Powder going Bad

virginia scout · July 3, 2005, 07:57 PM

I have some IMR 4320 that has developed an orange powder.

Talked to IMR and they said get it out of the house and dispose of it.

Turns out I pulled some stuff loaded 2 years ago and it to is developing the orange powder in the loaded cartridge.

Anybody run into this before. The powder is only 12 years old and has been stored properly.

I am thinking about pulling the 75 loaded rounds apart, thoughts?

LHB1 · July 3, 2005, 09:10 PM

Better safe than sorry!!! Most modern HP rifle loads develop around 50,000 pounds per square inch of pressure. The warning by IMR implies that deteriorating powder can yield significantly higher pressure than normal. Those loaded rounds may be small bombs just waiting to do their thing. I want to continue using my hands and eyes for several more years. Pulling 75 bullets, inserting new powder charges from fresh can of powder, and reseating bullets is much less costly than ANY visit to doctor, hospital, etc. Personally I would do it just for the peace of mind.

Good shooting and be safe.
LB

rwilson452 · July 3, 2005, 10:41 PM

It's bad. yes dispose of the ammo with that lot of powder don't shoot it. Best way to get rid of the powder is sprinkle it in the flower garden and soak it down real well. Great fertilizer.

EchoFiveMike · July 3, 2005, 11:43 PM

You know, I had some powder that went bad a year or so ago, and it was IMR 4320 also. Hmmm. S/F....Ken M

**Mike Irwin** · July 4, 2005, 01:02 AM

Don't breathe the orange powder, and wash your hands afterwards.

The powder is fairly toxic.

virginia scout · July 5, 2005, 07:00 PM

Well I talked to IMR today(Hodgen Now.)

They suggested that the powder be disposed of before it starts to get slick and wet. When it hits that stage it will combust in the can, very bad.

They also suggested I tear apart all the cartridges loaded and dispose of the powder. Blow the cases out, I used a fat pipe cleaner, got some more powder out, and then compressed air to the inside to remove te dust. They said that this dust was not toxic.

I am then going to reload all of them with new powder.

By the way, I was impressed, a suppervisor agreed to replace the powder, its in the mail.

Always did like IMR and Hodgen.

griz · July 6, 2005, 04:47 PM

Hodgdon treated me just as well when I had some 322 go bad. The jug was labeled as surplus so was probably pretty old when I bought it. I smelled it when I walked in the room, a strong acrid chemical smell. I set the almost empty jug on the porch on a hot humid rainy day. The neighbor noticed smoke and called 911. So my first clue about it was the fire department asking me about the smoldering plastic on my porch!

I emailed them about it, mostly to find out if that was common. They said powder deteriorates very slowly, and will last a very long time if stored under dry conditions at room temp. Apparently my lot was pretty far gone (the cap had also rusted) and setting it outside put it in conditions that accelerated the deterioration. By the neighbors description it was smoking, not flaming, but it got hot enough to melt the jug flat and leave soot on it. The label was still mostly readable.

I had given them my address so they could send a replacement page for my Hodgdon's manual, and to my surprize a new jug showed up the next week. The powder was old, almost empty, and I didn't ask for a replacement. With treatment like that I tend to default to Hodgdon powder for most applications.

July 3, 2005, 07:57 PM	#1
virginia scout Member Join Date: March 9, 2005 Posts: 22	IMR 4320 Powder going Bad I have some IMR 4320 that has developed an orange powder. Talked to IMR and they said get it out of the house and dispose of it. Turns out I pulled some stuff loaded 2 years ago and it to is developing the orange powder in the loaded cartridge. Anybody run into this before. The powder is only 12 years old and has been stored properly. I am thinking about pulling the 75 loaded rounds apart, thoughts? Last edited by virginia scout; July 4, 2005 at 03:16 PM.

July 3, 2005, 10:41 PM	#3
rwilson452 Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2004 Location: Tioga co. PA Posts: 2,647	turning orange It's bad. yes dispose of the ammo with that lot of powder don't shoot it. Best way to get rid of the powder is sprinkle it in the flower garden and soak it down real well. Great fertilizer.

July 3, 2005, 09:10 PM	#2
LHB1 Senior Member Join Date: March 25, 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 1,545	Better safe than sorry!!! Most modern HP rifle loads develop around 50,000 pounds per square inch of pressure. The warning by IMR implies that deteriorating powder can yield significantly higher pressure than normal. Those loaded rounds may be small bombs just waiting to do their thing. I want to continue using my hands and eyes for several more years. Pulling 75 bullets, inserting new powder charges from fresh can of powder, and reseating bullets is much less costly than ANY visit to doctor, hospital, etc. Personally I would do it just for the peace of mind. Good shooting and be safe. LB

July 3, 2005, 11:43 PM	#4
EchoFiveMike Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2000 Posts: 416	You know, I had some powder that went bad a year or so ago, and it was IMR 4320 also. Hmmm. S/F....Ken M

July 4, 2005, 01:02 AM	#5
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 41,390	Don't breathe the orange powder, and wash your hands afterwards. The powder is fairly toxic.

July 5, 2005, 07:00 PM	#6
virginia scout Member Join Date: March 9, 2005 Posts: 22	Well I talked to IMR today(Hodgen Now.) They suggested that the powder be disposed of before it starts to get slick and wet. When it hits that stage it will combust in the can, very bad. They also suggested I tear apart all the cartridges loaded and dispose of the powder. Blow the cases out, I used a fat pipe cleaner, got some more powder out, and then compressed air to the inside to remove te dust. They said that this dust was not toxic. I am then going to reload all of them with new powder. By the way, I was impressed, a suppervisor agreed to replace the powder, its in the mail. Always did like IMR and Hodgen.

July 6, 2005, 04:47 PM	#7
griz Senior Member Join Date: July 31, 2000 Location: Middle Peninsula, VA Posts: 1,588	Hodgdon treated me just as well when I had some 322 go bad. The jug was labeled as surplus so was probably pretty old when I bought it. I smelled it when I walked in the room, a strong acrid chemical smell. I set the almost empty jug on the porch on a hot humid rainy day. The neighbor noticed smoke and called 911. So my first clue about it was the fire department asking me about the smoldering plastic on my porch! I emailed them about it, mostly to find out if that was common. They said powder deteriorates very slowly, and will last a very long time if stored under dry conditions at room temp. Apparently my lot was pretty far gone (the cap had also rusted) and setting it outside put it in conditions that accelerated the deterioration. By the neighbors description it was smoking, not flaming, but it got hot enough to melt the jug flat and leave soot on it. The label was still mostly readable. I had given them my address so they could send a replacement page for my Hodgdon's manual, and to my surprize a new jug showed up the next week. The powder was old, almost empty, and I didn't ask for a replacement. With treatment like that I tend to default to Hodgdon powder for most applications.