rusty powder can

yodave

yodave

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i just opened a can of H4350 tonight and discovered that rust had formed inside the canister. It was not the original can but an old dupont can that was reused to hold a different powder. What do you think should i just fertilize the lawn with it or risk it and load some rounds up to see if the powder is okay??? I am kinda hesitant on using it and think that spending the forty bucks to replace it is cheaper insurance in the long run. Any thought on this or anyone experience the same :confused:
 
It might be ok, but it's not worth the risk of finding out it's not. The fact that you have doubt is enough when it comes to reloading components. Dump it.

I use opaque plastic to store my powder. Doesn't rust.
 
It's not going to blow anything up, but pitch it anyway. Rust on the inside means it has gotten wet. So has the powder.
 
the fact you say it's not in it's original can- being human, memories fade, and since the rust is on the inside of the can, definately get rid of it- it's not worth the 20 bucks or so- must be a 1 lb can, as all my bulk stuff comes in either plastic containers or cardboard
 
Definitely get rid of it. Which leads me to think...

What to do with it? I have heard the "makes great fertilizer" line but come on, were Gunnutz, there must be some fun and safe use for this stuff. I have about 1/2 a pound I got from some unknown reloads I knocked apart that I have been saving for such a quest.
 
I use old powders to burn out the anthills that form in my back lawn. just dump as much as will go down the main entrance, make a small line of powder a safe distance away, and light it. You can watch the whole hill "lift" a bit as the powder underground ignites. Sure does a number on the ants, too! Regards, Eagleye.
 
Eagleye said:
I use old powders to burn out the anthills that form in my back lawn. just dump as much as will go down the main entrance, make a small line of powder a safe distance away, and light it. You can watch the whole hill "lift" a bit as the powder underground ignites. Sure does a number on the ants, too! Regards, Eagleye.
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im almost tempted to bore a hole in the ground,just try this out..
i have visions of a cartoon i saw once:pirate:
 
rust inside the can, or just a rusty colour to the powder are indications of powder spoilage, as everyone above has said. It will probably go bang, but the results may be very unpredictable, remotely possible it could even be dangerous, and it's best to get rid of it.
 
I've only had 2 cans of powder go bad, both were IMR3031. My understanding is that it is deteriorating powder that rusts the can, not the rusting can that wrecks the powder. Either way it's junk now.
 
sounds like some of you guys want to have fun with it.
perhaps I should list it in the EE and you can burn all the ant hills you want with it:D
 
Dogleg said:
I've only had 2 cans of powder go bad, both were IMR3031. My understanding is that it is deteriorating powder that rusts the can, not the rusting can that wrecks the powder. Either way it's junk now.
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I had an old can of Ammomart 44 (similar to 3031) go bad. The metal parts of the cannister rusted and the powder had a sharp smell sort of like acetone. I've since been told that this meant that the nitrocellulose in the powder was breaking down.

I didn't know any better, I just made a point of using it up quickly. I didn't notice anything unusual but in hindsight it would have been smarter to dispose of it, error on the side of caution.
 
this was powder from ammo mart. Likely purchased five or six years ago, the powder had a weird name but was equivalent to H4350 and was stored in a dupont 1 lb metal canister. The rust is a very fine light down and when i poured some of the powder into the uniflow there was a dust cloud. Fortunately i went on the cautious side and poured it straight back into the can. I was grabbing at straws as I had just run out of IMR 4350 and since these two are cousins I figured I could load the last 5 rounds with a slightly reduced amount of H4350. Needles to say I just went to another substitute powder. It is still on the bench if anyone wants to burn some ant hills:evil:
 
Dump it

I will not use any powder that is not in the original can and it must be factory sealed when I acquire it.
 
yodave,

In your first post you said...."i just opened a can of H4350 tonight"

Now after 10 or so responses you say

yodave said:
this was powder from ammo mart. Likely purchased five or six years ago, the powder had a weird name but was equivalent to H4350 and was stored in a dupont 1 lb metal canister. The rust is a very fine light down and when i poured some of the powder into the uniflow there was a dust cloud. Fortunately i went on the cautious side and poured it straight back into the can. I was grabbing at straws as I had just run out of IMR 4350 and since these two are cousins I figured I could load the last 5 rounds with a slightly reduced amount of H4350. Needles to say I just went to another substitute powder. It is still on the bench if anyone wants to burn some ant hills:evil:
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You shouldn't be so cavalier with your information, if you expect a proper diagonsis of the trouble. Its not H4350. If we had known it was Ammomart surplus military powder the fact that it is deteriorating would have come in the first posts.

It is dangerous, the chemical reaction its now undergoing could heat it to its ignition point. As previously suggested...dump it immediately.

NormB
 
I too have had old Ammomart power go bad. That bright yellow dust is not rust. it is the power. I got some of it on my pants and it ate a hole. It might be powder converting into some kind of acid.

By the way, I asked a PH.D. chemist at a powder company about sprinkling oldpowedr on the lawn. he siad there was no harm in that, but the powder would not break down for another 20 years. very slow release fertilizer...


The faster double base powders can be shot with a high velocity rifle and will sometimes explode.
 
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