HD Tactical

shelf life of powders and primers

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  • Luv2Hunt

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    I finally retrieved some loading supplies from my brother that were stored in his house in a closet and want opinions on powders and primers shelf life.

    I bought them at a great expense during the first crunch and don't want to dispose of them if they are useful.

    Most of the primers are about 6-7 years old. The bulk of the powders are the same age, but some are unknown and could be very old. All have been stored indoors in their original containers.

    My question is this, how old is to old to use? just load up and test fire? is there any tests I can run to check them? Is there any markings on the boxes or cans to tell the date of manufacture?

    Any help is appreciated, Thanks in advance.
     

    bohica793

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    If the powder is sealed and all of it is stored in an environmentally controlled (air conditioned) environment, it is good for a long time. If it has been exposed to excessive humidity, all bets are off.
     

    Gas Port

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    I loaded and shot some rounds from powder and primers I bought 27 years ago. Like Bohica said- if you keep it out of the humidity the shelf life is pretty long.
     

    wildrider666

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    I've got powder and primers from the early 90's. Obviously if the guns became safe queens, the powder and primer sit too. I store primers together but I store powder by type in seperate ammo cans in addition to their sealed containers. Here is my position on the topic.

    USE ONLY FRESH POWDER AND PRIMERS FOR AMMO YOU INTEND FOR DEFENSIVE USE.

    Powder, sealed in cool dry place: should have the same shelf as if it were loaded in cartridges kept the same way. This can be several decades. Think of it like surplus military ammo only you know it was properly stored.

    Primer don't come in air tight containers and could absorb moisture. If repacked in air tight containers it would be the same as powder (above).

    From the time powders and primer compound are made, the begin to slowly degrade as some of the chemical composition break down, atomize and evaporate. This is what you smell every time you open the container. Unless you sealed both ends of your reloads, their doing the same thing.

    Take a few primers from each seperate storage container. Install them in empty cases and fire them. If any fail to fire: that group goes to trash or range only use you will need a bullet puller to salvage parts later. Load a few with the old powder at a medium charge, test them over a chrono if you can. Any failure, slow ignition, slow burn, change in general recoil? Hard extraction? Inspect the cases for signs of overpressure. If there is a problem, get rid of it. If everything is normal, I would use the powder for range ammo.
     

    Plinker

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    I was curious myself with this old can of H335 I got from our favorite inmate from Jay.



    No telling how old this can of powder is, but I'm guessing since the price is $2.45 would put it sometime in the 1970's??

    I don't have a cronograph to compare velocity VS a new can of H335 I got from the same fella.
    I will say this:
    Weigh out fills case the same.
    At the range, I can still ring my 8" steel with iron sights no problem at 100yds.
    Throws empties on the ground in about the same place.

    Apparently the powder in this old can has been in pretty good enviroments.

    Your mileage may vary.
    Good luck!
     
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    JohnAL

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    I've been shooting primers that were stored in a 30 cal. ammo can in non-climate controlled garages for 41 years with great results.
     

    FLT

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    I'm shooting powder that I bought in 1980 ,IMR 4895 and 4198 . I bought a bunch at the time and have used it all this years with good results. I'm down to just a few pounds now but haven't noticed any drop off in performance.
     

    oneshot

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    Joel what I didn't tell you that power has mico-chips in it and can be control by the drone that gov. fly's over our place. So look up and smile. Of all the power's that I have used in over 45yrs , have only come across some bad power one time and that was just lately , sold some for a buddy, that he had got from some one that her husband had died to help her out, he had not tried it, it was bad, You could not get it to burn with a match. I have even had some that had been wet and dry it and it would burn, even loaded up some and shot it. Just my 5 cents jj
     

    Lindenwood

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    I once used the same 8lb jug of powder for a solid 5 years that was used and stored outside in Oklahoma. On average, I opened it maybe a few times a month (sometimes a few times a week, and sometimes once a month). Always worked.

    *shrug*

    Generally, be as cautious as you want, and perhaps the recommendation of only fresh powder for defensive loads is fair enough. However, I dont personally have any evidence or even anecdotes to support that notion. Though, to be honest, I think you are more likely to have a reload-induced malfuction from something like a high primer than a chemical failure.
     

    Ric-san

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    A few years ago while hanging out shootin' at an old timers place in Jay (JJ's), he brought out an old ammo can that was water drenched with a bunch of stuff rusted in there....long story short, he found some water logged powder that he put out to dry in the sun for a bit...and an hour or so latter once it dried out, he lit it on fire...stuff burned like it was new...let me see if I can find the pictures...
     
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