Using Older Gun Powder? It's Fine...Provided...
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- Опубліковано 26 лип 2024
- You've probably seen those older canisters of smokeless powder at a gun show, estate sale or store and walked right by them thinking that they were nothing but a problem waiting to happen. The Redneck Preppy says you may have walked past an opportunity to save some money on powder. How can you tell if a container of powder is good to use? The Preppy answers that question for you today.
0:06 Introduction
1:25 How to Check Gun Powder
4:27 Proper Storage of Gun Powder
6:19 Conclusion
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#gunpowder #smokelesspowder #reloading - Розваги
I also have some 40 year old powders that work just fine. I always stored them properly and have had no issues with them. Some of the cans still have the $4 or $5 price tags. Ah, the good old days.
I’m using quite a bit of powder bought in the late 80s when I started reloading. It’s still as good as the new powder.
I wish I had that much powder that it would last me that long, ha ha. Nice!
I'm same way, 1990 bought s
A lot of 8 lb kegs of 700x, herco, ect, from an old guy selling all his loading stuff, 10000 shot gun primers hulls and wads of all sizes.
Still using it in shot guns and pistols, chronograph say all good.😊
Thank you. This is very timely, I was running short of various powder and came across an old batch of IMR 4064 and 4831, checked for rust and smell, turned out that my storage was good and all should be fine, I sure wish we could get powder today for the 70-80s pricing???Thanks again.
I'd be happy if we could get powder for 2021 prices, ha ha.
I've found that if dust comes off of it when you pour it, it not very good, still goes bang but velocity drops
I bought 50 lbs of older powder for $70 from an estate sale three years ago. A bunch of different kinds. All have worked fine so far.
Lord almighty, ha ha
If you do need to dispose of smokeless powder use it as fertilizer. It works great.
I agree and use old powder that passes the test. I will often work up my loads as if it was an all new powder just to be safe but that my process.
Think about it this way, there is ammo that is from the beginning of the cartridge era that is still good to shoot. Probably worth way more as a collector item but I have fire some old stuff with no issues with far older powder inside than most "old stuff" found today.
All true!
Thank you for that information. I have a couple pounds of old powder that was given to me by an old friend. He is/was a long time reloader and now I will be able to confirm the quality of the powder.
Even WW2 ammo shoots old ammo may vary more.
Great video! May i add a couple FYIs and tips? Single base powders (only nitrocellulose) are going to be more inherently stable over long term. Double base powders have volatile nitro esters incorporated and will have a stabilizer such as di-phenylurea, Ethyl-centralite, di-phenylamine added. Their purpose is to grab onto any nitrogen dioxide free radicals that are generated from break down, which is usually going to be caused by excessive heat or contact with acid or bases. Any acrid odor or reddish vapor are NO2 and clear signs of break down. If one is in doubt, take a few grams of the powder, mix it with distilled water and wait for the powder to fall to the bottom and then check the water pH with papers or a pH meter; it should be neutral or near 7.0 If its acidic it is breaking down. If smokeless powder just gets wet or damp from humidity, it can he removed using silica gel dessicant in a sealed container.
Awesome stuff, thanks for the information!
I'm still using WW 2 surplus I bought from Lolo Sporting Goods in the '70s!
That's awesome -- nothing more authentic than making ammunition for milsurps from powder that is milsurp itself :-)
I know that spot, i live in lewiston
@@charlessarbacher2464 I stopped there year before last;it ain't like it used to be,sad!
Yeah shelves going bare
The wonders of modern chemistry...
And the longevity of some of it!!
I have a cardboard containers of 8 pound cans from yesteryear. It works like new. Just make sure it’s not contaminated or deteriorating like you said. Good video. I had a one pound container I saw clumping. It had a copper bullet someone pulled and left in it. I tossed it out.
Great advise. I have some 20 year old powders that are kept sealed and dry. Never an issue
But I was promised something about fishing, I didn't see any fish
And always have a source for vintage reloading manuals, they are invaluable for milsurp loading
@@AthensAtWork I haven't even finished *that* video :-)
I've had new/sealed cans only 12 years old go bad too. No idea why.
I’ve been using 4831 from military surplus that I bought in the 60s. It’s in a 50 pound keg. Still has perfectly normal fps in my 300 weatherbyand o-6. Good powder.
Some notes: Never throw away good loading data just because it’s old, you might score some obsolete but perfectly fine powder and if you have data contemporary with it, you’ll have a good starting point.
Double-Base powders contain a small amount of n. glycerin which is a volatile compound (it wants to evaporate), if not contained carefully.
Stay away from the really old “stick” type n. Cellulose/guncotton propellants that looks like long, thin noodles. Even if you think you have applicable data, it’s dangerously unpredictable stuff.
