HP38/Win231

[MJFlores]

When I run low on BE or Unique,I take the bit that's left, add it to a full pound of the same powder and mix it thoroughly.Whether that's safe with two that are supposedly the same powder-I dunno!

I've always done this too. Once down to an 8th can or so, I pour half of the new one into the old one, give it a good shake to mix it in and then dump it all back into the new container and shake it up again Different lots of the same powder type can have variations, but I've honestly never experienced anything measurable...even over a chronograph. Powder companies keep strict quality control.

 

[Nick B]

"Aren't you supposed to take the small amount left and throw it into the garden/yard as fertilizer?"

When will that urban myth ever become dead and buried? Smokeless powder has absolutely no value as a fertilizer. Black powder, maybe, but never smokeless. It's insoluble, and cannot release nitrates into the soil.

One more myth to go with the above myth :
"Don't touch primers with your bare fingers or they'll go dead from the skin oils ."

 

[Alk8944]

The one thing none of you have addressed is the density of a can of propellant as it ages! If you use a fixed-volume measure such as an RCBS "Little Dandy" you will notice this. First, the rotors rarely throw the charge that the manufacturer shows in their rotor chart, which necessitates creating the need to determine and record tha actual charge that is thrown by your rotors. Once you have done this and then checked with the same canister of powder over time, you will find that the charge weight goes down, while the volume obviously stays the same. This is a result or residual solvents continuing to dry out of the powder as it ages. The mass of the actual propellant components, the Nitro-cellulose, Nitroglycerine, DNT, etc, doesn't change, just the weight of residual solvents. This can result in 1-2% reduction in charge weight over time. This happens over just months with part of the solvents escaping every time the can is opened.

The same charge volume produces the same performance in spite of the reduction of charge weight!

 

[DWalt]

"Don't touch primers with your bare fingers or they'll go dead from the skin oils ."

It is very difficult to inactivate primers, even with water or oil.

 

[Skeet 028]

The only primers I had any trouble with was some of the OLD Winchesters in the little wooden trays. Living in Md between the Chesapeake and the Atlantic we had a lot of humidity and those little wooden trays must have sucked up moisture. But they were from the late 50's early 60's. Not all of 'em didn't fire. But I tore the ammo down after having some FTFs.

Gotta add. I have a thousand or so of the old Frankford Arsenal Number 70 primers from the DCM dated 1949 and they are still good.

 

[dwpmusic]

I continue to enjoy all you guys input.

 

[M3Stuart]

FWIW; in the OP's scenario, which we probably all face periodically, I would use up the bit of HP38 in the hopper, then when it got reeeeaaaallll low, I'd dump the W231 on top, then check all the charge weights as it made the transition - making corrections if necessary. In practice, any corrections are usually very small.

 

[dwpmusic]

Thanks again.

 

[38SPL HV]

Follow Hodgdon's advice is my recommendation...

 

[dwpmusic]

Well, I used up all but tiny bit of the Win231 I had in the reservoir on a 100 rounds of 9mm today. There's not enough left in there to reload 10 more rounds hardly. I'm just going to dump it in the HP38 and let her rip. Think I'll be alright.

 

[muddocktor]

Dump it in the HP 38 bottle, shake it up a bit and run it. It will work just fine.

 

[noylj]

The difference between the new lot and the old lot will be very slightly greater than the difference between the old lot and the new lot after blending in some of the old lot.
Since all lots of powder consist of many batches all blended together (and not one continuous production run that would STILL need to be blended due to variations over time any way), your blend is not any different.
In both cases, standard procedure is to drop the charge by 2% and re-work it. Unless the lot numbers are the same, there will be some difference.