Old powder - is it any good?

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  • Clay

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 98.8%
    81   1   0
    Aug 28, 2008
    9,648
    48
    Vigo Co
    I bought a bunch of misc junk from a guy a couple of years ago, and there was some reloading stuff in the mix. Included in this was some powder, and I liked the fact that some was in old tins and figured at worst I had some cool shelf display stuff. There is a red mini-keg of Herkules shotgun powder (which is cool in itself becuase Herkules was down the road from me) a small yellow tin of Herkules powder, a cardboard container of Winchester AA shotgun powder, and 2 unopened 1 pounds metail containers of IMR 3031.

    So my general question is what are the odds any of this powder is any good? It's all dry and free flowing, and it all lights off with a flame. I've tried a few samples of each.

    and my more specific question is are the unopened containers of 3031 any good?

    My opinion at this point is they are questionable and not worth keeping (the powder anyway), but I'm not sure about the unopened stuff.

    thanks!
    Clay
     

    AmmoManAaron

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    37   0   0
    Feb 20, 2015
    3,334
    83
    I-get-around
    If it smells OK, load one up and try it, I bet it all works as long as it wasn't damp or wet at some point.

    ^^^This^^^

    If it smells good and isn't clumpy, it is almost certainly good to go. I have loaded a lot of old powder and still do in fact. Some of the stuff I'm currently using was discontinued a couple of decades ago (like Win 452AA) or even 50 or more years ago (like Alcan AL-5 and AL-8). I really like the old metal cans too, nice for the display shelf after they are empty.

    To inspect the smell, simply open each can and take a whiff. Good powder has a light sweet acetone smell, sort of like mineral spirits...or no smell at all depending on the type of powder. If the smell stings your nose like acid, it's bad. When it's bad, it usually gets kinda sticky and clumpy too. I burn bad powder in small piles on my driveway...sometimes it really smolders, hisses, and smokes almost like a smoke firework!

    What specific old powders do you have? I have an extensive amount of old load data (happy to share) that I keep handy for just such times, plus those old manuals list "obsolete" calibers that the new manuals don't.

    I've gotten good deals similar to what you did, box of odds-n-ends, or just a low asking price from a guy who can't find load data.

    I gladly paid the $20 a guy wanted for a full keg of Win 452AA. He couldn't find load data, but it meant cheap shooting for me! :)

    And research revealed load data for the half can of Alcan AL-5 powder that lets me use up some old shotgun wads from my youth that I couldn't find any data for with currently made powders. A good feeling for sure, but the icing on the cake was that the loads seem to pattern well and bust clays nicely.
     
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    OHOIAN

    Marksman
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 20, 2014
    157
    18
    NE OHIO
    I am getting old and it has been a long time but I remember loading many lbs of 452AA and the other one 473AA (or something like that) in 12ga shotgun, as I recall both are brown in color not black like most powders. Great shooting however.
    IMR 3031 is my go to powder for cast bullets in 30/30. If it doesn’t smell bad and has no brown rusty looking stuff in it, I would load up some test rounds and give it a try.
     

    ScouT6a

    Master
    Rating - 92.9%
    13   1   0
    Mar 11, 2013
    1,732
    63
    If you decide you are going to get rid of the Hercules powder, I'd be interested. I am just up the road, in Fountain County.
    I have two of the empty 4 pound, red mini kegs in Hercules and Red Dot.
     

    ART338WM

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Jun 2, 2013
    426
    18
    FWIW I am presently using 16 or 18 year old metal can IMR 3031 in my 35 Remington reloads with excellent success. I chronograph all my loads. If nothing else a chronograph is a great tool for safety.
     
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