I was given 1lb of ancient but well-kept bullseye that was almost tossed. Very happily loaded thousands of consistent pistol rounds out of it over a further span of years.
Primers also deserve the same considerations we are giving powder here, excepting, knowing whether or not they’re corrosive.
All excellent points!
Nice collectable cans. I have all my old cans once I used it all up. I would also add that if I came across some older powders, that I would start to reload at less than full loads and see what the outcome is in a firearm that is not near and dear to my heart.
I was given a 1/2 pound of Alcan 7. I do not know exactly how old it is, but the price tag says $3.49! I have some origanal load data and it works fine in my .38 Special hand loads.
I once contacted Hogdon about some old powder that had a different color than what I was accustomed to and they assured me it was OK and that they were using powder from WW2 . I still have powder purchased in the 70's that is in good condition .
I don't reload but I shoot cap and ball and have had no problem with 50 year old powder that I was given by an antique shop that got it with old guns that they bought .
I have some older IMR 4350 that has a rusty look. The can doesn't look rusted and there is no foul smell. Should I chuck it?
I'm a better safe than sorry guy. That said, if you loaded a few rounds and chronographed them, and all goes well, it could indicate that the powder is still good.
But like I said, I'm better safe than sorry.
I've been reloading for 45years and never had problems with any old powder or primers properly stored. a friend a few years back gave me a brick of open 22lr. I found it sold to army 1955 to 1957.still good. I've shot surplus military ammunition 60 to 85 tears old properly kept shot as good as the day it was made. proper storage the key. I also reload primers with great success but a very slow process. Papa wishing you well 😊
Thank you sir and enjoy your day!
The only trouble with old reloading components I've had was with some primers. They were PMC GREEN. Full brick of them bought at a gun show. They would "fire" but not hot enough to ignite the powder charge causing squibs. A little Google research revealed that they are crap primers and went into the burn barrel.
I’m pretty sure those PMC Green primers are lead free and don’t contain lead styphnate. Instead I believe they contain DDNP (Diazodinitrophenol) Guessing they don’t last like good ol lead salts.
@@jamesavery6015primers containing DDNP (Dinol) are usually SINOXID, this was used for many years by RWS in their Geco ammo and for percussion primers. It's a great priming compound but can be deactivated by humidity
Orbif its 20 years old
I did buy a few cans of opened gunpowder during covid and have been reluctant to use it. If I do I will likely test fire it remotely in a old, but supertight mauser 98 action to be sure. I would only use it if there was nothing else and I needed ammo for self defense. Otherwise I will not touch those cans.
It is just not worth the risk, because if opened, and one can not be sure what is really in that container. Unopened, the various tests that you mentioned would be sufficient.
If the powder smell like ether then its most likely ok if it smells acidic burn it off somewhere I just used primers that was over 40 years old and they worked fine
The same is true with new powder -- if you are using a numbered powder, make sure you're using data for the right one. 4350 has been around since the early 1980s, at least. IMR, Hodgdon, and Accurate all sell 4350 powders today, and they are similar, but not the same. There is Hodgdon H4985 and IMR 4895.
I think Hodgdon bought out IMR at some point this century, I know Hercules was bought out at some point. Is it safe to use Aliiant data for your old Hercules powder? Are they the same, or only mostly the same?
IMR 4350 came about in 1940
@@cabinetmunch Whoa!
The forbidden pepper... shake well before use!
It's a spicy pepper too!
You'll know when gun powder has gone bad. Had several cans of IMR-4831 I bought in the late 90s. Opened them around 2010. Whew! Sulphur odor was pungent.
Nitrogen dioxide gas
I had rust contaminated powder. I rolled the powder around in a plastic container. All the rust stuck to the container, the powder was clean.
I have to admit that you're braver than I am. As long as it worked out for you!
? why not use a magnet to collect the rust ?
@@TimDrake-vn3wo I didn't have one but I had a plastic container.
@jordangouveia1863 the plastic and the rust develops opposite charges and attraction but it is dangerous to use static electricity to separate impurities from gun powder , I'm glad nothing loud happened .
@@TimDrake-vn3wo Me too!! :) Smokeless powder burns and flares when not confided in a gun barrel. Had a spark ignited the powder it would have produced a flare but not much noise. I kicked the container around outside on the driveway. Not much would have happened if there was an accident. Just a lump of melted plastic.
Thanks for your concern!
I hope it's a mistake. All I have is old, old powder.
Boomer old or Gen X old? :-)
@@TheRedneckPreppy Boomer. I recently finished off an old can of Unique I bought in the 80s. Now I'm starting on an equally old spare can. I also have some surplus ammo from WWII still new in the wooden crate and metal ammo cans.
@@Paladin1873 That's a nice treasure trove you have.