shelf life

[iceboxx7]

is there a shelf life for smokeless gun powder

[jwrowland77]

As long as it's stored properly, a very long time.

I'm using powder that my mentor gave me that is dated 1992, and it works great. Still get great accuracy. Still smells good.

[MightyMO1911]

I'm using a pound of Winchester 571 that was purchased in the '80s. Nothing at all wrong with it.

[Nick_C_S]

I have some Winchester 296 from 1987. Still works great.

Cool. Dry. Dark. The usual "big three" when it comes to storage.

[hanno]

Keep it in the original container in a cool dry place and it will outlast you.

[jepp2]

I'm shooting single base powders from the mid 60's that are still just fine. But I have also had a single base powder (IMR 4350) from the early 90's that went bad. Both stored properly.

[9mmSkeeter]

My father in law gave me an oooold shotgun reloader kit for 12 gauge. I don't know what powder is in it, but if I find out, do you think it's still good? It's probably been sitting in the hopper for 10 years.

[Kframe]

Originally Posted by 9mmSkeeter

My father in law gave me an oooold shotgun reloader kit for 12 gauge. I don't know what powder is in it, but if I find out, do you think it's still good? It's probably been sitting in the hopper for 10 years.

In the hopper?
Unlabeled?

No and NO!

First, it will have oxidized, and second, if it's not in the original container I would not take anyone's word for what it was (obviously Red Dot or the like are recognizable, in which case see point number one again).

[sawdustdad]

I've used 35 year old powder with no issues. Stored in original containers, in a locked cabinet, in a climate controlled building.

[9mmSkeeter]

Kframe, I figured so, but I thought I'd ask anyways!

[Kframe]

Sounds good!
This can be a fun and safe hobby, as long as you're smart about it.

[Mike / Tx]

I'm burning up some now that I purchased back in 83-84, and have some surplus that is somewhat older than that. On the flip side however I have also had some sitting on the same shelf in plastic bottles get the dreaded orange dust disease and have to be tossed. I haven't got a clue as to why it went bad but it sure did and now I make it a habit to check everything about every 6 months or so.

I sure as heck don't want one of my big containers to head south on me.

[skizzums]

I wouldn't even use what's in my hopper after a week, which may be even too long. Besides, what data are going to use on an unknown 20 year old powder even if it is still viable

[trapper9260]

Unknow powder and sit in a hopper or just plain unknow do not use it.Put in your garden for your plants is what it is only good for.Also for what is stated of not to use it.

[jersurf101]

I have two old 1 pounders of Hercules Bullseye that I am using for .38 special. it is in the old tin and has the original price tag. I compared it to the Alliant bullseye I bought about 4 years ago (mostly smell and look). I don't know how old they are but the powder id GTG. I would never use a powder that was not in its original container and unmarked.

[oley55]

I have some early 80's Dupont 700X in original metal can. shoots just fine and has not been stored in a cool, climate controlled environment, unless a metal cabinet in my garage equals climate controlled. JAX temps are occasional lows of high 20's and lots of 90+ plus days, and always high humidity (saltwater marsh in back yard). I've stored my primers in much the same manner and at 25+ years old those CCI's keep popping just fine.

I do try to avoid opening containers when it is really damp out, but other than that my components seem to be mostly indestructible.

I wonder if all of the proper storage stuff is perhaps just a little bit of hype.

On the other hand, I do store my Primers and powder in separate cabinets in different areas of the garage. But that's just a fire safety precaution for me.

[iceboxx7]

Thanks a lot guys . I have some powder that is at least 5 years old and now I know it should be ok to use . Thanks again

[44 AMP]

Consider this, for a moment, powder "stored" in little airtight brass "bottles" (cartridges) has been known to last well over a century.

In the original containers and correct storage, you are good for decades, at the least.

Powder in a powder measure hopper, on the other hand, is a different matter. #1, you don't know for certain what it is (unless you are the one who put it there)
#2 It may be/have been exposed to direct sunlight, or open to the air for who knows how long (neither good, and sunlight the worst of the two)
#3 Many measures used a plastic in their hoppers that, over time could react with the powder. Ever see an old measure with a hopper that looked "frosted"? That was due to a chemical reaction with a powder. Especially if there was direct sunlight involved.

Unless you come into a few hundred pounds of an unknown powder (where it would be worthwhile to do the careful testing and develop loads) if you cannot POSITIVELY identify a powder, its best to dispose of it.

[Unclenick]

Everything depends on storage temperature. The military limits single-base powder storage to 45 years and double-base to 20 years in what are basically basement temperatures. But if you change the temperature all bets are off. In 1995 U had to pull down 1000 rounds of surplus 1983 .308 ammunition, some of which had failed to function my M1A. The stick powder was oily looking and the grains clumped together. That generally is a good indication it is a double-base powder that has used up its stabilizer and the nitrocellulose matrix is breaking down and turning the nitroglycerin loose. I have no idea how hot this stuff might have been kept.

As 44 Amp said, folks have fired century old ammunition. There was a fellow on the CMP board who had fired M1 Ball ammo from the 1920's successfully. On the other hand, there were also links there to photos of an M1 Garand blown to pieces by late 1940's manufacture M2 Ball. That ammo had probably been allowed to heat up at some time, but it also may have been double-base, where the 1920's stuff was IMR 1185 or 1186, which was single-base.

Board member Slamfire posted some Navy tests in which 7.62 M80 ball ammo was cooked at 140°F for 18 months. Half the cooked loads were pulled and the powder traded the powder with pulled ammo from the same lot that had been kept aside, but stored at room temperature during the 18 month period. The un-pulled and pulled-and-powder-swapped load were fired. The rounds with the room temperature stored powder, whether in cooked cases with cooked primers and cooked bullets or just the unpulled room temperature stored rounds all fired normally with pressures under 50,000 CUP. The rounds with the cooked powder all fired at over 70,000 CUP. This is because the breakdown of the powder had attacked the deterrents faster than the nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin, so it had become a faster burn rate powder. At the other extreme, if the nitrocellulose and or nitroglycerin are given time to deteriorate the load gets weaker.

So, how has your powder been stored? Do you know its temperature history? Does it look and smell normal? All things to consider before messing with it. When in doubt, scatter it thinly across the lawn as a nitrogen fertilizer. New powder doesn't cost enough to risk an explosion with old powder of unknown history.