Hercules Unique powder loads..

[area51]

Got a couple of pounds of Hercules Unique smokeless powder. Does older powder looses some of its potency or should I treat it the same as the "new" Alliant unique ?

Plan to load some 40 s&w...

 

[Steve C]

Treat it the same as new powder. Unless stored under poor conditions like high heat, extreme cold or improperly sealed canister it should work as well as the day it was made.

If you have used the current "cleaner" Unique you may find the old Hercules Unique to be a bit more smokey.

 

[USSR]

I'm still shooting Hercules Unique, so no problem. Current load data is fine.

Don

 

[Salmoneye]

I'm still shooting Hercule's Red Dot from 1961...

 

[JohnM]

Wish I still had some of the old Herc Unique, I finally finished up all I had and have to use the Alliant version now.

 

[rg1]

When I ran out of my supply of Hercules Unique from 1984 I tested new Alliant Unique in early 2000's with the same cases and primers and velocity in my pistol varied less than 5-10 fps between the two which is nothing. Depends on how it has been stored but they have kept Unique basically the same since it came on the market. Only change is they changed the coating to make it burn slightly cleaner.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

As others said, treat it as new powder unless it smells acidy, then dump it out and inspect it closer. If it has rust inside the container or has a strong acid smell, or if you see a lot of discolored flakes It's probably gone bad. I'd dump it.

If it smells normal then and looks normal then enjoy. My Bullseye goes back to the late 1980s, it still work just fine.

 

[CraigC]

That's not old powder, this is old powder.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

Now there is some classic powder. #80 was old when I started and I have not seen a can like that in a few decades. Good stuff when you could find it!

 

[CraigC]

I was giddy as a school girl when I found it at a gun show last year. It's about 3/4 full and smells okay. If I remember right they stopped making it in the 1920's or `30's. For those that don't know, Dupont #80 was the powder Elmer Keith started with when working up his heavy loads, particularly in the .44Spl. This was before the advent of 2400. It is also yellow/tan in color. A little piece of sixgun history.....

 

[Sunray]

Depends entirely on how it has been stored since at least 1972. The old cardboard cans could absorb moisture out of the air. As mentioned, sniff it. If it sticks throw it on your lawn.

 

[cactus02]

You say throw it on the lawn, I've tossed so much from surplus ammo I am thinking of a no smoking sign for the lawn.