Powder from pulled bullets still good?

[Southernsorrow]

I've got 150 rounds of .223 loaded with 26.6 grains of n140 with 75gr bthps which is like 2 grains over VV listed max that have been buried in back my ammo cabinet since 2006. I finaly got around to getting a bullet puller and was wondering if the powder is re-usuable "still good" ?

I'd hate to pitch all that .... I factory crimp all my ammo it's been in a cool dry environment never got damp or anything like that.

I usually use 24.6 n140 with the 75's so I either miss-loaded the ammo or miss-labeled it. I'd weigh them but since the brass they are has been 4x loaded which has been trimmed/resized alot I might of trimmed off 2 grains of brass by now "shrugs" and get a bad reading.

 

[GaryL]

As long as you are certain about the type powder, and it's in good condition, I see no reason not to re-use it. It's really no different than mil-surplus pull down.

Also, I'd verify a few of the powder loads and make sure you stay a well under the previous load.

 

[ReloaderFred]

The powder is reusable, as long as you're sure you know what it is. I've reloaded powder from rounds I've pulled down several times.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[Slamfire]

Unless the powder has deteriorated due to age, it is good to reuse. Age indications would be corrosion, color changes, and in bulk, the most horrible smell you can imagine. Fuming red nitric acid gas is just nasty.

If your case interiors look like the ones in this thread, I would toss the powder as it is at the end of a reasonable shelf life.

Has anyone else had Vihtavuori N140 corrode in loaded ammo?

http://www.falfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3745264

Or if your cases and powder look something like this, toss the powder.

Corrosion like I have never seen

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=542632

I inherited a bit of ammo when my Father died, and among that cache was a box of Norma 220gr .30-06 (from the 60's by the look of the box)...

I pulled them out to look at them this AM, and this is what I found:

Five out of 16 rounds have this corrosion on them...On two, the corrosion has expanded the case below the bullet to the extent where the brass ruptured...This box was stored bullet down for decades at Dad's, and for a few years now here...They had a cardboard divider in the box so none touched, and there is no sign of water damage to the box or divider...I have looked through the rest of the 06 ammo boxes, and all are pristine like they came from the factories yesterday (but none are Norma)...

What the heck am I seeing here?

Is this corrosive primers gone bad and dripped through the powder to the base of the bullet and then eaten through, or is this deteriorating powder fuming through the case?

I obviously am not going to fire any of these rounds, but are they even safe to subject to bullet pulling in an impact puller???

I'd love to salvage the bullets at least...

Any help or opinions would be appreciated

 

[Southernsorrow]

no it's straight up self loaded N140 from "at the time" fresh batch of powder CCI benchrest primers, hornady 75gr bthp with a lee factory crimp on them "I always heavy crimp my 223"

the brass cases aren't fresh out of the tumbler looking shiny but they are far from brown, tarnished or corroded... maybe a dull shiny brass color if that makes sense

I more than likely just miss-labeled them but to be safe I'll just pull em. just don't want to pitch 26.6 grains times 150 "half a damn pound of powder" unless I have to.

 

[Southernsorrow]

also holy crap on the corroded cases... I've been using n140 for a long time now and never had such a problem. it always burns clean and leaves the spent cases less filthy vs other brands... I still have about Edit: 1/3rd of a 2lb jug of n140 and 2 and 1/4 lbs of n135 from 2006 "VV used to come in 2lb jugs"

 

[rcmodel]

I more than likely just miss-labeled them

Then why not just pull two or three or five and weigh the charges to verify if you mis-labeled them, or not??

rc

 

[Southernsorrow]

why the hell didn't I think of that.. damn it

 

[Southernsorrow]

just learned 2 things.

1. A hammer style bullet puller will pull hornady tap .223 , remington .223 , two seperate weight self loaded and crimped 40S&W and a .308 with a 175 SMK but it will not pull out a self crimped .223 with 75gr bthp....

2. the second thing learned 2 pairs of pliers won't pull the damn things out either... Don't get why they refuse to pull since I'm not even using past the half crimp strength adjust die to yada yada then add "1 full turn for full strength etc.etc." to apply crimp.

About to invest in a hornady cam-lock puller with the right size jaws/collets from midway or amazon. $35~ to pull out about $15 worth of components might not seem worth it but it's got me po'd now.

