Powder gone bad

Ganderite

Ganderite

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From time to time someone posts a question about if their powder is still good.

Those of us who have had powder go bad know that when it happens, there is NO DOUBT that it has gone bad.

It has a terrible smell (like ammonia) and turns orange, the the mess is a very powerful acid that eats thru everything, including a steel shelf.

Here is where a bad plastic jug was sitting on the floor.

6dAJ95a.jpg
 
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Some powder is born with a genetic defect that means it will go bad within the first 50 years.

Most powder will last generations.

But I suggest that when you go you have already used all your powder and all your ammo.
 
I lost 21 lbs of Higginsons OEM H4350 [VV N160] that went bad.
The acid formed is formidably corrosive, as Ganderite noted.

Some powders go bad without the acidic by-product, but you can
tell by the lumps or rust dust in the powder, plus it smells "off"

I had a bit of old Norma N205 that was perfectly fine after 45 years.
Dave.
 
Snider shooter said:
I have had 25 to 30 year old powder go bad. I have had power from the 1960’s which was perfectly good. I am on my second 10 lb keg of C-300 which has been discontinued for years which works excellent. Anyone know when it was discontinued?
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Don't take this as fact, but I think around 1980.

The only powders I have ever had go bad were all extruded (stick) powders.
 
That's a very severe example! I've tossed a couple jugs of powder that were just beginning to show red dust and bad smell. I like my rifles too much to put highly acidic powder through their bores. One way to check before it gets too severe is litmus paper. Good powder is neutral PH. Bad, deteriorated powder is acidic, low PH. Very, very bad powder clumps and eats the container it is stored in.
I've also seen some ancient Winchester factory loaded cartridges that had bad powder in them. The insides of the cases were green, the bullet base was corroded and green. A couple of the cases split when fired. That's when I checked the rest of the box. Couldn't salvage any of the components.
 
Ganderite said:
From time to time someone posts a question about if their powder is still good.

Those of us who have had powder go bad know that when it happens, there is NO DOUBT that it has gone bad.

It has a terrible smell (like ammonia) and turns orange, the the mess is a very powerful acid that eats thru everything, including a steel shelf.

Here is where a bad plastic jug was sitting on the floor.

6dAJ95a.jpg
Click to expand...

so after your wife found that . ...how long before you regained consciousness ????????????
 
One of the substances released during decomposition is Nitric acid. It's the source of the gassing and acrid smell. It's also an extremely potent acid as pointed out. Powders run through proper Calcium Carbonate washes shouldn't go bad with reasonable storage practices but there are exceptions to everything.
 
Snider shooter said:
I have had 25 to 30 year old powder go bad. I have had power from the 1960’s which was perfectly good. I am on my second 10 lb keg of C-300 which has been discontinued for years which works excellent. Anyone know when it was discontinued?
Click to expand...

I just finished my last 10 keg of C300 bought it in the seventies as it was discontinued when CIL sold out to IVI . Bought it for $20 a jug on sales . Great powder now using 700X same powder.
 
I think the answer is to rotate your powder stock and make sure the oldest gets used for something. It's too easy to leave that jug of "Why did I ever buy this kind?" at the back of the shelf gathering dust but eventually something like this happens if it isn't turned into some sort of plinking fodder and used.
 
B said:
One of the substances released during decomposition is Nitric acid. It's the source of the gassing and acrid smell. It's also an extremely potent acid as pointed out. Powders run through proper Calcium Carbonate washes shouldn't go bad with reasonable storage practices but there are exceptions to everything.
Click to expand...

In another case of bad powder, it ate thru my steel shelfing. I got a bit of that orange gunk on my jeans and it ate thru them, too.
 
I pulled some 1945 30-06 bullets (corrosive primer)and dumped the powder for a what ever day. Well it went off and stunk up my reloading room for days till I saw the orange ziplock bag. It is waiting in a stump I want to burn. Man that stinks.
Nitro glycerine in powder is another thing reloaders have to watch. Dipping and pouring in front of your face can elevate your heart rate by 20 beats per minute.
 
tigrr said:
I pulled some 1945 30-06 bullets (corrosive primer)and dumped the powder for a what ever day. Well it went off and stunk up my reloading room for days till I saw the orange ziplock bag. It is waiting in a stump I want to burn. Man that stinks.
Nitro glycerine in powder is another thing reloaders have to watch. Dipping and pouring in front of your face can elevate your heart rate by 20 beats per minute.
Click to expand...

I've had powder go bad in a can, but never in loaded ammo, even when it had been there for 100 years as long as the ammo remained uncorroded on the outside.

Has anyone had loaded ammo corroded by powder that went bad in the case?
 
Andy said:
Has anyone had loaded ammo corroded by powder that went bad in the case?
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Yes, I have.
Had some Ammomart 44 (similar to IMR 3031) powder go bad, and the ammo I had loaded with it a few years before went bad too. The cases corroded from the inside out.
Had to pull them all and salvaged the bullets. Burned the powder and the ruined cases went to my scrap brass bin.
 
I had some of the OEM H4350 I mentioned in post #4 go bad in loaded 30-06 ammo. I had the ammo well documented, so
when I discovered that my stock had gone bad, I pulled down all the 30-06 [about 50 rounds] that I had loaded with it.
The brass cases were a dead loss. Most of the bullets I cleaned up and used, but their bases were very green/blue Some
of the powder was clumped, and would not come out of the case, some had droplets of acid in them. A real mess!! Dave.
 
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