Reloading noob.

I am going to go against the others and tell you to keep the propellant for the time being. In the future you can always use it for trading materials with the disclosure that it came to you opened and they take any risks. At least you will get something for it that way. Yes it is a sign that you are meant to reload in your future. Don't forget to thank them and your mother for bringing it back either.

Dont get rid of anything. Study a lot and learn what you have. Powder is hard to find and expensive. If you throw it out it's gone. If it sits until your more acquainted so be it. Here is something to get you started.
http://marvinstuart.com/firearm/Manuals/Reloading/Reloading Manuals/

Here is a forensic data base of smokeless gun powders;
http://www.ilrc.ucf.edu/powders/search.php

If you keep the powder, you can at least cross reference the pictures of the powder to what you have. You'll need magnification to compare.

arsentek said:

Man, I'm so excited. It's something I've wanted to do but I hadn't really made a plan for yet. I was going to start looking into stuff once prices calmed down. I'm nervous about whether there are primers or not because everytime I go to my gunshop there is someone in there talking about how hard they are hard(impossible) to get. She said there's a bunch of books.

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You’ve already got the best advice and it seems you’re listening- A+ for that!- all I can add is take the time to get organized, find a place for everything and put everything in its place before you even start reading load data. Being organized is by far the most important thing in reloading.

Sweet score!

my advice is to read read read.

Reloading is pretty easy, but it requires a meticulous attention to detail. There really isn’t much room for the element of doubt.

I wouldn’t toss that powder just yet.
You can examine it, and determine if it is what it says it is, again at known examples of the same powder(s).
Then you can test it.

this day and age, tossing out powder “just because” seems foolhardy.
With intelligent analysis, it can be verified “good”.
It is a risky to a degree, but with care, it can be mitigated

Ironicaintit said:

Sweet score!

my advice is to read read read.

Reloading is pretty easy, but it requires a meticulous attention to detail. There really isn’t much room for the element of doubt.

I wouldn’t toss that powder just yet.
You can examine it, and determine if it is what it says it is, again at known examples of the same powder(s).
Then you can test it.

this day and age, tossing out powder “just because” seems foolhardy.
With intelligent analysis, it can be verified “good”.
It is a risky to a degree, but with care, it can be mitigated

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For people who don’t read good (me) youtube explains it all, from being to end

Nice score! Read, read, read, those loading manuals. There is a wealth of knowledge in each one to keep you safe and successful. And have fun, handloading is a truly enjoyable pastime.

There's some good advice posted already. I will add that it is not recommended to shoot ammunition loaded by others, at least not somebody that you don't know and trust fully with your safety.

If there is any complete handloaded ammo in those boxes of goodies don't be tempted to fire it. You can set it aside and dismantle it later to salvage some of the components if you would like after you have some experience.

If you like videos jonnys reloading bench has enough 223 videos for hours. You can see the process in order and he conducts ocw testing every time which after going bang a few times and verifying function will be your next step.

arsentek said:

So, I'm just getting into firearms. Like I've always enjoyed it, but I've never had more than one at a time over the years until recently. I wouldn't really consider myself a gun guy, but I recently assembled an AR-15 in 5.56 and an AR-10 in 308 and I'm working on one of those cool guy back pack pistols with the folding stock and a QRB modification. I like to let the universe lead me where it may.

My mom was out of state and someone asked her if she knew anyone that would want a bunch of reloading equipment. I obviously said yes. I'm working with limited photography at the moment so I don't know everything that's included, but there's tons of brass. I'm looking for any advice that anyone has for someone that is brand new to this and is going to be getting alot more than than someone starting out would normally have.

One of my biggest questions is "Should I dispose of all powder that is open?"

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make a list if everything you got! Us reloaders only wish someone would gift us a whole reloading room!

You ever see how crazy your dog gets before you toss the ball? Yeah now tell these guys primers are back on the shelves and see what happens...

welcome!

koni said:

You ever see how crazy your dog gets before you toss the ball? Yeah now tell these guys primers are back on the shelves and see what happens...

welcome!

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did you say primers are back on the shelfs????? were were were were

Welcome to THR!
Addiction to guns and reloading isn’t a bad thing, really.
I believe All Powders Matter (APM). Please don’t dispose of them. Yes yes yes, there’s a chance some whacko might mix powders together on the off chance that when they don’t need said powders anymore some poor schmuk will use them and destroy something. But I don’t believe that’s very probable.
Let us know what goodies you discover and how the reloads go. And, hope whomever is giving this away gets a nice gift and thank you! Good luck.

