expiry on powder and primers?

[waderow]

I have a pound of unopened IMR 4350, and one opened. Also an unopened pound of IMR 4831 and one opened.
I also have a brick of large rifle primers

These have been in a rubber maid in an unheated garage for 10 years.

Is it garbage?

 

[RobSmith]

Only one way to find you, load up a few rounds and watch the velocities.

 

[sunray]

Primers should be fine. The powder might be. If, when you open a can, it smells of ammonia, it has deteriorated.

 

[blacksmithden]

I loaded up 100 CCI primers from the early 60's about a year ago and there wasn't a dud in the bunch. They were in an unheated garage for at least 4 years, and probably a lot longer than that. I bought them from the widow of the gentleman who reloaded. Go with what Sunray said on the powder. If it smells off, or has a funky colour, don't bother.

 

[waderow]

thanks guys

 

[liberal-hater]

Cold does not hurt powder or primers at all.

Extreme humidity, dampness, and long term high temperatures do. Store dry and at 70 degrees or less, and they will have unlimited shelf life.

I'm sure your stash will be 100% good.

 

[blaser.306]

My powder and primers expire at the same time , about whenI pull the trigger! As long as no rancid "acetone " or thinner smell you should be good to go ! And If your like the rest of us get rid of it in a series of small explosions!!!

 

[bedrock]

I have a friend in his 70's who is shooting his last 8 lb keg of H4831 that he bought in
Calgary in the early 60's and he was told then it was WWII surplus. By the way he paid
50 cents a pound for it if he bought it in an 8 lb keg and it was $1.00 if he bought it by
the pound.

 

[H4831]

I have a friend in his 70's who is shooting his last 8 lb keg of H4831 that he bought in
Calgary in the early 60's and he was told then it was WWII surplus. By the way he paid
50 cents a pound for it if he bought it in an 8 lb keg and it was $1.00 if he bought it by
the pound.

You bring back memories. Yes, I have used lots of that stuff. We used to group buy it in 50 pound kegs for just over $20. in the early 60s. Yes, it is WW2 surplus. But, here is a little known fact. After WW1 the Americans had huge amounts of powder left over. They got it into monstrous sized solid masses and sunk it in water. They revived it in WW2 and used it. Thus, it is possible that our old surplus H4831 may have come from WW1!
I will throw in something else here about wartime explosives, while I am at it. Mercury is used in making explosives, like bombs. The entire supply of mercury for all the allied forces in WW2, came from a mine in northern BC. If anyone wants to know, I will give particulars.
I still have some of the war surplus H4831 and won't hesitate to use it. I don't have a chronograph now, so waiting to test it until I can chrono it.

 

[waderow]

haha cool...

 

[bedrock]

He bought 4 - 8 lb kegs at that time and is now on his last one. Most of those 32 lbs
have been shot thru his .270 Husky. He's killed 48 or 49 moose with that gun and I
doubt anymore than 2 or 3 needed a second shot. Nowadays these kids believe that
unless you shoot a 505 KillsAll Magnum you can't kill ####. I saw him kill one a 600 yds.
He said he was going to shoot it right between the eyes and the other guy with us said
no way. Anyway one shot and it went straight down stone dead. We drove up to it and
the bullet was about an inch right of centre, my friend looked at it and said f**k, I
pulled. The other guy just called him a bunch of names and shook his head.

 

[hk33ka1]

I've been using 70's-80's Winchester Western Primers that were on a shelf for almost 20 years in a basement that flooded several times. They all look and fire fine.

Also have been firing old CIL primers of unkown storage that are older than me with no probems.

Recently had a friend tell me he is gonna start reloading again, but wants to throw out all the old powder and primers, so he can have fresh reliable stuff for hunting. These components are from the 2000's. Needless to say I am going to make an offer or trade for these "expired" components.

