powder shelf life

cave man

I bought a reloading kit the guy I got it from gave me a 1lb can of bullseye powder I think it is 14 years old is it still good and how can you tell.

bpost

That questions gets asked a lot. Powder, if stored correctly, will outlast your lifetime. If you smell acid or it looks wet, it is bad. An acetone smell is normal. 14 years is no time at all for powder. Unless it was stored in an oven and soaked with water, it will be fine.

cave man

thank you. the powder was still in a sealed can

CHEVELLE427

I HAVE LOADED SOME VERY OLD STUFF

and so far it has all been good

Rocky Raab

Yup. I have a half-dozen kinds of powder on my shelf that haven't even been made for 20+ years. A few are from the 1950s. They're all still good, because they've been stored properly.

codenamepaul

Define properly if you would. I've only been at it a few years (reloading) and powder, generally, doesn't last me very long, but I do store it in an unheated garage. It doesn't get hot in the summer, but it does go ambient in the winter. And I would guess it does see heat/cool cycles as I run a heater to do my reloading in the winter.

How 'bout primers? Same, same?

bpost

quote:Originally posted by codenamepaul
Define properly if you would. I've only been at it a few years (reloading) and powder, generally, doesn't last me very long, but I do store it in an unheated garage. It doesn't get hot in the summer, but it does go ambient in the winter. And I would guess it does see heat/cool cycles as I run a heater to do my reloading in the winter.

How 'bout primers? Same, same?

Powder and primers are best stored in a cool dry stable temperature. Cold it better than hot and dry is better than damp. A basement, with a dehumidifier if needed is great. I am shooting primers in my 6BR from the early 1980's; it still groups around 1/4 inch, I have never had a misfire. Powder will last realistically 50 to 75 years in the proper conditions. There are still lots of old Hodgdon powders out there showing up from time to time. That was WWII stocks. For the most part, if stored well, it still shoots fine.

Rocky Raab

That says it well: cool and dry - and stable. That goes for primers as well.

Heat accelerates almost all chemical reactions, and what causes powder to break down and "go bad" are the reactions between the powder and the residual solvents and acids used to make it. Powder is extensively washed to get rid of as much of those acids and solvents as possible, but they are never completely gone (and that's why a fresh can of powder smells like ether or acetone). The acids are the worst culprit, and single-base powders are the most susceptible to breakdown by acid.

The only can of powder that I've ever had go bad was one I got from a "widow sale" and I have no idea how the dead guy stored it. But it was a can of very old IMR 4227 (so old it was in a red-white can!). When opened, it belched forth a cloud of red dust - a signature of powder gone bad. In extreme instances, powder that has deteriorated that far can self-ignite, so I took that can immediately to my compost pile and spread out the contents there. The high nitrogen content means gunpowder is a great fertilizer!

BTW, double-base powders are highly resistant to breakdown, and spherical powders seem to be completely immune to it, possibly due to the water bath used to make it into spheres. So if you buy powder specifically for long-term storage, be sure it is spherical or at least a double-base type.

XXCross

One partial can of Laughlin and Rand and two cans of "lightning".

Never had a misfire!