Surplus Powder Qn

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Right now we are salvaging a large batch of Spanish 7.62x51. As such we are going to have a large amount of surplus powder. I don't know what kind of powder it is. What I can say is home much is in each round. Anyone think this would be worth selling? We're selling of bullets off but the brass is berdan primed and corrosive so its going for scrap.
 
It's probably pretty fast powder. Not really suitable for 7.62x51 with heavier bullets. It would be nice to know the equivalent burn rate.

It would also be nice to know how old it is and the manufacturer. Many years ago, Higginsons had a couple of batches of powder that came from similar circumstances and they went bad. I'm not saying this powder is bad but it needs to checked carefully before it's sold. When I talked to you over the phone about a couple of thousand bullets today, you seemed fairly knowledgeable. Older European powders are usually single based extruded or flake, depending on their use. If there is any sour odor or slight brown discoloration at all, the powder is starting to deteriorate. Try putting it into a dry, non coated can for a month. If it doesn't cause some rust, it should be ok.

Chemist is a great individual to deal with by the way.
 
1958. No sour smell, no discolouration. It burns great....poured 10lbs in a big line and let it go :) Flat square flakes. I'm going to load some over the next few weeks and try it out. If I do sell it, it will go cheap.
 
what are the ballistic properties of the Spanish ammunition? If the charge is about 43grs and the result is a 10g bullet at about 2600 fps then it pretty much has to have a burn rate similar to H335/W748/BLC-2.
 
Why on earth are you "salvaging" the ammo and selling the components. Sell the loaded ammo instead. I'm sure you'll have a line up of guys wanting to purchase it.

If that's not an option, there is a market for surplus powder. You just need to figure out an approximate commercial equivalent, put it into 7-10 lb boxes adn start taking orders. As tiriaq suggests, contact Gnaderite for assistance.
 
Tell us the powder charge, bullet weight and length, and the typical chronographed muzzle velocity -- we can take that data, and a little tinkering around in QuickLoad should make it possible to figure out what powder it approximates (probably not exactly, but close enough to have some idea what that powder is good for, and how much start loads should be and that sort of thing).

And if it approximates anything slower than H322/WC-735, and it's cheap, I'd by a whole whack of it. :)

Thanks,
 
Military 7.62 is typically loaded with powder around the speed of 3031 to 4895. This is a very, very useful speed of powder. Anyone buying such powder is well advised to buy at least one 8 pound jug, and nothing smaller, because once you have established loads for it, there won't be any more.

I have used several tons of similar powder and find it perfect for all but the most demanding applications.

Also, that brass should be sold. A berdan primed case gives very good SDs becasue the small flash holes are better than the larger holes in Boxer cases.

I used to use weighed Berdan cases as my preferred target rifle brass.

It would be perfect brass for making m14 plinker ammo, or one-way hunting ammo.

problem is cost vs shipping. I have about 10,000 similar cases and don't sell them becasue I think shipping costs would exceed sale price.

I was thinking of selling it with a similar amount of tracers, so guys could make their own tracer ammo. It would be a good way to get rid of the cases and tracers.

Have you considered selling the cases, powder and bullets as "kits"?
 
I don't understand why you would be scrapping it in the first place? Its a lot of labour to pull that many rounds and corrosive primers aren't that big a deal.

Course this a dyed-in-the-wool black powder shooter speaking. Cleaning every time you shoot is a given for some of us.
 
We're salvaging it because all of the primers are hang fires or don't ignite. Is there a market for berdan 7,62 brass with bad primers?
 
I think you have a market.

I have salvaged about 20 lbs of powder from the "8x63 Marstar Reloader's Special" that was available from a few years back. There was a market then, but they sold it in the cartridge, with the understanding that it was for salvage (pull the bullet, keep the powder and bullet, and sell the brass for scrap after killing the primer). It was not difficult to figure out where surplus powders fit in the quickness scale and I have used it (and Higginson's WC-735) extensively in several different cartridges.

Be forewarned - you will be pestered incessantly for load data for every cartridge and bullet combination you can image. It might be prudent to market it for the 308 (or 7.62x51) with the exact bullet that you pulled (112 gr?), then leave it to the users (and CGN) to develop loads. As it is, there are enough 308 shooters to probably eat up your supply.
 
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My reference to powder speed was for standard ball ammo.

Did not realize you had the 112gr bullet. That powder is probably much faster than 4895.

It would be a good powder to sell with a matching supply of those 112 gr bullets. It would probably work well with cast bullets, too.

If the berdan powders don't work, then what you have is a spply of brass to be melted into brass cannon barrels...
 
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