Don’t forget to showoff any primers you find in the stash! Just rub it in our face, we love it

I'm in the "don't throw out the powder" group. But I'd also recommend against using it, right away at least. Sure it could be mixed or bad, etc...but it may not be.

Most , but definitely not all, reloading folk I've encountered are pretty careful about not doing dumb stuff with highly combustible (and expensive!!!) components, equipment, and guns.

Save the powder for the time being, get aquatinted with the process and become familiar with what you have. You can further diagnose the powder situation later.

arsentek said:

So, I'm just getting into firearms. Like I've always enjoyed it, but I've never had more than one at a time over the years until recently. I wouldn't really consider myself a gun guy, but I recently assembled an AR-15 in 5.56 and an AR-10 in 308 and I'm working on one of those cool guy back pack pistols with the folding stock and a QRB modification. I like to let the universe lead me where it may.

My mom was out of state and someone asked her if she knew anyone that would want a bunch of reloading equipment. I obviously said yes. I'm working with limited photography at the moment so I don't know everything that's included, but there's tons of brass. I'm looking for any advice that anyone has for someone that is brand new to this and is going to be getting alot more than than someone starting out would normally have.

One of my biggest questions is "Should I dispose of all powder that is open?"

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Never use powder of unknown lineage. If it's not in the original container, dispose of it - great for making the lawn green-er-er!

It's been mentioned several times but I'll reiterate; READ the reloading manuals. I wouldn't stop at just one. I would get several, and read them. There's useful information in each that might not 100% be covered in another; Lyman, Sierra, Hornady, and others all put out great manuals. Of those, I'd start with Sierra, as it's incredibly comprehensive and well laid out. But I certainly wouldn't stop there! I have reloading manuals going back to the 1960's and books on handloading which date back to the turn of the 1900's, which are also (if somewhat outdated) very interesting reads. How deep you go down that rabbit hole is up to you, but I wouldn't start cranking out ammo until you are confident you have the fundamentals down.

There *are* no stupid questions with reloading - it's potentially hazardous, so don't feel ashamed one bit, to ask questions.

Reloading isn't like other things - it's not something you want to learn as you go, you want to do your homework in advance, and absorb as much as you can, before you really get going.

That being said, it's a great hobby in it's own right and a way to maximize the potential of your rifles and pistols. Don't count on saving money though. I've been reloading a long, long time and I have yet to see financial savings... always something new you "have to have", and once you start cranking out ammo you just end up shooting more! So don't believe them if they say it'll save you money! It's all lies!

Current data for current powders is available on the internet for free.
A print manual is not for looking up the fastest load, it is for the front part about operating the equipment.
Now if you are in a Recipe Hunt and don't want to have to make allowances for different brand components, then you should get a Sierra manual for shooting Sierra bullets, etc.
I guess there is some good information on Youtube but I don't feel well instructed by a video, it is hard to back up and see what the previous step was. I once had instructions for installing an adjustable trigger on DVD and it was a pain to run and rerun the video to get each step clear.

Trent said:

Never use powder of unknown lineage. If it's not in the original container, dispose of it - great for making the lawn green-er-er!

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I read this every week if not oftener but my background in fertilizer R&D makes me doubtful.
I know you have farm, garden, and lawn experience; have you ever used smokeless powder as fertilizer and seen better growth?

Jim Watson said:

I read this every week if not oftener but my background in fertilizer R&D makes me doubtful.
I know you have farm, garden, and lawn experience; have you ever used smokeless powder as fertilizer and seen better growth?

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Oh heck no. Not when you can buy fertilizer that is immediate or slow release for pennies on the pound.

It's just a much safer way of disposing it than throwing it in the trash, flushing it down the toilet, or burning your eyebrows off in the driveway.

Not that I'd have any experience with losing eyebrows. None at all!

I have used powder from two estate sales. The containers were open but the remaining powder looked right and shot right. Maybe I got away with something.

On the other hand, I helped close out the shop of a quantity reloader when he became so feeble as to be sent to a nursing home. Nobody trusted the old codger's component filing system, so we dumped everything in a 10 lb keg and took it to the range. The shock wave of my .25-06 ignited the powder into a tall column of flame, whee.

