i have some 15+ year old bullseye powder, still good?

[cajun47]

i had the annerversity kit and loaded a few 9mm 15+ years ago. i still have 4 or 5 pounds of powder. i want to load for my new s&w .44 mag. the powder burns. is it still safe to use in a .44 mag round?

also, do i need to buy large mag pistol primers or large pistol primers?

 

[Jim Watson]

Smokeless gunpowder is very stable. If it was stored inside, it will be fine. If it were in a hot or damp location, check the appearance and smell as recommended in manuals and maker's literature.

Do be careful loading .44 magnum with Bullseye. Bullseye is a very fast burning powder meant for target loads and not well suited to full charge magnums. The data is available, but don't load hot and don't risk a double charge. The only gun ever blown up on the range here was a .357 loaded with Bullseye that probably got a double dose.

Standard primers.

 

[kludge]

Mines gettin' close to that... and it still works.

Take a wiff... if it smells acidic it might not be.

 

[zxcvbob]

Why wouldn't it be good? But to test it, see what it smells like. If it smells sour, it's probably bad*. If it smells mildly of solvent (acetone?), it's good. If it doesn't smell like anything, it should be good.

Regular large pistol primer will probably work better than LPM's.

*there are some triple-based rifle powders that normally smell sour, but that's a weird special case.

 

[nitesite]

I wouldn't use Bullseye for .44 Magnum, but it would be very suitable for other cartridges.

If your powder was kept in a cool, dry and controlled environment (such as inside you home) then it is still good.

As for your primer question...

.44 S&W Magnum requires only a standard large pistol primer for most suggested powders and usually does not need to be magnum rated.

I would pony up for some powder that is better for .44 magnum loads.

 

[cajun47]

"I would pony up for some powder that is better for .44 magnum loads."

like what?

 

[Steve Koski]

Bullseye is one of the fastest powders around. You can reload light target/plinking rounds with it in 44 mag, but you can't make full power stompers with BE.

Better powders for full power loads would be Power Pistol, H110, 296, and 2400, etc.

Here's a link to the Alliant powder data.

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/RecipeList.aspx?gauge=&gtypeid=1&title=Pistols and Revolvers

 

[zxcvbob]

According the the reloading data at Alliant, Bullseye is a good powder for less-than-full-power .357 and .44 Magnum loads. The muzzle velocities are about the same as maximum loads of Unique, and the chamber pressures are slightly lower. If I had the Bullseye already, I would use it.

 

[davinci]

pour a teaspoon full on something metal and light it up. if it burns, it's good.

 

[mainebear]

Cajun: I just used some Bullseye that had been opened about 26 years ago. It was stored properly, and worked just fine (did the sniff test first) on a bunch of plinking rounds. Being a frugal sort of guy it made me very very happy! have Fun!

 

[Bula]

like what?

My favorite mild to medium powder is Unique. Bullseye may be ok for light (ie 200 gr or less) loads at very mild to moderate velocities.

 

[Slamfire]

I have been able to get Hercules powder at estate sales. I have no idea how old they are, but they are in 1/2 pound tin cans. And I have shot that stuff up, including Bullseye, and they work great.

As for better powders. In a 44 magnum, 8.5 grains Unique with a 240 L will put a bullet out in my M629 at just 1000 fps. I have a very tight M629. If I want more power, a 240 L with 17.5 grains 2400 gives me 1200 fps. And if you want to copy Keith's famous load, 22.0 grains 2400 with a 240, you will be around 1350 fps.

I do not enjoy shooting magnums anymore. Too much recoil and noise.

Bullseye is an outstanding powder in cases like the 9mm, 38 Special, 45 ACP. You get great accuracy at moderate velocities. When you get into something like the magnums, it might be a bit "peaky" at maximum loads.

 

[GaryL]

I have some 40 yr old Bullseye that seems to work just fine. If anything, it's mellowed slightly, like a fine wine.

As others have noted, I've had good luck with 2400 and Unique in 44 mag. I've used Bullseye in 45acp (it doesn't fill the case to my liking), but I won't use it in 44mag - too much case volume.