What do you do with the dregs of a powder container?

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daniel craig

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At the end of this container of powder I have like 14 or 20 grains of powder. That's only about half of what I need for my current loads so it's basically useless to me at this point what should I do with it?

Obviously I know I would just pour it in the next container if the powders were the same. The issue is I had a hard time finding this powder as it was so I'm probably not going to be able to get anymore in the foreseeable future and the next jug I have is something totally different.
 
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I pitch it in the yard. Good fertilizer. If a pistol powder with just a few grains in a round I keep going till it is less than one of those will take, which isn't much.

For a rifle, not many options as I don't want to mix lots of powder, even if the same. Yes, maybe I am overly cautious but few cautious people blow stuff up.
 
daniel craig said:
At the end of this container of powder I have like 14 or 20 grains of powder. That's only about half of what I need for my current loads so it's basically useless to me at this point what should I do with it?
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Pour it in the new one. If it's one I won't be buying again it goes in a container that has bad powder written on 4 sides. It will make a nice fire one day.
 
daniel craig said:
At the end of this container of powder I have like 14 or 20 grains of powder. That's only about half of what I need for my current loads so it's basically useless to me at this point what should I do with it?
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Partial bottles are my nemesis! I usually just bite the bullet and load one round with the leftovers and add fresh to get my load. That one mixed powder round always shoots fine but I consider it a fouler.
 
Blackpowder is inefficient so slight deviations won’t make any great noticeable difference. Mix 15-20 grains with any other pound and you’ll never know it.
 
I mix the dregs with the next fresh can that I use. Making double and even triple sure that they are the same. If its a type that I don't plan to use again it goes in the misc can that I collect odd powder in and it goes to Deer Camp for a light show around the campfire. By misc, I mean the powder from the duds that I pick up at the range, others reloads and whatever junk ammo that manages to come my way.
 
Had a friend that would take all my dregs of powder including pull down and make fire starters. He would mix the powder with acetone and mold it into cubes which would burn hot and long enough to start a camp fire in wet conditions. (Disclaimer-never used it myself). I would keep the powder in a well marked non powder jug.
 
Dazzled by the notion of using powder down to less than enough for a full load. Running it thru' a case charger, I don't tempt fate (or an accurate throw) by running it too low.
So yeah, mix the dregs with another jug.
Two other things...
-a five pound keg does solve some of 'down at the end of the can' issues.
-a buddy is saving floor sweepings from our indoor range; not sure if there is as much unburned powder as in the old .38 league days, but there is still a good bit.
After he collects it, we'll either set it on fire down at camp, or else put it for sale online, assuming the powder shortage continues.... ;)
Moon
 
Powder is sold by weight. A 1 lb container is usually only about 1/2 full by volume. When I get a container down under 1/4 of what I started with I go ahead and mix it together with the next container. Then shake it up for an extended period of time to mix the 2 together. I don't want to get so much in the next container that it won't mix well.
 
halfmoonclip said:
Dazzled by the notion of using powder down to less than enough for a full load. Running it thru' a case charger, I don't tempt fate (or an accurate throw) by running it too low.
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That is good advice.

When I'm continuing to use the same powder I run the measure a little lower than normal and then do a mix with the new powder.

When I'm running out a powder I'm not continuing to use, I measure every charge when I get into the range that my powder measure begins to get inconsistent.
 
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Jimster said:
I honestly don’t understand this question from someone who’s been here since 2009. Must be the cheap American whiskey and smoked salmon I’m cooking tonight.
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Let me clarify...the next jug I have is not the same powder because I couldn't find the powder I'm currently using. So I can't mix the two different ones together and I just don't want to throw it in the regular trash. I'm also not a huge fan of just throwing it in the lawn because I live in an apartment. It's not my lawn to do what I want with.
 
Kp321 said:
Had a friend that would take all my dregs of powder including pull down and make fire starters. He would mix the powder with acetone and mold it into cubes which would burn hot and long enough to start a camp fire in wet conditions. (Disclaimer-never used it myself). I would keep the powder in a well marked non powder jug.
Click to expand...
That's cool!
 
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