 

[ReloaderFred]

Try seating the bullets a fraction of an inch to break the seal. Then you should be able to pull them as normal.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[rcmodel]

O.K.

Heres another tip.
Or two.

The lighter the bullet weight, the less inertia it has when you smack it with a hammer type inertia bullet puller.

A 230 grain .45 bullet will pull with one or two whacks on a hard surface.
A .17 will not come out if you drop it off the space Shuttle!

You Do Not have to crimp .223 for use in any rifle.
If, your case neck tension is as it should be without a crimp.

And, your rifle & all the magazines feeds right without driving bullets back in the cases during feeding.

rc

 

[gamestalker]

I'm very OCD about my brass prep, in that I pretty much sterilize it by tumbling and, then rinsing with either 91% alcohol or acetone. I do this with loads that I know will be stock piled for future, and, or, long term use, such as hunting or self defense. But if I'm just loading up some rounds for future range use, then I tumble real well just before charging them.

I figure that if any lube residue were to be present in a cartridge that may sit for months or years, or may be exposed to varied temps on a daily basis, such as self defense stuff, then I become concerned about lube residue that could effect the powder or primer over time.

As for your powder, I would just smell it and inspect it for visual signs of having broken down. Red or rusty looking dust, an acidic odor, or if it smells something like manure then it may have degraded. If it smells like ether it's still ok IMO. And if the powder wants to clump together, I wouldn't personally use it.

GS

 

[gamestalker]

I use both types of pullers, kinetic and collet type. But if I'm pulling a crimped round with a kinetic or collet puller, I always do as RC said, I seat them a few thousandths to break them free, then I pull. I've even pulled heavy roll crimped revolver cartridges with a kinetic puller using this method, and with very little trouble. 2 or 3 whacks on a solid metal or concrete surface, and they're out.

Smacking on a wood surface, regardless of how hard the wood is not the same as using as steel or concrete when it involves inertia. And the lighter the bullet, the harder it is to get enough inertia.

GS

 

[Southernsorrow]

damn that worked like a charm, I pushed them in about .050 whacked about 6 times came right out. and measuring 4 so far I'm coming up right under 26.6 grains probably around 26.5-1/2. the powder "looks" fine guess the only way to tell is load a couple rounds in a safe range and try it

 

[Southernsorrow]

I still don't know how the hell I loaded them so hot nor do I know why they've been sitting in there so long... I was cleaning out my "re-organizing" my ammo cabinet found 3 50 round boxes together in a ziplock bag behind all my shotgun shells and luckily noticed the labels were 2 grains too high.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

damn that worked like a charm, I pushed them in about .050 whacked about 6 times came right out. and measuring 4 so far I'm coming up right under 26.6 grains probably around 26.5-1/2. the powder "looks" fine guess the only way to tell is load a couple rounds in a safe range and try it

If you loaded them you know exactly what powder was used so reusing the powder if safe. As for the powder being good, before the ammo shortage I'm sure you were buying and shooting ammo that was older than the ammo you just disassembled. I'm sure all those rounds would have fired so I'm sure the powder is just fine.

I would neck size the cases and leave the primer in place. Then load with the correct powder charge with the powder you pulled. Finally seat the same bullet and then shoot them...

 

[41 Mag]

I would neck size the cases and leave the primer in place. Then load with the correct powder charge with the powder you pulled. Finally seat the same bullet and then shoot them...

Absolutely the above. Just pull your primer pin out and go for it.

Also welcome to the forum.

When I was growing up pop had a few cans of surplus 06 ball and AP ammo. When we got ready for deer season we pulled out two boxes of them, and seated the bullets just enough to break the tar seal. Then the bullets would pull right out of those cases. We had a test tube we would then pour the powder into so we could neck size them. Then just pour the powder right back in and seat a 150 or 165gr Sierra soft point in them and that was that.

One box for sight in and target practice and the other for hunting. We used them for many years and put a ton of meat in the freezer.

 

[Southernsorrow]

sounds good, I mostly neck size anyway I just full length size after about 3 loadings. unless it's a multi-gun bullet "use same ammo in multiple guns" then I'll full length size every time