OLD powder

[rhino210]

I just inherited about 20 pounds of various powders from a relative. They will be anywhere from 10-20 years old and were stored in an unheated garage. They were still capped tight and they all smell fresh?!? (no acidic smell). A search of this forums posts generally show that there should not be a problem with usage as long as there did not appear to be any deterioration. The company websites agree more or less. Am I reading all this correctly or am I trying to sew a hogs ear into a silk purse by trying to be cheep!
Any words of wisdom or caution?

 

[Chumango]

Unheated would not be as much of as issue as un airconditioned. Did the garage get really hot?

If it smells fresh (mild acetone smell) it's probably OK. But you might want to be careful about loading it the first time and check for signs of high pressure (don't load to maximum the first time).

I have some powder that is about 20 years old (Herco), and it is fine.

 

[Winger Ed.]

Go easy with it. Even sealed, some of the Acetone will evaporate.

I figure that each little speck of the old powder has about the same energy in it as when its new, but is now lighter.

However, measuring by weight, you'll get more volume of it than the new for the same charge weight.......... hench, its easy to overcharge a case.

I found this out my using a max. weight of (old) powder that seemed OK in a Springfield M1A that I blew up.

I still use the same powder since I had so much of it, but nowdays- only in reduced cast bullet loads for .308 & .30-30.

..

 

[Steve C]

Load up a half dozen rounds with the appropriate charges using a start load (just like you should all the time with new components) and see how it works. If you have a chrono, so much the better. Don't worry about high pressure, if the powders bad you will squibs or low velocity so bring along something to drive a bullet back out of the barrel, just in case. My guess is it will work just fine.

 

[mec]

These cans of 2400 have been opened for <> 40 years with storage inside in moderate temperatures They did weigh less per volumn than the new alliant 2400 Shown here are loads by volumn with the measure set for alliant powder and by weight to equal the newer powder:

 

[The Bushmaster]

Hey! I have two of those square cans. One open and in use and one still with the seal intact. Your information is for a larger calibre then I am using it for, but running my .357 magnum and a 140 grain SJHP over my chronograph indicated a difference in fps of around 50. the older powder being the slower as your graph indicates. 40 years old huh...Hummm. Wonder if that sealed can has any val...

 

[mec]

somebody would consider it priceless. You can sell anything on e-bay. The guy who had this old powder wanted the cans back after I had done my thing with them. even opened, he considered them worth keeping.

In .357, my results sound a whole lot like you'res . the weight difference is detectible with one of the cans but not the other. It looks like I only compared one of the cans here compensating for the weight difference with one string. Pretty close together:

 

[The Bushmaster]

Your velocities compare with mine and I also use 14 grains +/- 2400 in my Colt SAA .357 magnum ( also 40 years old) using the Remington 140 grain SJHP. My fps range in the lower 1200 fps, but my colt has a 4 3/4" barrel. My Ruger .357 magnum is right there with your readings (it has a 6 1/2" barrel). Good read....

Think I'll keep that other can sealed...For a while anyway.

 

[mec]

good to have the information as multiple cans of this stuff to test are not to be had. Can't know exactly what performance would have been with the powder when it was new but I don't believe there is all that much difference in old vs new 2400.

The old 1960 speer number 3 manual said that they had found and old package of Unique or Laughlin and Rand "Infalable" (same thing) from the 1890s and it performed just like the hercules unique they were manufacturing then. Apparently, Unique didn't change appreciably right up until the time they put the "cleaner burning" lable on the cans. When that happened, I found slight increases of velocity in 45 colt level loads and bigger increases with some of my mid range 44 magnum loads. - a matter of 100+ feet per second . I wound up dropping my colt loads from 8 to 7.5 grains and my mid range magnums from 10 to 9 for about the same velocities.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Looking over your data and my data (which, by the way, match) I'm not too worried about load weight difference. The performance between the two (and I have a new canister of 2400) isn't that durastic. I would just not load maximun loads of the old stuff. Which, for the old Colt, I don't anyway. My favorite load for the Colt is 14.5 grains of 2400 under a 140 grain SJHP (Remington). I load the Ruger up with W-296.

 

[mec]

I've used h110/296 but like 2400 for everyday .357 loads. `14 grains comes right to the base of the generic cast bullets I use and gives low extreme spreads with standard primers. I like to believe it is not as stressful on the gun as some of the old full density 296 loads i got from the older handbooks.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Ah...And you have found my reason for using it in my old Colt .357 magnum...

 

[ATAShooter]

Just hope Ole Uncle Johnny wasn't half blind and kept the Red Dot in the 2400 bottle cause it costed 24.00

 

[KHawk]

You need to treat your old powder just like any new load. Test it with moderate grain loads and work your way up. I just got back into shooting and reloading last spring. I had a pound of unopened Red Dot and an unopened pound of Bullseye that were bought in 1978. The Bullseye is now used up and the Red Dot is still working fine. Note: When I replaced the can of Bullseye the price was a lot higher!!!!!!!!

 

[GaryL]

I just loaded up some 44mag last week with 2400 that was purchased back in the 60's that I recently acquired. Worked great.

 

[artw]

Considering that you inherited this powder, and it needs to be consumed fairly quickly, before time catches up with it, I'd say: pass some of it on to your shooting buddies, with instructions to enjoy it.
If anyone is stricken with an impulse to pay you anything for it, get them to Donate to the shooting sports. And maybe buy you coffee.

 

[Walkalong]

I'm on my last lb. of AA # 2 which is some I bought on sale 15+ years ago. $10 a lb for #2, #5, #7, & #9. I bought some #2, some #5, and some #9. Still have some #9 and just used my last #5.

 

[wheezengeezer]

yes powder will get old but the owner will deteriorate faster than properly stored powder.i have shot 50 year old powder that had shown no sign of deteriation.lot to lot variation can be more than what was shown on the load data of 2400 in the earlier post.some of alliants powders are faster than the hercules production.any full pressure(hot)load should be backed off and worked up when changing lot numbers.even if both powders are new.when buying a quantity ,a keg or matching the lot numbers will make life easier.used powder may or may not be safe.take into consideration how carefull the previous owner was.half a measure of fast handgun ball powder in a can of slow rifle powder after it is shaken will be hard to see.dont let a bargain ruin your day.i too have several cans of old powder,some still sealed.