Old powder

AWS

AWS

Custom Accessory Maker & Retired PM Staff
I bought some bulk powder around 1978, you could buy it by the pound scooped out of a big drum at the local dealer. It was AA-3100 or it's equivalent. I put it in an old coco can and hauled it around for nearly fifty years about six months ago I put it on the shelf and smelled it to make sure it was still good and it was. Tonight I picked up the can and it crumbled in my hand. Powder was all over the floor and it really burned the inside of my nostrils. I'm surprised how fast it went bad, it hadn't lost its kernel shape but was a dull black with red dust which might have been from the metal in the can.

Anyone else have had powder gone bad?

I did have som old 4f BP eat through a can but it was still good and I just repackaged it.
 
Had about a 1/4 Lb of Accurate 4350 go south on me this year nowhere near as old as 1978... the grass is growing very green where I dumped it.
 
I have a 3-pound canister of Hercules reloader powder never been opened. I hate to open it. One day, I guess I should.
 
I think a lot has to do w/storage. When I shot HP competition, I bought H450 8# jugs by the case. Had to hang it up around 97 and had 3 jugs left. By that time Hodgdon had discontinued H450 and no loading data available except from old books. Finally worked up a load for 243WSSM from scratch and started using H450 again. Needless to say didn't make much of a dent in the stash. Store my powder in air conditioned room, so ideal conditions. When I sold off most of my powder, the H450 (even in the open jug) performed as new, smelled and looked the same. Had a number of other powders, some of which were much older and none showed any signs of deterioration. Couple of examples, note price tag on the Hercules can, circa 1950's:
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Kept primers in a 20 mm sealed ammo can in A/C, many of which were from the '90's and a few probably dated back to '50s. Never had any issues w/primers, either.
 
I have an old (metal) can of Winchester 296 that I think is about 50 years old. 3lb can, maybe 5lb. I only used it for 357, and didn't shoot it regularly, so have a lot left. It still smells and looks ok, but last year I decided to buy a new can. Probably should pour the old stuff out on the ground.
 
Some years ago I had made a couple hundred rounds of 6.5 C along with some .308 using 4007SCC. I shot some of the ammo and them stored the rest.

About a year later I pulled some out and found this...



Apparently IMR had a recall and I never saw it... damn fortunate nothing bad happened as they were in a metal military ammo can sealed tight.

Called my brother and told him got to the hunt camp (that's where I stored the .308) and get all the .308 and get rid of it ASAP w/o shooting it. He called and said the entire inside of the can and all the ammo was coated in a black substance and smelled pretty bad.

The ammo was stored inside in a climate controlled setting... the powder simply went bad. It was a great powder and produced some good loads.
 
Was not familiar w/4007 so did a quick search and found this recall in 2015
IMR has received reports that this particular powder in 1-lb and 8-lb containers may have become unstable due to possible rapid deterioration. Use of this product from these lot numbers may result in spontaneous combustion, fire damage or possible serious injury.
Click to expand...
 
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