Powder disposal

Yes, for the lot number to reference which of the two 8 lb cans I tapped

Sorry, didn’t catch the leg-pulling. I’m kind of dense when it comes to that kind of thing because I take myself so seriously

mmorris said:

Yes, for the lot number to reference which of the two 8 lb cans I tapped

Sorry, didn’t catch the leg-pulling. I’m kind of dense when it comes to that kind of thing because I take myself so seriously

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Did not mean to get you riled up or insult. Without seeing someone or facial expressions some time the written words do not come across the same.
Yank your chain, bust your chops, whatever the expression. Only kidding.

Snow melt in the driveway perhaps?

Reloadron said:

I have about 5 Lbs of Black Powder I need to get rid of

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If it's real bp and been kept dry it doesn't go bad.

I have had to pay 29$ lb for goex bp locally.

Post it in bp forum, someone nearby will gladly safely dispose of it for you in a series of 30-150 grain controlled fires.

Thanks for the comments, Walkalong.

I took no offense Rule 3... I appreciate your understanding my confusion in the vacuum of the internet.

mmorris wrote:
I am only trying to share with those who are interested, what I do in my reloading room.

If you already have a procedure you are satisfied with, I am NOT lecturing.
You may like to have ALL your powders out and open.
I wouldn't, but I don't see why you can't.

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I don't think you're lecturing. I think you are giving some very good, practical advice. Advice which it would be hard to hear too many times, because just when we get complacent is when we mix powders in the hopper or contaminate that new 8 pound container.

chas442 wrote:
I have more than I want to dump on my lawn.

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Why? How big is your lawn?

I have been disposing of my propellant the same way armarsh explains in post #15 for years. I routinely have trash wood burns around the back 40 and this is a good way to satisfy my inner pyro safely I have even done this with good stuff just for the fun of it The reminder that you DO NOT do this with black powder cannot be stressed enough though.
Wish I was close enough to you reloadron I would take it off your hands in a heartbeat. FWIW you could probably sell it without problem to someone local.

FROGO207 said:

Wish I was close enough to you reloadron I would take it off your hands in a heartbeat. FWIW you could probably sell it without problem to someone local.

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Yeah, I'll find it a home. Anyone in the greater Cleveland, Ohio suburbs, close to Bedford Heights is welcome to it. I'll never use it. Matter of fact I think I also have a few pounds of Pyrodex they can have too.

Ron

I never have throw away powder. To hard to come by in lean times. If you store it right it will last many years.

Walkalong said:

lol.

I assume you are kidding around since it is clearly relabeled.

Here are three here.
View attachment 772862

When I buy a larger than one pound jug of something (N-310, N-320, N-340, 3N37, Competition, AA #9, 700X) I keep pouring it into the old one pound jug for use, clearly labeled with the source and lot # if I have had more than one larger jug of it.

I like his system. Good stuff. Love the little "Powder in Use" spot on the shelf. I just have a designated spot on the bench, not labeled.

And his label on the jug is much better than mine. Very nicely done.

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From someone that has a "label maker" I kinda expected more.

When I decanted my big jug of Longshot I scanned the label, reduced it and put it on a empty Hodgdon 1lb container. It was glued and clear taped. Now that is the OCD method!

The use of Smokless powder as a fertilizer is not as easy as dumping it on the lawn or plants. The Army did studies on how to convert NC to usable Fertilizer and some other folks have a patent on it. Yes, there is small amount of nitrogen and a tiny bit of potassium nitrate, It is better to burn it or get it soaking wet and dump it,

https://www.google.com/patents/US3976466

Rule3 wrote:
The use of Smokless powder as a fertilizer is not as easy as dumping it on the lawn or plants.

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If you are trying to make all the nitrates in the powder immediately available to the plants, then, yes, it requires the propellant be further processed. But, as a disposal method, broadcasting it onto the lawn is a comparatively safe method that has the incidental benefit of providing some additional nitrates to the soil.

