Old powder

[Jaco1234]

I have a very old can of Bullseye. How do I tell if is still good.The Alliant web site says it gives of a brown gas and smells acidic.
I don't detect either.
Would burning some tell me anything? Is it dangerous to load deteriorated powder?

 

[DWalt]

Bullseye lasts forever, deterioration should not be a problem. Deteriorating propellant usually has a vinegar aroma, and if it is in a steel can, the can will often corrode, producing a powdery red rust mixed in with the propellant. It is very obvious.

I have experienced it twice. The first time involved some WWII surplus 4831. The second time involved a can of IMR 4227 that dated from no later than the early 1960s, and possibly much earlier.

I have fairly recently used up some old DuPont propellant dating from the 1930s which performed like it was new.

 

[jem102]

Bullseye lasts forever, deterioration should not be a problem. Deteriorating propellant usually has a vinegar aroma, and if it is in a steel can, the can will often corrode, producing a powdery red rust mixed in with the propellant. It is very obvious.

Exactly, very obvious.

 

[AJ]

I have a very old can of Bullseye. How do I tell if is still good.The Alliant web site says it gives of a brown gas and smells acidic.
I don't detect either.
Would burning some tell me anything? Is it dangerous to load deteriorated powder?

Any idea how it was stored? If it does not smell acidic, it is probably OK. What are you going to use it in? I use it in .38 Special and usually only 2.8 grains at a time.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I've had 3 cans go bad over the years. Always a really acidic smell! If it has a ferrous metal can or even lid, that will deteriorate.

One can stored in the middle of several others of Pyrodex CTG went bad! I tried to burn it up and could not get it to ignite! Same problem with a can of an old IMR powder.

These cans were in my powder magazine on the farm and all the cans (Metal, cardboard or plastic) around them were fine. It was like one ingredient of the powder destabilized!

Ivan

 

[DWalt]

I've had 3 cans go bad over the years. Always a really acidic smell! If it has a ferrous metal can or even lid, that will deteriorate.

One can stored in the middle of several others of Pyrodex CTG went bad! I tried to burn it up and could not get it to ignite! Same problem with a can of an old IMR powder.

These cans were in my powder magazine on the farm and all the cans (Metal, cardboard or plastic) around them were fine. It was like one ingredient of the powder destabilized!

Ivan

The incidents I described above had about the same results. I spread out the degraded propellants in a line and lit them with a match. It burned fairly slowly, almost like burning a piece of plastic. Nothing nearly as rapid as burning good propellant.

 

[Jaco1234]

I am going to use it in 38sp and 45LC.
Thanks for insight to your experience.

 

[gwpercle]

Two Things .

1.) Pleasant smell that doesn't burn the nostrils .

2.) The Lack of a Fine Red dust mixed in the power .

Not so much rusting of the metal can parts , insides or outside, but a red dust mixed into the powder .

To me the big indicator is the Smell ... sniff a few different Fresh Powders so you Know what good powder smells like .
When you get a whiff of powder that is breaking down your nose will immediatly let you know ... the sharp acidic smell irritates and burns a little ... it wont damage your nose but it's a sure sign of what's going on with the powder.
Gary

 

[Greyman50]

Makes good grass fertilizer. Lawn grass.

 

[PALADIN85020]

Bullseye is non-hygroscopic (will not absorb water from the air) and should probably be good as gold no matter its age. Same with Unique and 2400.

John

 

[__steve__]

Use it and enjoy, is what I would gather