How stupid is this

[Lovesbeer99]

I keep all my powder in a locked cabinet and only keep 1 canister on my bench at a time so that I don't ever get confused. I'm very fusy about checking and double checking my labels before I start and after I finish dropping powder.

I had company and put the powder back in the cabinet but had some powder still left in my powder dispenser so I pulled out my powder and dumped the dispenser in it. Then I checked the label... awe ---deleted---.... I dumped IMR4895 into my RL15 and wasted a full 5lb canister.

I'm sick to my stomack. This is why you should never be in a rush when you are handling powder.

 

[rcmodel]

A full 5 pounds? Wow!
If it didn't already get stirred in?

I might be tempted to get out the shop-vac and suck out the top couple of inchs or so.

rc

 

[Certaindeaf]

Well, look at the bright side.

 

[Lovesbeer99]

I was tempted to try and fix it but its not worth it. I'm going to dump powder.

 

[snakeman]

I've done that before! But just with one pound. I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[Certaindeaf]

If I did that, I'd be real tempted to.. nevermind.

 

[FROGO207]

Well if you are like me YOU will only do it once.:banghead: I only wasted about 2 pounds however and that was years ago.

 

[Bowfishrp]

Now you can take it out and burn it or shoot it with tracer rounds!

I have half a pound of pulled powder or small mixes like that too that I will shoot or burn one day.

 

[THe Dove]

LB99

Your post makes me wana cry!!! Sorry amigo....

The Dove

 

[littleguns223]

I always set my powder close to the press so I dont make this mistake. This happened to me a few years ago. It was just a pound. Sorry for your loss.

 

[phoenix79]

Put it in the flower bed. Makes great fertilizer.

 

[gamestalker]

I did that once in 30 yrs. of reloading, and it really feels bad to know you've just destroyed al that powder. I can just about promise you you'll never make that mistake again though.

GS

 

[Josh45]

Im sorry about that man, Maybe make a small hole in the bottom and try to get as much as you can without the other powder in it? I mean 5 lbs is a lot to lose? Not trying to make you feel bad but am hoping maybe you can salvage at least 2 lbs maybe 3?

Then again, It depends to you if you think it is worth it?

 

[Jim Watson]

Mix well and load with 4895 data.
4895 .308 loads are 1 or 2 grains less than Re15.

 

[kingmt]

I don't know what RL15 looks like but If I couldn't separate it I would blend it & rework the load.

 

[twofifty]

blending and mixing are industrial sciences

I would be concerned that 'blending' it would not necessarily result in an even distribution, or a stable distribution. As the keg is handled over time, the two powders may eventually separate with unpredictable results.

 

[oneounceload]

Take the powder that was in the one pound container, buy about 24 pounds of the other and shake, shake, shake...................


otherwise, use it to start a nice BBQ

 

[dmazur]

There were "mixed" reactions to a small contamination of 1 lb of powder, discussed here -

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-534993.html

If you dropped a significant amount of one powder into 5lb of another, it might be hard to ignore it as inconsequential based on percentages.

As I understand things, mixed powders perform unpredictably. Using the "hotter" load figures may not be a valid conclusion.

And experimenting with what you have may be dangerous. Since it is unknown, many suggest dumping it.

It's the expensive, safe route.

 

[Texan Scott]

+1 for mixing it with garden soil... LOTS of good slow-release nitrate in there.

OR

do what i would.... write, in 6-ft high letters, in the middle of the street, late at night, "--> ALIENS LAND HERE <--" and light it off. get a lawn chair, and wait for the flashing lights. Tell the first creature to show up in what looks like a 'uniform' of some sort that we are ready for their wisdom.

 

[PBR Streetgang]

was reading a reloading book a few weeks ago where some reloaders mixed different powders to get a more even burn.......

 

[coalman]

5# powder wasted sucks indeed. I color code and label my hoppers. But, I only run two powders at a time at most. Regardless, I also just leave the powder in so I only need worry about when I add more to the hopper, and I double or triple check before the pour.

 

[blarby]

If you haven't jostled the container vigorously... I second the hole in the bottom of the jug to drain out the good stuff. You should be able to get 3-4 #'s out before you even get close to the adulterant.

 

[unknwn]

DON"T try to drain good from the bottom. The stuff on top will funnel down and mix into the stuff you don't want to contaminate.
You will need a suitable container for the powder that will get salvaged, and it might be as much as 4-1/2 lbs.
IF you carefully cut the top off the contaminated container and observe the contents for the "difference" between the two.
I would then trim the container to a bit below the utmost level and card off the powder to about 3/4-1" of the top.
Inspect for further contamination and THEN decide whether to scrap the lot or not.

 

[Grumulkin]

I'm not recommending you do this but if the amount of powder in the powder dispenser was small, I would probably mix it up well with the RL-15 and use it. It would be no different than a duplex load. If you started low and worked the load up again as you should I think you'd be safe.

But... You take ALL responsibility for what you choose to do.

 

[Swampman]

When I start out with any powder that's new to me, I normally buy a one pound can to test it out and see if I like it. If I decide to buy more, I get it in 4, 5 or 8 pound caddys. Whenever I empty the original 1 pound container, I transfer powder from my bulk container to the smaller one and write the new lot number on a piece of post-it note taped over the old lot number.
The smaller containers are much easier to handle and pour from than the large ones and the less powder I have out of the magazine at one time, the safer I feel.
We're all human and we all make mistakes, try to keep them as small as possible.

I'm just making an observation, not a suggestion, but due to the large difference in kernel length, RL15 and IMR 4895 are pretty easy to distinguish visually.
Swampman