How to tell if powder is good?

Craig0ry

Craig0ry

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I read somewhere on here awhile back that if powder smells acidic it could be bad? Well awhile ago I was given 5lbs of bullseye and it came in 1lb Tupperware containers, It came from a trusted source who said it was from a larger keg that he had bought years and years ago, I've used some before with decent results but shy'd away from is as I found it dirty, Now I have some revolvers that I don't care if they get fairly dirty during a shooting session, But to me the powder smells acidic, it looks fine, Is this just how bullseye smells? or is there something more happening here.
Thanks
 
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I will insist you send me all you have for inspection.I promise I will send a detailed target.



Red dust,acid smell is a start....but I always found bullies eye to be a bit different in smell....
 
If it's gone bad (from poor storage, well stored powder will last at least 50 years, perhaps twice that), dissolve it in tolulene, spread it in cookie sheets and then break-up the resulting "chips".
They are fun to toss into campfires. Kids love the effects. But be reasonably careful with the chips, they are (of course) flammable.
 
Grizz Axxemann said:
Freshly opened Varget smells sour to me.
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Noticed the same thing, cracked a fresh pound of Varget and it smelled very similar to me, I loaded up some rounds for my 44 mag and they functioned fine and even seemed a little cleaner than the factory Remington rounds I had shot previously, I think its still good to go
 
Craig0ry said:
Noticed the same thing, cracked a fresh pound of Varget and it smelled very similar to me, I loaded up some rounds for my 44 mag and they functioned fine and even seemed a little cleaner than the factory Remington rounds I had shot previously, I think its still good to go
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Actually, all my powders smell kind of sour. Just not anywhere near as pungent as Varget. I had a half pound sitting around for the last couple years and while not as strong smelling as the fresh stuff, I figure it's still good.
 
The smell some fresh powder gives off is a solvent, acetone I believe. It might be the smell that you are experiencing from Varget that is just a couple years old. I have had two batches of powder go bad. The smell was different but I didn't notice a real strong acid smell. I did notice red dust and a slight colour change. The metal lids on the containers also had started to corrode.
 
Craig0ry said:
Noticed the same thing, cracked a fresh pound of Varget and it smelled very similar to me, I loaded up some rounds for my 44 mag and they functioned fine and even seemed a little cleaner than the factory Remington rounds I had shot previously, I think its still good to go
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Varget in 44 Rem Mag? What is your recipe if you don't mind sharing? I have been searching for powder to feed my marlin but can't find the recommended powders anywhere and I do have Varget.
 
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