Inherited Powder

[film495]

These cans of powder were in my Dad's basement. The one on the left says September of 1980 as 09/80 on the back of it. A couple of the other cans say 2002 or 2004. I suspect a few of them are 40ish years old as well. The price is marked as $7.95 .. the one from 2004 is marked $17.95 - not an exact science, but indicates probably pretty old.

So -
1. Is any of this usable? I think all the cans are opened/partially used, and I have no experience or knowledge of the cans at all, other than they were my Dad's and he did some reloading.
2. If not usable, what do you do with the powder? I might keep the old tins, but how do you dispose of gunpowder?

 

[berettaprofessor]

Smell it and examine it. Any smell of ammonia or rust-like dust, get rid of it. The Winchester 231 and 4227 look like today’s bottles so probably ok.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

You can spread it on the yard as fertilizer if you opt to get rid of it. I don't tend to mess with old/questionable powders as the unknowns aren't worth the time to me.

 

[Obturation]

This comes up fairly regularly, I recommend just dumping it out. It's probably ok but you never know and can't be sure something else wasn't mixed in ect. Just not worth it to me. I won't even take a fresh half pound from a friend who can verify its contents and age, that's just me though. Sealed container from known source when I get it, I'm fine with that.

 

[dcloco]

Sprinkle in the yard and water. Superb fertilizer.

As Ohen Capel points out, why chance it?

 

[mljdeckard]

Might be fine. Powder lasts decades if stored correctly. Like they suggested, look at it and make sure it isn't discolored etc.

Here's the problem. My old man. To clarify, my dad didn't reload. He always WANTED to, and a few years before he died, he had me find a used/good condition RCBS full setup. He never set it up, when he died, I inherited it and I'm still using most of it.

The PROBLEM is, what else I found when he died. Two rifles in the gun locker were loaded. There were many boxes of rifle ammo throughout the house that were missing five rounds. (He would use five rounds for a hunting season, forget where he put the box, and buy another one the next year.) Lots of mixed boxes. Loose rounds everywhere. Now, a man can handle his stuff however he wants to. And sloppy or disorganized doesn't necessarily equal unsafe. Just because it didn't make a lot of sense to ME, doesn't mean that it didn't make sense to HIM. But at the same time, I don't think it's it a good idea for me to assume that everything he had and touched was still it its original packaging or condition. If I had run across a few half-used cans of powder....I would take them out to the desert and have a bonfire.

 

[film495]

where do you just dump it out? can you dig a hole and put it in the dirt? does it become inert?

I'll probable save the old metal tins, just cause they are old metal tins. it is like 20is bucks for a pound of current 231, so think I'll just get some fresh. Is that good for .38 Special out of a 4" barrel?

 

[edwardware]

Sniff test: acetone/thinner is good, ammonia is bad.

I've used powder from cans labeled in the 70s. It's probably good.

 

[243winxb]

Metal cans will have red dust if bad, or its maybe rust dust from the metal. I shot some IMR 4198 that contained red dust. Shot ok. Some 4831 did not produce good groups when tried. Some IMR 4895 ate thru the metal can. Powder looked ok, but didnt load it. Two other cans of IMR 4895 had no signs of a problem.

When in doubt, throw it out.

 

[film495]

Now that I think of it, I'll probably just sniff test it - and if not obviously bad - I'll hang onto it. If not put into current use it will go into the SHTF, hope you never need it, insurance/supply area of stuff I accumulate because you never know.

 

[Pivot Dr]

I’m still loading WWII surplus H-4831, it is as good as when I bought it in 1973. It’s actually 1942 production. Been sealed in a square galvanized powder canister except for digging out a few pounds at a time over the years. Just got some out the other day, sadly it’s about gone. It was a full 50# but dad and I used to shoot some! Still smells of the solvent like it did when I bought it in ‘73.

 

[748]

I use unique from the 1980s, it was factory sealed and works great.

 

[fpgt72]

IMHO it is just flat stupid to use chemicals.....any chemical compound past its date....don't know the date....let me tell you about this internetz thingy....you can actually contact people that really made the stuff and not some dolt on a forum.

****so much for my new years resolution****

If you are so hurting for money that you can't afford the $40 for a can of new perhaps you should look at a new hobby.

What does using old stuff do for you?

But hay if you are game for this....I bet dad had some out of date meds laying around.....hang on to those you never know when you might need something and you are going to save money if you ever need something like what you got from his old back cabinets.

