How to mix powder lots?

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Potashminer

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Have read several times about mixing in the remains of one lot of powder into another lot of the same powder to make them consistent. I have never tried this. So, I am wondering how is it done? My first concern is that there is apparently a moisture content as part of the "recipe" for a powder, so I suspect that effective mixing must also retain that moisture, while actually blending all the source material together?

So, a practical situation - say that I have 3 one pound containers of Varget - all different lot numbers. I want to mix them up so that I have 3 pounds of a consistent powder. So 3 times 7,000 grains - end up with 21,000 grains - to be metered out eventually as 45 grain loads. Idea, of course, is that any 45 grain load would have equal quantities of each of the three original lots - in theory, I suppose, each 45 grain "load" would contain 15 grains of each of the original lots. How do I mix them together - in or with what? How do I know when they are throughly mixed, so that first couple loads dispensed are same as the last couple loads?

Recent experience is that being able to buy larger quantities of one lot of powder might not be happening any time soon, so how to "mix" various smaller lots of the same powder might be worth knowing how to do?
 
I just mix them together, give the container a good shake and Bob's your uncle. Never had a problem or any pressure signs or much of a change in my load results either. I chronograph just about everything too and have never seen much of a difference.
 
Curious as well.

Steel bowl and mix. Anybody use a milk jug or a windshield washer jug? Or are these plastic containers problematic or cause static buildup or something while mixing that I may not be aware of?

Regards
Ronr
 
RonR said:
Curious as well.

Steel bowl and mix. Anybody use a milk jug or a windshield washer jug? Or are these plastic containers problematic or cause static buildup or something while mixing that I may not be aware of?

Regards
Ronr
Click to expand...

I use a stainless steel bowl as well, It's quite large and will easily hold two 8 pound jugs. You need enough room to be able to stir the powder with a wooden spoon, fairly aggressively.

Usually I fill up one of the original jugs completely, which depending on the powder, will hold almost as much as both containers. At most, I have enough left over to almost fill two one pound containers, which usually have enough space in them for two pounds.

If I want to split it up into smaller quantities, I use Liquid Laundry Detergent jugs. The type that are either dark blue or red and have pour spouts, friction fit into their openings. I like the red or blue simply because they keep light out.

Make sure you properly wash out the detergent before use. Rinse with very hot water and they will air dry completely in 20 minutes.

I like the laundry detergent jugs because they are very strong and won't oxidize/crumble. They're also designed to fit onto a regular shelf.

When transferring the powder from the bowl to the jugs, I use a large soup ladle to scoop it out and a cheap dollar store large plastic funnel in the jug spout, to pour it into the container.

Works well for me.

Stainless steel bowls of large size, are cheap. Usually under $10.

Laundry jugs are FREE at your local laundromat.

Not everyone purchases their powder by the ton, like Ganderite.
 
Ganderite said:
I use a small cement mixer. It will hold 100 pounds.
Click to expand...

A cement mixer ? ...... You are "hardcore."
See what I did there?

But seriously though... this sounds like the right way to do it if a guy has a large quantity to blend and access to a cement mixer that is very clean and not full of residual dried cement.

I've never done it before and I don't have any intention/need of blending any time soon.

But if I ever encounter that opportunity, then I might consider using my Frankford Arsenal SS Rotary Tumbler.
Clean it right out thoroughly, let it dry for a for about 3 days. Might do well for extruded powder.
For more flakier type powders, could maybe use a cylindrical sealed container inside the drum to hold the powder.
 
Im sure he's somewhat Tounge in cheeking that comment for sure.....

Cement mixer..... ok, hes going Large.

Steel bowl an egg whispers....... ok hes doing a normal quantity of mix an match small cartons of powder mix... lol
 
Munkey1973 said:
A cement mixer ? ...... You are "hardcore."
See what I did there?

But seriously though... this sounds like the right way to do it if a guy has a large quantity to blend and access to a cement mixer that is very clean and not full of residual dried cement.

I've never done it before and I don't have any intention/need of blending any time soon.

But if I ever encounter that opportunity, then I might consider using my Frankford Arsenal SS Rotary Tumbler.
Clean it right out thoroughly, let it dry for a for about 3 days. Might do well for extruded powder.
For more flakier type powders, could maybe use a cylindrical sealed container inside the drum to hold the powder.
Click to expand...

I was tongue in cheek. I use the cement mixer for tumbling brass.

I once had to mix several hundred pounds of powder. It had been contaminated with some pistol powder. By mixing it, the contamination was not an issue. I bought a new steel garbage can and used that to mix each batch of powder.
 
In about 45 years of reloading, all I ever did was as Brassman suggests - use up one jug, and open the next. Never worried about "lot numbers" or paid much attention to it. I never seemed to have issues with rounds for deer hunting. But, I now have an acquaintance coaching me for loading up a rifle for longer range "gong" shooting - apparently "mixing powder lots so do not have to re-work up load" is the thing to do. Hence my query about how is that done, to know they are actually mixed, as opposed to just all poured into the same container.
 
Had a pound of H380, found a load for a .308 that was a tack driver. Burned up that pound and bought another. Accuracy was 1 1/2 grains different charge than the first pound. Now if you want to burn up barrel life, bullets and powder to retest to find tune every time you open a new can then fill your boots.

Tested IMR 4831 in a .30 Gibbs. It was "magic pixie dust" with 180 grain bullets. I bought 11 one pound cans of different lots and mixed them when it was damp outside because I didn't want any static. I retested the now homogenous 11 pound lot for the accurate increment and it never changed for the life of the barrel.
I have blended different lots of the same powder many times and put the blend back in the same containers they came from.
 
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