Jim Watson said:

I have used powder from two estate sales. The containers were open but the remaining powder looked right and shot right. Maybe I got away with something.

On the other hand, I helped close out the shop of a quantity reloader when he became so feeble as to be sent to a nursing home. Nobody trusted the old codger's component filing system, so we dumped everything in a 10 lb keg and took it to the range. The shock wave of my .25-06 ignited the powder into a tall column of flame, whee.

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I've used powder from estate sales, some partial cans, no big deal. Never had an issue.

When I inherited my uncles reloading equipment and supplies, though, all of the loose ammo that was unmarked and in Crown Royal bags got the kinetic puller though, powder was dumped, the rest re-used. I mean, them being in crown royal bags was probably red flag #1...

Trent said:

I've used powder from estate sales, some partial cans, no big deal. Never had an issue.

When I inherited my uncles reloading equipment and supplies, though, all of the loose ammo that was unmarked and in Crown Royal bags got the kinetic puller though, powder was dumped, the rest re-used. I mean, them being in crown royal bags was probably red flag #1...

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This... loads of another person are just assembled components. Pull them appart and check em. You may decide this guy knew what he was doing and evaluating his ammunition is a great learning experience. Using the same tools your numbers should match the book.

lordpaxman said:

Welcome to THR!
Addiction to guns and reloading isn’t a bad thing, really.
I believe All Powders Matter (APM). Please don’t dispose of them. Yes yes yes, there’s a chance some whacko might mix powders together on the off chance that when they don’t need said powders anymore some poor schmuk will use them and destroy something. But I don’t believe that’s very probable.
Let us know what goodies you discover and how the reloads go. And, hope whomever is giving this away gets a nice gift and thank you! Good luck.

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I don't think its like that. I think its more about someone at the end of life or sick and not thinking straight. After heart surgery I ruined two partial cans of powder by dumping Red Dot into Unique. I misread the cans - anesthetics can do strange things to you memory, perception and reflexes for days and I was under for more than eight hours twice in one week - and "thought" I was combining the last of two old cans of Red Dot. Lucky for me something in the back of my head kicked in and I realized my mistake pretty quickly, like a couple days later, but it would have been if I had kicked off right then - a real possibility - and my wife gave away all of my reloading supplies. I ended up scrapping most of my opened powders and gave up trying to reload or shoot for a couple months after some other stupid mistakes. It just took time to heal and get my wits back. Some folks don't get that time.

Dump the open tins. Unless you know - for sure and absolutely! - that the person who had them previously was completely in control of their memory and wits right up to the end and could never make a mistake like that or worse, it's just not worth it.

why are people afraid to burn their old powder??? not anymore dangerous than a camp fire

AJC1 said:

This... loads of another person are just assembled components. Pull them appart and check em. You may decide this guy knew what he was doing and evaluating his ammunition is a great learning experience. Using the same tools your numbers should match the book.

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In this case there was no indication as to what powder was even used. Just loose ammo in bags with no identification at all as to what the load data was. You can't safely reuse powder when you don't know what powder is in there to begin with. Can't trust a visual ID of it.

Even then, not everyone is meticulous when they load. I've seen enough squibs and called enough immediate ceasefires while officiating competitions to know better than to trust someone else's reloads.

Mark_Mark said:

why are people afraid to burn their old powder??? not anymore dangerous than a camp fire

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You clearly aren't using enough in one pile! Come back and talk to me when you are missing eyebrows.

Trent said:

In this case there was no indication as to what powder was even used. Just loose ammo in bags with no identification at all as to what the load data was. You can't safely reuse powder when you don't know what powder is in there to begin with. Can't trust a visual ID of it.

Even then, not everyone is meticulous when they load. I've seen enough squibs and called enough immediate ceasefires while officiating competitions to know better than to trust someone else's reloads.



You clearly aren't using enough in one pile! Come back and talk to me when you are missing eyebrows.

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I clearly need to buy more powder!

Mark_Mark said:

why are people afraid to burn their old powder??? not anymore dangerous than a camp fire

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The official recommendation is to lay it out in a train an inch wide and however long it takes; ignite one end and step back.
Smokeless powder is not fertilizer.