Whoops

[Hawthorne2k]

I just started reloading this year, and I mis-loaded a bunch of 9mm (I've had a bunch of squib rounds and hangfires with them) and I've identified the source of the problem and corrected for it. I've pulled the bullets from all the mis-loaded rounds and cleaned the powder off the bullets and cases in advance of re-using them for my proper rounds with some rubbing alcohol, and in doing so, gave most of the powder from the mis-loaded cases a pretty good dosing of rubbing alcohol.

My question is, can I re-use the powder, even if it's been dosed in rubbing alcohol?

 

[NCsmitty]

My question is, can I re-use the powder, even if it's been dosed in rubbing alcohol?

Chances are, you're just asking for more problems. 9mm does not require all that much powder to load, so why take a chance.


NCsmitty

 

[bullseye308]

Just curious why you used alcohol.

 

[bobelk99]

Don't reuse the powder. While it is not 'dangerous', the results are unpredictable.

 

[Walkalong]

Yep. You don't know what the burn characteristics are now. Chuck it. I have played with powder and solvents, and it will still burn after it dries, but I have never tried to load any of it.

 

[JimKirk]

How did you manage to get Alcohol in the powder? Where you cleaning the bullets before you pulled them? I'm just baffled? Please explain if you will.

Dump the powder in the flower bed!

Jimmy K

 

[Mal H]

Whoops? Whoops?!

There's no Whoops in reloading!!



First of all what is a "bunch", and which powder did you use?

I have to agree with the others that you shouldn't use the alcohol wetted powder. If you want to try a single light load to see what happens, I could understand that, but to blindly use it in a "bunch" of full load rounds is asking for trouble.

If it had been water, and the powder dried completely without clumping the powder then I would say use it. The powder companies actually store powder in water for extended time periods, but they know exactly what they are doing and how to dry it out properly.

Lesson learned - right? There's no need to use any wetting agent on bullets and cases (and maybe primers), just tap the powder out or use a dry brush if necessary.

 

[oldreloader]

just for curiosity's sake, What was the problem??

 

[Oyeboten]

Well...Alcohol m-i-g-h-t have effected some aspect of the molecular chemical arrangement which governs burn rate.

Hence, the admonishion of there being possibly an unpredictable condition now for any Smokeless Powder which has been exposed to Alcohol.

So, one would be obliged to say, on principle, that the best thing to do is toss any suspect Powder, and, use fresh supplies.

If you had dumped the once dried Alcohol exposed Powder back into the Can, and the Can still has quite a bit of fresh Powder in it...probably just shake well and distribute it well, and no one would ever know the difference.

But, if you had kept the exposed Powder seperate, I'd say toss it, and play it safe...otherwise, who knows, might be a bunch of duds, underpowered, poor ignition or uneven burning, inconsistent results, some too 'hot', stuff like that. Might not be, but could be. I have no idea which way Alcohol could effect the burn rate, or how evenly all the exposed Powder was saturated or dampened.

Your time would be better spent aspiring to certainty in results in every detail being meticulous and as right as possible, as ethos, rather than being tempted by any compromise.


The Alcohol exposed Powder has been ( at least theoretically ) compromised.



Or, use it to load 'test' Rounds, and mark them so...see what they do!

Start low, work up...chrono them.

Then, load same exact Loadings of fresh Powder, chrono them, and compare...keep a Chart.

Who knows? But if you do want to use the exposed powder, being 'Scientific' is always the best excuse.

I Love Science...it gives one permission for just about anything.

Lol...





And true!