old powder can; Sharpshooter Smokeless powder for ues in black pwder rifles

[the_worst_name]

Hello, I have a powder can that I was wondering if You coulf tell me alittle bit about. I have tried to reserch it on the internet, but couldnt find anything.

on the front it says
"Sharpshooter rifle smokeless", and then "du pont"

on the back it says

" Sharpshooter Smokeless powder for ues in black pwder rifles" and then it gives you a list of cariges and how much powder to ues

Cartidge grains by weight
.22/15/60 stevens 5
.22 Win. S.S. 5.7
.25/20 win & stevens S.S. 9
.25/20 mar & win repeter 6.3
.25/20 Stevens 9
.32 win Automatic 8
.32/20 W.C.F. 10.5
.35 Win Automatic 11.6
.38/40 WC.F. high velocity 19
.38.55 Hight Velocity 20
.30/70 Win & Mar. 19.5
.44/40 W.C.F. high velocity 19
.45/70 U.S.A. Rehular 20
.50/110 win high velocity 47
.50/110 win regular 28
----------------------------------------
E. I. Du pont DE nemours powder company
established 1802 Wilmington, del. usa

On one side it says

"E. I. Du Pont De Nemours powder company manufactures smokeless powder for all kinds of shotguns, rifle, and revolvers."

on the other side it says

" This powder is not affected by climatic conditions and is guaranteed to give as good results at the expirations of sevral years as it did the day it was packed"

this can is about half to 3/4 full, I looked at the powder and all the grains have a hole in the center.

I just wanted to know how old this is, and if it is worthanything?

Thanks

 

[Curator]

Great stuff for loading black powder cartridges (only, not muzzle loaders!) as a replacment for Black. Roughly similar to SR4759 or Alliant 2400. I had a 6 pound keg of this stuff for serveral years (bought it at a yard sale) Follow the recommended loading any you won't get into trouble as long as it smells fresh and hasn't started to deteriorate.

 

[scrat]

Looks kinda like trail boss cherrios

 

[arcticap]

On the American Longrifles forum a known powder expert named Mad Monk stated:

For a number of years Hodgdon Powder had tried to find a source for something akin to the old bulk smokeless that had been made by du Pont. When Hodgdon acquired the IMR production facility this gave them access to all of the powders du Pont ever made and the ability to make them themselves.

Hodgdon now also owns Goex which makes black powder.

 

[bonza]

Sharpshooter (#1), introduced 1897, discontinued 1940's. As your can shows the .35 Winchester Auto cartridge on the back, which came out in 1905, it could be no older than that.

 

[Smokin_Gun]

Cool can, cool post ... That Dupont I would guess would equate present substitute powders like 777 ect. I have seen people speak of in forums as the old substitute powders.
Hang on to that can!

 

[.45Guy]

Interesting, I had a box of Peters .35WSL loaded with something looking suspiciously like that.

 

[Jim Watson]

That Dupont I would guess would equate present substitute powders like 777 ect.

No.
Sharpshooter is strictly a smokeless powder, no relation to the current crop of fakes. It is a double base and contains 40% nitroglycerine, comparable to Bullseye, just granulated coarser for slower burning. Phil Sharpe rated it as very flexible in application, but very erosive to gun barrels. Ned Roberts said it gave short barrel life, but Ken Waters liked it. Maybe he shot the later production powder that Sharpe said was formulated a bit differently.

 

[w30wcf]

Your can dates between 1905 and 1913. I have some "Sharpshooter" and use it mostly in the .22 W.C.F. & .44-40. It's still working great almost a century later

w30wcf

 

[goon]

So much for worrying about how long my reloading components will store for...