I’ve run across a storage bin of some powder here in Vancouver that is probably 25-30 years old. It was stored in a dry garage, and temperature swings would have been from occasionally about 30°F (-1°C) in the winter (but more often 35°F to 40°F, or 2°C to 4°C in the winter) to about 80°F (27°C) in the summer. There are many powders that I don’t use in this lot, but the ones that I’m most interested in are Norma MRP and Reloder 22. The MRP metal cans are unopened with the metal seal still in the lid. So my question is: Will this powder be usable now, after 25-30 years (or possibly 35 years) of storage? Can I assume that it will have the same burn characteristics and energy output as newly-obtained MRP? Will it be completely safe if loaded to the usual safe MRP levels?
Powder that is 25-30 Years Old--Usable?
- Thread starter South Pender
- Start date
if it never got wet, it should be fine. I am using some powders that are either the same age or even older, I've found that as powder has dried out it's gotten slower, so the only way to know what you've got is to start low and shoot over a crony. a couple years ago I finished off a couple tins of Unique, sold the cans for more then I paid for them full of powder.......still have all 11 fingers
I'm still using powders from the early 1940s and they work just fine as long as I'm using manuals appropriate to the era, say mid seventies.
Older lots of powder, non cannister grade, which the ones you list aren't, tend to have quite a bit of rate of burn variance between lots.
The powders you list should be just fine.
If you're planning on keeping them for yourself, take all of the containers with the same designation for type and mix them together into one large consistent for burn rate lot.
Do that with all of the powders you intend to keep.
It's nice to have one large lot of any powder you use a lot or prefer, with an identical burn rate.
Even cannister grade powders, which is mostly what's available to hand loaders, can have significant differences in burn rates from lot to lot.
Over the last two decades handloaders have become spoiled by the consistency of burn rates between lots.
Older lots of powder, non cannister grade, which the ones you list aren't, tend to have quite a bit of rate of burn variance between lots.
The powders you list should be just fine.
If you're planning on keeping them for yourself, take all of the containers with the same designation for type and mix them together into one large consistent for burn rate lot.
Do that with all of the powders you intend to keep.
It's nice to have one large lot of any powder you use a lot or prefer, with an identical burn rate.
Even cannister grade powders, which is mostly what's available to hand loaders, can have significant differences in burn rates from lot to lot.
Over the last two decades handloaders have become spoiled by the consistency of burn rates between lots.
I recently used up the last of a tin of Norma N205, which preceded MRP, and had a similar burn rate.
I bought this powder in the 1960's, and never noticed any deterioration, nor any change in ballistics
over the years. Yours should be fine.
Check for:
Bulging tin [internal pressure buildup]
Rusty dust in the powder
Odd strong odors when opened
Clumping of the powder.
If none of these conditions exist.....enjoy! Dave.
I bought this powder in the 1960's, and never noticed any deterioration, nor any change in ballistics
over the years. Yours should be fine.
Check for:
Bulging tin [internal pressure buildup]
Rusty dust in the powder
Odd strong odors when opened
Clumping of the powder.
If none of these conditions exist.....enjoy! Dave.
Yes. If there are multiple cans of a given powder, dump them all in a jug and shake. Then develop a load in the usual manner.
The powder should smell fresh if it has been sealed. Open the can and smell. There should be a faint solvent smell.
The powder should smell fresh if it has been sealed. Open the can and smell. There should be a faint solvent smell.
Something else to be aware of, just because powder appears to have fine rust particles in it doesn't always indicate it's going bad or close to going bad, I have an old 12 pound barrel of W760 that is at least 30 years or more old and the container is is made from cardboard.
There isn't any metal anywhere on it. The powder has always had very light, very fine rusty looking, talcom powder fine bits in it.
The container seals very well and the powder looks/smells just as good as it did when I first obtained the powder. I remember getting two barrels of it at a Bellingham sporting goods store, Yeagar's. It was being sold off cheap, because not many folks wanted to purchase that much powder at one time. There is a price tag on the top, $21 with a slash through it and $15 written underneath.
I took the last two containers on the shelf.
That powder is just a slight bit faster than late made W760 or H414 and is excellent in everything from 243W to 30-06 with heavy bullets.
It's still about half full. Both containers had the rusty powder, neither smelled bad and neither have gone bad over all this time.
The only time I've really paid any attention to a bit of rust in the powder granules is if the metal can is rusty inside or if it smells acidic.
There isn't any metal anywhere on it. The powder has always had very light, very fine rusty looking, talcom powder fine bits in it.
The container seals very well and the powder looks/smells just as good as it did when I first obtained the powder. I remember getting two barrels of it at a Bellingham sporting goods store, Yeagar's. It was being sold off cheap, because not many folks wanted to purchase that much powder at one time. There is a price tag on the top, $21 with a slash through it and $15 written underneath.
I took the last two containers on the shelf.
That powder is just a slight bit faster than late made W760 or H414 and is excellent in everything from 243W to 30-06 with heavy bullets.
It's still about half full. Both containers had the rusty powder, neither smelled bad and neither have gone bad over all this time.
The only time I've really paid any attention to a bit of rust in the powder granules is if the metal can is rusty inside or if it smells acidic.
My wife has been using Hercules Infallible in her Cowboy Action loads for the last 4-5 years when I was gifted about 7 1/2 pounds of it. Hercules Infallible was last manufactured in 1948, that's 74 years ago, and the powder container gave no evidence of the lot number or date of manufacture. As long as it is stored in a cool, dry place in a proper container a good propellent can last decades.
Garand, I agree for about 99.9%.
I have had new manufacture powders, made around 15 years ago, deteriorate on my shelf, in their plastic containers.
All of them were Accurate types and there was a recall on them later. I just sent them a label with the lot number on it and was fully reimbursed, including taxes. They also gave me a voucher for $200 on their products for future purchase, as long as it was their product. Just had to send them a receipt with the product description and they honored their voucher.
I have had new manufacture powders, made around 15 years ago, deteriorate on my shelf, in their plastic containers.
All of them were Accurate types and there was a recall on them later. I just sent them a label with the lot number on it and was fully reimbursed, including taxes. They also gave me a voucher for $200 on their products for future purchase, as long as it was their product. Just had to send them a receipt with the product description and they honored their voucher.
