Unlabeled Powder

[highorder]

Further, when I unload live rounds found on the range I always dump the powder in a can. Until recently I had a couple of pounds of this stuff.

Maybe someone had 5 pounds of that in a bucket????

Wow, food for thought...

 

[oneounceload]

If it IS somewhere aorund 40 pounds - in one container that is not the original, you might want to think about what your local fire codes, hazmat laws, and explosives folks might think as well.

Get rid of it - it isn't worth jail, or death for.

 

[Steve Marshall]

4 grains of blank powder could be nasty.

 

[delta5]

Lets see, 5 gallons of unlabeled powder in a bucket? You all know they dont ship it this way, even pulldown surplus powder. Heck, this could be pulldown from a crate of crap surplus ammo from somwhere like India or Pakistan. I had some 7.5 french surplus ammo with arabic markings that i picked up once. I shot a few rounds off and they turned out to be may-pops. The stuff smelled awful and the powder looked like it had camel poo mixed in with it (smelled like it too). I would pitch it...

 

[otblue]

With the exception of EC Blank powder which has never to my knowledge been marketed to the public and apparently looks different to other powders (never seen it so can't personally attest to this) just about all other blank powders are the fastest pistol powders often by another name or military designation.

Norma R-1 was initially a military blank powder (guns.connect.fin) before being marketed as a revolver powder. My old Norma manual lists a 38 Spec load with 158 gn lead bullet with 4.2 grain at under 800 fps. 4 grains of this in a 357 is not going to cause any problem.

Given that really old 30.06 blank cartridges that used EC blank powder only had about 15 gns, then to accumulate 5 gallons of the stuff, you would have to pull nearly 20,000 rounds.

 

[627PCFan]

Im putting 20$ that its IMR 4831. Load a base charge in a cartridge you load, send it to one of the ammo pressure testing companies. See what it comes back with.

Or.........

FWIW, if you put a pile of shotgun powder on the ground and light it, and a pile of rifle powder on the ground and light it, you can tell the difference between the two........

 

[snuffy]

What does it look like?

I could make a guess if I could get a look at it. Is it ball, stick,(extruded), or some sort of flake? What color?

Being as how he found this among shotshell loading equipment, it's a safe bet it's shotshell powder. Therefore it's probably a flake powder. You'd be safe starting at 2 -3 grains behind a 158 in a strong .357 revolver to see what happens. I'd try it, but some say I'm crazy!?

 

[USSR]

Is it ball, stick,(extruded), or some sort of flake? What color?

Need some more info, rmc25, if we are to help you.

Don

 

[thales]

My mother was a Registered Nurse. She made it very clear that any sort of medicine, paint, solvent, etc., in unlabeled containers was to be considered hazardous waste and discarded immediately. There are lots of good reasons for that.

The powder you have is not expensive fertilizer; you got it for free. It's free fertilizer.

It could turn out to be expensive, though, if you actually try to use it.

 

[627PCFan]

Risk Vs Reward. Whatchya gonna do? Pics please-

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Wait until the 4th of July, put about 3 gallons in a pile and spread the other 2 gallons like a fuse. Light it up and watch the fun...

 

[delta5]

Post 34 is the best advice i have heard all week...

 

[Jerry M]

Dump it! It did not cost you a thing!!!

 

[Sport45]

Where'd rmc25 go, anyway? He posted a question and as far as we know he's never been back to see the opinions we've posted.

 

[snuffy]

Where'd rmc25 go, anyway? He posted a question and as far as we know he's never been back to see the opinions we've posted.

Well, it wasn't HIS powder, he was asking for a buddy. But feedback is always appreciated!