Have any of y'all had military pull-down (4895) rifle powder go bad?

[Bexar]

It seems 70 year old WWII ammo consistently fires and does well but I hear of folks commenting about how their five year old powder went bad.

I've got an 8# jug of pull-down 4895 that I'd bet came from 40+ year old military ammo. It still smells sweet when I opened it and smelled it yesterday.

I opened a fresh can of IMR4895 and it didn't quite smell as sweet but still pleasant.

What luck have y'all had with the shelf life of military pull-down powder?

Thanks...Bexar

 

[USSR]

Bexar,

Personally, I have had 3 different lots of surplus IMR4895 (still have 2), and have had none of it go bad. I store it in a cool, dry basement, but I have no idea as to how it was stored prior to that. And, that seems to be the key. Storage in a dry, hot environment will shorten shelf life. I know SlamFire1 on this site has had it go bad on him.

Don

 

[243winxb]

I had 1 can of Dupont IMR 4895 go bad. Photos in album link below. page 3 & 4

 

[Chuckin' TV]

A friend of mine's dad has some 4895 from just after Vietnam. He is still loading his 30-06s and 22-250 with it. I guess there was a shortage scare at the time from what he tells me. Sounds familiar right? So he bought a lot of it. He says as long as it stays sealed up and dry it will last a long time. I personally would use caution when using old powder. Modern data doesn't work with old powders. So take your time and do some research.

 

[ReloaderFred]

One of my friends had an 8 pound keg of surplus 4895 go bad, but he hadn't put the cap back on tight, and he left it in his garage in a place where the temperatures regularly go above 100 degrees during the summer months. The other three kegs he bought at the same time were fine, but hadn't been opened.

The 4 kegs I bought at that time are still good, but I moved from that hot environment and my shop seldom gets above 70 degrees, even in the summer. Temperature has a lot to do with the longevity of stored powders.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[Lj1941]

I have the remains of an 8 lb jug about 6 lbs left. It came from Widener Reloading about 10 years ago. It is still fresh smelling and shoots as good as it did when I got it.I too have had concerns about it going bad. Cost as I recall was about $60. They apparently did it right when it was made.

 

[1KPerDay]

This is still good after 40+ years. Cardboard canister. I've been working my way through it the past 3 years.