it would seem that whilst old powder should be good ..... it ain't!!

Unless the charge weights were way down, to generate squibs ... not much else left to blame!

[Nobody]

Perhaps some lube, cleaner or other contamination fouled up the powder or primer in the shells from the reloading process?

[Mike Irwin]

Pour some powder out on a white sheet of paper in good light.

If you see any reddish dust, or detect an acrid or otherwise foul odor, the powder is starting to decompose and should be disposed of by sprinking it on your lawn.

If the powder looks good, then it's time to look at your primers.

Were they stored in an enclosed area with oil products? Oil vapor can cause primers to deactivate.

[BigG]

I fired some WWI era ammo back in the 80s. Went bang every time, including some paper high brass shotshells.

[Pumpkinheaver]

I don't know I generally use it up as fast as I buy it!!

[Archie]

I am nearly certain it's not the primers, since what I did was to pull the bullets, charge with powder from a brandy-new fresh can of Unique, then put the bullets back in. I've been shooting these with no hiccups at all...so I the primers are not a suspect.Did you or did you not also replace the primers?

[JNewell]

Did not replace primers -- just powder.

[RON in PA]

I would suspect your reloading tech., maybe you weren't dropping consistant powder charges. It may have occured only a few times and therefore your squibs and when you pulled your remaining rounds and checked powder weights everything looked ok. If the powder was going I would think that deterioration would be consistant within the container. Also Unique, being double base is less prone to deterioration and will last for decades with resonable care.

[Turk]

Fifteeen years ago I got a great deal on 20 lbs of Win 231 in 1 lb. cans and a few month ago I used the last of it. From start to finish it fired every time and produced good results.

Have a good day and remember to pray for our troops.

Turk

[Mike Irwin]

I'm using the tail end of the last of a couple of 3-lb. cans of 231 that I got from Winchester back when I was with American Rifleman around 1992.

I'm still working on the 296.

Same experience as Turk.

[m1911joe]

One more question. You said that you pulled the bullet and put in new
powder and they went bang with the same primer. That does not add up.
If the primer had gone off with first charge it would not go off with the
second charge. Were the primers hit after the first time that you tried to
fire them. If it was a light hit you might have a problem with the gun not
the ammo.

[JNewell]

Sorry, I was referring to pulling the unfired bullets from the batch that had the squibs, dumping the powder, then reseating the bullets.

If I ever figure out how to make primers go bang repeatedly without punching 'em out and replacing 'em, I'm gonna get me a patent and make some serious money! :cool:

[Erich]

FWIW, I just this year finished (actually, it's not quite finished yet, but I bought a new can and am using that now) a can of Unique that I bought back in '86 - fired some of the rounds a couple of weeks ago, just fine.

Sorry to hear of your troubles.

[Bottom Gun]

I'm still using 20 year old powder which appears to work as well as it did when it was new.