reloaders estate

[kadams]

I have an opportunity to buy a reloaders estate there is a fair amount of powder the powder was moved from climate controlled to an outside shed a yr ago where its has been exposed to to temps from below freezing to 120 degrees. I know ill have to shoot this stuff across a chrono to check its true consistency and viability. But do any of you have experience with powder that has been stored like this and what is your opinion on its viability or lack of?

Thanks for replies!

 

[Rule3]

I have an opportunity to buy a reloaders estate there is a fair amount of powder the powder was moved from climate controlled to an outside shed a yr ago where its has been exposed to to temps from below freezing to 120 degrees. I know ill have to shoot this stuff across a chrono to check its true consistency and viability. But do any of you have experience with powder that has been stored like this and what is your opinion on its viability or lack of?

Thanks for replies!

Smell it. Look at it closely to see if smells or looks funky

 

[kadams]

Smell it. Look at it closely to see if smells or looks funky

so if the granules are intact and smells normal you would think its viable?

 

[Rule3]

so if the granules are intact and smells normal you would think its viable?

Hard to say. How old is it to begin with?? Make small piles of it and light with a long lighter. It should burn really quick!
But I have no experience with powder stored as you mention

 

[Phenix]

I have an opportunity to buy a reloaders estate there is a fair amount of powder the powder was moved from climate controlled to an outside shed a yr ago where its has been exposed to to temps from below freezing to 120 degrees. I know ill have to shoot this stuff across a chrono to check its true consistency and viability. But do any of you have experience with powder that has been stored like this and what is your opinion on its viability or lack of?

Thanks for replies!

Low temps won’t hurt it. Prolonged, very high temps can, depending on duration of the heat in months, and how high it was. Enough heat, for a long enough time, can breakdown the nitrocellulose. On hot days the temperatures inside the containers will be a little lower than on the outside.
You are probably okay though.

 

[bedwards]

I have bought a good bit at estate sales and the prices have made it worth the chance you take. Usually its around 5$ a lb and you can tell if they are unopened or not. I always look in them and smell unless they are still factory sealed. I have yet to get a bad batch.
Just to throw this in, I bought an unopened 4 lb jug of Unique a few months ago for 5 bucks.

 

[Shotguncoach]

Start by giving it a good sniff. It should smell slightly sweet….if it smells acrid or like vinegar, use it for fertilizer.

I do have experience with powder that was stored that way. My neighbor gave me her late husbands reloading stuff. It had been stored in an outside shed in Phoenix for over 10 years. It was a little smoky but worked just fine. The hardest part was finding reloading data for AL-5 and AL-7.

Be careful, load a small batch first, and stay in the mid range of the data. Don’t try to load boomers or powder puffs.

 

[greenwellg]

I once bought a Cadillac trunk full of ammo, powder and primers. So much stuff that even with leveling suspension the rear end was on the suspension stops from pure weight. The rear end went back to normal height as we unloaded it.
Paid $300. Hundreds of pounds of stuff.
14 pounds of powder.
Large quantities of factory ammo.
Bullets by the thousand.
Primers by the thousand.
It was the nations show in Chantilly Va.

 

[2500]

I inherited my Dads reloading stuff. He kept in in his unheated garage, then, my brother kept it in an out building for a few years. No problems with any powder or primers. I think as long as they stayed sealed, they'll be ok.

 

[SSGRock]

I to have bought a reloaders estate. About 40 pounds of powder. Eight pounds off Unique. Have loaded 250 rounds of 38 special. Have not shot any of these.

 

[Rick H.]

How old is the powder since new? You can smell it, but this doesn't work well in many instances. If the jugs are still sealed from the factory that will be a big plus. If they are unsealed then you could have issues. Humidity can be a killer on powder more so than almost anything else. If factory sealed humidity should not be much of an issue.

Rick H.