Rule3 wrote:
When I decanted my big jug of Longshot I scanned the label, reduced it and put it on a empty Hodgdon 1lb container. It was glued and clear taped. Now that is the OCD method!

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...and this is the Agricultural Engineer's method.

Back when I first started reloading, getting every last bit of DuPont's stick powder out of their rectangular cans was a real pain.

So, each pound of 4198 (by far the powder I used the most) would be transferred into this repurposed Winchester 785 container. With it conical spout, every stick would easily pour into the powder measure. Lot number association was maintained by keeping the "original" can of powder until the powder in the "transfer" can was used up.



If I knew then what I know now, I would never have done this (and do not recommend anyone doing it now), but nearly 40 years ago, I was young, foolish and thought nothing bad could ever happen to me.

By the time I learned better, I had been doing this for so long and the process was so ingrained that I elected to continue it for IMR-4198 (but not any other powder) and my loading procedures and associated checklist take this into account when loading 223/5.56.

And by the way, I know IMR-4198 isn't made by Dupont any more and it is not a ball powder, but I didn't see any need to cover up that part of the label.

Rule3 said:

The use of Smokless powder as a fertilizer is not as easy as dumping it on the lawn or plants.

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Enough with this fertilizer nonsense. Real men, real rifle shooting men do not eat quiche and they don't fertilize plants, lawns or anything else. Real men sprinkle surplus powder on their grilled steaks, steaks cooked on an open fire burning wood even if they had to defoliate a forest to build the fire. Maybe quiche eaters use powder as fertilizer but I can't comprehend why a quiche eater would even have powder other than of course talcum powder.

Ron

hdwhit said:

...and this is the Agricultural Engineer's method.

Back when I first started reloading, getting every last bit of DuPont's stick powder out of their rectangular cans was a real pain.

So, each pound of 4198 (by far the powder I used the most) would be transferred into this repurposed Winchester 785 container. With it conical spout, every stick would easily pour into the powder measure. Lot number association was maintained by keeping the "original" can of powder until the powder in the "transfer" can was used up.

View attachment 772969

If I knew then what I know now, I would never have done this (and do not recommend anyone doing it now), but nearly 40 years ago, I was young, foolish and thought nothing bad could ever happen to me.

By the time I learned better, I had been doing this for so long and the process was so ingrained that I elected to continue it for IMR-4198 (but not any other powder) and my loading procedures and associated checklist take this into account when loading 223/5.56.

And by the way, I know IMR-4198 isn't made by Dupont any more and it is not a ball powder, but I didn't see any need to cover up that part of the label.

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Well you used Duct Tape so it's all good!

I eat steak. Steak eats plants. Therefore I like plants.

Real, manly men use their gun powder in guns.
Scatter it back from whence it came, with your arm, an arm or a fire.

Now, I shall pound my chest, call like Tarzan, and swing a vine off camera or ride a horse into the sunset.
.
.

Howd you get 12# of bad powder? I bought a 20 gauge loader at a garage sale that came with a large coffee can of green dot. I know it’s green dot because of the green dots! I used it to make about 5000 rounds of 45acp. It had rusty side walls and some clumped powder. Not a squib yet and there may be 1000 left to shoot. It’s definitely weak, but cast loads have a very wide pressure range.

chas442 said:

It's coming out of Indian 308 ammo. By the time I'm done I'll have about 12 pounds. It's coming out of about 2000 rounds

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Yea. I've heard a lot of bad things about Indian ammo. Sounds like a lot of work.

Jack B. said:

Yea. I've heard a lot of bad things about Indian ammo. Sounds like a lot of work.

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chas442 said:

It's coming out of Indian 308 ammo. By the time I'm done I'll have about 12 pounds. It's coming out of about 2000 rounds

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Also be careful if you are doing that just to get the other components I've heard some of their brass have no flash hole.

chas442 said:

It's coming out of Indian 308 ammo. By the time I'm done I'll have about 12 pounds. It's coming out of about 2000 rounds

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wow that's slot of work!