 

[tim3500]

I just threw out 1 lb of 4831 due to a load density problem seems like i couldnt get the complete charge in the case and i wasnt at max it was 12 years old dont have a explanation for it other than it dried out but it was in a sealed container that had maybe 30 loads from it 12 year old primers A1 no problems but the smell thing that was mensioned now thats a good point to check

 

[C Broad Arrow]

You bring back memories. Yes, I have used lots of that stuff. We used to group buy it in 50 pound kegs for just over $20. in the early 60s. Yes, it is WW2 surplus. But, here is a little known fact. After WW1 the Americans had huge amounts of powder left over. They got it into monstrous sized solid masses and sunk it in water. They revived it in WW2 and used it. Thus, it is possible that our old surplus H4831 may have come from WW1!
I will throw in something else here about wartime explosives, while I am at it. Mercury is used in making explosives, like bombs. The entire supply of mercury for all the allied forces in WW2, came from a mine in northern BC. If anyone wants to know, I will give particulars.
I still have some of the war surplus H4831 and won't hesitate to use it. I don't have a chronograph now, so waiting to test it until I can chrono it.

I would be interested in the info. I pass through Nobel Ontario on my way to the deer camp. At one time there were over 5000 people employed in the factory making explosives. Its all gone now with the exception of some concrete forms. All that remains is a few houses a gas station, and a Tim Horton's...

Nobel Ontario made huge contribution during WWII.

 

[gpracer]

I just put a full pound of discontinued W680 through my SKS's with VMAX bullets, that powder was at least 30 years old, worked great! Wish I could find more of the stuff!

 

[Garand]

Single base propellant is manufactured using a ether and alcohol mixture, Double based propellant is manufactured using acetone, in ball propellant the nitrocellulose is agitated with a ethyl acetate solvent. All propellants start to "off gas" from DAY 1. If propellant is kept in a sealed container for long periods of time the will obviously be a larger amount of "off gas" when it is opened. If your propellant is stored in a cool dry place, it should be serviceable for 50 plus years.

During my career, I had the opportunity to carry out propellant serviceability tests on samples that encompassed numerous tons of artillery, tank, etc propellant and even after 20 years in storage it had deteriorated minimally. For years the CF used what was known as the Abel Heat test to maintain the serviceability of its propellant, which has now been superceeded with new technology. Moisture testing is also carried out, to determine if the propellant is excessively dry and dusty or gives appearance of being damp.

 

[Tex Critter]

I just put a full pound of discontinued W680 through my SKS's with VMAX bullets, that powder was at least 30 years old, worked great! Wish I could find more of the stuff!

I think I have some of that. Will check when I get back home on Friday if you want to deal give me a shout.

Tex.

 

[H4831]

I would be interested in the info. I pass through Nobel Ontario on my way to the deer camp. At one time there were over 5000 people employed in the factory making explosives. Its all gone now with the exception of some concrete forms. All that remains is a few houses a gas station, and a Tim Horton's...

Nobel Ontario made huge contribution during WWII.

The mercury mine was located on the north shore of Pinchi Lake, a hundred plus miles north west of Prince George, about fifteen miles north of Fort St. James.
I knew men who had been key workers in teh mine during wartime. A standard container of mercury is a steel sylinder, with 96 pounds of mercury in it. These containers were flown to Prince George in bush type aircraft, abut a ton of them at a time. From there they were distributed to munitions manufacturers for the allied forces, in many areas and countries. I imagine much of it found its way to Nobel, Ontario. It has often been in print that this was the major supplier of mercury for the alied war effort.
Google Pinchi Lake mercury mine/ wartime, etc, and you get tons of info, but most of it is on the geological part, and lake contamination.
Here is a bit.

ABSTRACT- Pinchi Lake Mine produced metallic Hg from 1940 to 1944 (wartime operation) and again from 1968 to 1975 (modern operation). Hg contaminated tailings (subsurface calcines) were deposited in the lake foreshore during wartime operation and later dispersed throughout the lake by wind-driven currents. In 2001 a modified sediment quality triad was conducted to examine ecological impacts of Hg contaminated subsurface calcines and bioaccumulation by chironomids. Fourteen stations were sampled for total metals, toxicity (Hyalella #####a and Chironomus tentans) and benthic--------

When I saw it in the 1950s it was just a huge abandoned building on the lakeshore, with the rock all cut up around it, where the ore (cinnabar) had been mined.