 

[SSGRock]

How old is the powder since new? You can smell it, but this doesn't work well in many instances. If the jugs are still sealed from the factory that will be a big plus. If they are unsealed then you could have issues. Humidity can be a killer on powder more so than almost anything else. If factory sealed humidity should not be much of an issue.

Rick H.

The man I got from had stored in his climate controlled home. It belonged to his father. All can had tight lids on. Some had been used and were dated on tape.

 

[Baltimoreed11754]

I always date my powder and primers so I can use the oldest first. Bought an old partial cardboard 8# keg of Bullseye and have been using it in 38s, seems to be ok. I did transfer it to six one # plastic containers. Just looked and that was 10 yrs ago. Where did the time go.

 

[Phenix]

I always date my powder and primers so I can use the oldest first. Bought an old partial cardboard 8# keg of Bullseye and have been using it in 38s, seems to be ok. I did transfer it to six one # plastic containers. Just looked and that was 10 yrs ago. Where did the time go.

6 lbs. of Bullseye goes a Looooonnng Way!

 

[rockquarry]

I keep some powder in an airconditioned house and some in an insulated but unairconditioned garage (in Texas) where it gets pretty hot in the summer. As long as it stays dry and out of the sun, high temperatures don't seem to matter, and they may not really be all that high after all; I've never put a thermometer to it and won't. I've always stored powder like this without problem.

 

[diyj98]

I inherited my Dads reloading stuff. He kept in in his unheated garage, then, my brother kept it in an out building for a few years. No problems with any powder or primers. I think as long as they stayed sealed, they'll be ok.

Not ideal storage, but for years my dad also kept all his powder and primers in an non climate controlled metal building. The temperatures varied widely over the years, but his powder always went "boom". I'm still shooting a few cans that I know are over 20 years old.

 

[rwsmith]

I keep some powder in an airconditioned house and some in an insulated but unairconditioned garage (in Texas) where it gets pretty hot in the summer. As long as it stays dry and out of the sun, high temperatures don't seem to matter, and they may not really be all that high after all; I've never put a thermometer to it and won't. I've always stored powder like this without problem.

That's my experience. If they are unopened, buy them. If they are open, smell and visually check a sample, if it fumes or has any rusty or white residue on the granules it's breaking down. More than likely it is a great find. I've seen powder stored all kinds of ways and have never actually seen any go bad.

 

[markieh]

At the moment I'm using some Bullseye that I bought in around 1985!!! I quit shooting for many years But came back about 3 years ago. Powder (Indeed all components) have been in very short supply over here but I still had 1/2 a carton of Bullseye, and 1/2 a tin of Nobel Shotgun 80 (we used to use for .45ACP). The Bullseye is now being used for .357 mag rifle and the Shotgun 80 for 45/70.

I searched online and found the advice to not use if there is a smell of vinegar (which there wasn't) and after over a years use, both are still fine.

These were stored in an un-insulated, unheated shed for all that time. I also had a few CCI small pistol primers, but they didn't fare quite as well, only about 60% actually went bang.

 

[Lance Boyle]

Start by giving it a good sniff. It should smell slightly sweet….if it smells acrid or like vinegar, use it for fertilizer.

I do have experience with powder that was stored that way. My neighbor gave me her late husbands reloading stuff. It had been stored in an outside shed in Phoenix for over 10 years. It was a little smoky but worked just fine. The hardest part was finding reloading data for AL-5 and AL-7.

Be careful, load a small batch first, and stay in the mid range of the data. Don’t try to load boomers or powder puffs.

Ha! I had to track data down for Dupont P-5066. It was last made before I was born. Slight rust on the can but the contents were perfect. It shoots good, about like W231 in use.

 

[Rudi2]

I've had pretty good luck with "estate sale" finds, you just never know what you are getting. As others have said, it's probably, (maybe?) ok. Just pay a little extra attention when loading, and shooting, the stuff. If you can get it cheap enough, I'd give it a try - I'm talking like 10 cents on the dollar to make it worth your trouble.