disposing of old handloads?

[243_shooter]

Hi all,

Just picked up a complete loading outfit from a guy getting out (dillon 550B, rockchucker, all the dies goodies, etc..)

I also got with the deal 30 or so pounds of powder (most of which appears to be 20+ years old, so I'm going to try and dispose of it as mentioned in the other thread)..

It also came with roughly (I'm guessing) 4k-5k rounds of loaded ammo in the nice plastic boxes. All dated early 90's, load data on the front of the cases, etc.. Mostly 45acp (which I don't shoot)..
Given the age, and the fact that I don't know who/how it was loaded I'd like to dispose of it.

Anybody know any good ways to dispose of it?

Leo

 

[Sisco]

If you have a whole bunch of time to kill you could get a press mounted bullet puller and salvage the bullets & brass. This would also give you a good reason to buy a 45! Other than that I'm not sure how to safely dispose of it.

 

[P95Carry]

Burn barrel! No ... forget I said that .. really!

The powder .... no probs ....... you can burn that in open air .... in thin layers bit by bit ... no probs. Or spread over flower beds to fertilize.

The ammo tho .... 45 acp? ...... hmmm .... pity to trash that ... if this guy knew what he was doing and I'd guess he did .. then that could be very useful practice ammo at least .... worth a round or two to evaluate. You must have some buddies with 45 acp?

What bullets? if jackets then perhaps a pulling session to reclaim all components could also be a thought ... if time consuming! I do hate waste.

 

[Jim Watson]

There is nothing wrong with 20 year old powder. I am loading .45ACP out of a keg of Win 452AA that is marked as having been bought by the previous owner in 1981. Does fine. Look for checklists to identify decomposing powder; which would take really poor storage conditions for only 20 years. There is WW II ammo in regular use.

4 to 5 thousand rounds, mostly .45; with load data.
Hmmm, I might take a chance on that, buy a plain vanilla gun and shoot it up.

 

[P95Carry]

I might take a chance on that, buy a plain vanilla gun and shoot it up

My thinking exactly Jim!!

 

[forquidder]

Reloads

If the reloaded 45 ACP is fairly well labeled, check the load in a loadbook and pull a couple bullets from representative samples. Look at how bulky the powder is and how far it fills the case. If the powder fills the case far enough to where it would be impossible to get a double charge or seat the bullet because of an overload, I would shoot it up. Also I would experiment with the old powder and use it too.

 

[stans]

Check the old powder for a rusty red residue and an acidic odor, these are the signs of powder gone bad. If it looks like powder should and still has a solvent smell to it, then it is fine

 

[243_shooter]

From the outside of the boxes, everything appears to be carefully labeled.

It's all in 100rd plastic cases (very nice ones I might add).. All the load data listed on the front, etc..

I guess the thing to do would be to take one or two from each box at random, measure the OAL etc.. pull it down and weigh the charge, just to verify the loading data on the box matches the bullets in it. I did look up the load data for a few of them and they appear (if labeled correctly) to be on the low side of the data, so I don't think they are any hot-rod type loads.. It's all labeled as being new brass (certainly appears that way)..

Right now there are roughly 2200 rds .45acp, 1800 rds .357, and 1400 rds .38 spcl.. That's probalby more than I'd shoot in 3 years, even if I had a .45 or .357.. Guess I need to buy some guns and shoot more

The part that concerns me is storage conditions, I don't think this stuff was actually stored in the best of places. There is quite a bit of powder that appears to be relatively new (that I plan to use) still sealed in plastic jugs.. There is also a lot of powder in rusty metal containers that appears very questionable..

If anybody in the upstate NY area want's to shoot up some ammo, drop me a note, I've got enough to keep us amused for a couple hours

Leo

 

[Mike Irwin]

Wait a second...

If the powder is in sealed, identifiable containers, and doesn't smell bad or show evidence of decay when you open it, it should be MORE than fine to use for reloading purposes.

 

[Poodleshooter]

Nice haul. If that ammo was properly labeled and used a slow,bulky powder I'd be awfully tempted to shoot that up.
I'll confess that I recently shot up some reloads of unknown origin. They were .38 148gr WCs,but the charge was under 2.8gr (max for Bullseye) so I took the chance. Not one squib, but I probably won't do it again.
If the powder smells ok, why not use it?

 

[243_shooter]

I'll go investigate the powder some more.. See how it "smells" compared to the newer stuff, etc..

I'm brand new to reloading, maybe I'm just suffering from having to much "stuff" arrive at once..

Probalby worrying to much about the age of some of the stuff..

Thanks for the tips!

Leo

 

[P95Carry]

Meant to add 243_shooter (and probably not necessary as you may well have already thought of it anyways)...... not sure if it was mentioned but with the powder deal, if it seems good in smell and appearance ..... load up say 10 rounds for starters ... probably of course a bit below max .. and check performance.

I'd think if you get 10 ''good ones'' .. then good to go with more.

Good reloading! (wish I was close enough to help out .. with that 45 stuff! )

 

[Johnny Guest]

Oh, man - -all that .45 ammo!

I don't guess you know any class III shooters, do you? Sounds like you have a great deal for someone with a MAC 10, a Thompson, or an M3. While they have a VERY limited practical application in the non-military world, SMGs are just, plain FUN to shoot!

Best,
Johnny

 

[Sisco]

I've been giving this some serious thought. You're probably a very busy person. I have time to kill. Send the ammo to me, I'll pay the freight, and I'll properly dispose of it for you.