 

[kerreckt]

Smell it and examine it. Any smell of ammonia or rust-like dust, get rid of it. The Winchester 231 and 4227 look like today’s bottles so probably ok.

I agree 100%. I have used many lbs. of "old powder". Followed the above rules and common sense i.e, if anything looks iffy get rid of it, and never any problem. Best wishes to all!

 

[748]

I use 30 year old powder because it was cheap as hell. Guess it's not in demand because of the paranoia on the subject.

 

[FROGO207]

IF you are going to dispose of any just sprinkle it on your lawn like fertilizer. Me, I also use the older propellants if they pass the sniff and sight tests but you need to decide what you want to do. If you do want to keep them check them at least two times a year for deterioration. Also I would use them up before they did have a chance of going bad and not store them for whenever type emergency. Basically rotate your stock.

 

[lightman]

I probably would just pour it out, partly because I'm not hurting for powder. A half dozen partial cans of powder will not make an appreciable difference I'm my inventory.

It seems to me that there are 2 problems using other peoples open cans of powder. One if making sure that its what the can says it is. The other is making sure it has not deteriorated.

I have all of those powders so the first thing I would do is to pour out a small sample of each and visually compare it to another known sample. I use a couple of shallow glass dishes like those used in chemical labs. I forget their name. (Petty dish???) A jar lid would serve the same purpose. Visually compare the two, maybe even using a magnifying glass.

Next, I would look for the signs that the others have mentioned. Acidic smell, rust, clumpy lumps, ect.

Stored properly, powder has a long shelf life and those cans in the pictures don't look bad. Good Luck with your decision.

 

[doubleh]

I'm still slowly shooting up some WW 230 that I bought just before it became obsolete which was sometime in the '70's I believe. It's in it's original container, looks and smells good, and shoots as well as ever. If you trust your dad not to have mixed powders and it passes the look and smell test I would shoot it up.

 

[mdi]

Sniff test: acetone/thinner is good, ammonia is bad.

I've used powder from cans labeled in the 70s. It's probably good.

Me too. K.I.S.S. If the bottles have been opened, sniff test 'em. Is still sealed as new, use it.

But I read a post from a plant guy (farmer/florist?) that gunpowder for fertilizer is a fallacy/old wive's tale. He stated it probably got started because of the nitrogen content of gun powder and can and often does "burn" growing plants. I can't comment as I have only have two ways to get rid of powder; one is to flush it down the toilet and the other is to burn it in small brass containers in a controlled environment...

 

[TimRB]

Now that I think of it, I'll probably just sniff test it - and if not obviously bad - I'll hang onto it. If not put into current use it will go into the SHTF, hope you never need it, insurance/supply area of stuff I accumulate because you never know.

If you do that, then someday your son will have to ask what to do with it. Just pitch it in any of the ways already mentioned.

Tim

 

[Texas10mm]

I'm always confused with the using powder as fertilizer. It doesn't dissolve in water, so exactly how does it work?

 

[alsaqr]

"Texas10mm, post: 11334611, member: 251219"]I'm always confused with the using powder as fertilizer."

Yep, me too.

"It doesn't dissolve in water, so exactly how does it work?"

It don't work very well. Smokeless powder does not dissolve in the earth like black powder does. i've worked several environmental cleanup jobs that where the ground was contaminated with artillery propellant. Sone of that propellant had been lying on the ground for 40 years, it still burned briskly when lit with a lighter.

i threw a monkey wrench into a cleanup operation where the scope of work failed to address the tons of propellant spread over about ten acres of ground. The contract was modified, the entire area was excavated to a depth of one foot and soil ran through an incinerator.

 

[Catpop]

Urban legends about powder? I don’t know.
I do know smokeless burns well, even if fairly slowly.
Black powder on the other hand is really fast burning!

 

[film495]

If you do that, then someday your son will have to ask what to do with it. Just pitch it in any of the ways already mentioned.

Tim

Unless, some SHTF type event calls it into service. someone else asking what to do with it years from now is a great outcome.

 

[Obturation]

I'm always confused with the using powder as fertilizer. It doesn't dissolve in water, so exactly how does it work?

Yeah, people go nuts debating gun powder as fertalizer. I really don't think it's realistic but if someone assumes it does work - Whats that leave you with, a couple lbs of something that may or may not be as effective for growing plants as $2.00 worth of miracle grow...so. not sure where that comes from but it is repeated a lot.

A point to note: if someone feels the need to ask a bunch of internet strangers if a powder is something they should be using, they have answered their own question. You can get new powder, a new face is pricey.