At the range today...

benzuncle · August 5, 2008, 09:29 PM

A guy walked in while I was picking up some targets and fishing out my hearing protection and wanted to know if there was working there that reloaded ammo. They said no. I piped up, "I do." The guy took me outside and proceeded to give me some stuff!

4 old Speer reloading books, 245 spent 38special cartridges, 820 Winchester Small Pistol Primers, a half-can of Bullseye smokeless powder and two 22lr cleaning kits; one for pistols and one for rifles. What's a guy to do? I thanked him graciously!

I have 2 questions: I've already read that old powder may still be good. May. This stuff was in a metal can with a metal pop-off lid. You push the edges to close it and push the center to open it. I thought of loading a few rounds near the low end (nothing hot. I don't do that.) and trying it. Any thoughts? And the primers. Are they like Wonder Bread? Do they get stale? They look fine and were stored in the original yellow box and that was inside a Planter's Peanut can with the plastic lid on it. I'd be grateful for any advice. If the powder works, that's 600 rounds of 45ACP. And those primers would do nicely in my .380 loads.

SL1 · August 5, 2008, 09:48 PM

I'd guess that powder is fine. If the can is rusty, it might hide some powder deterioration. But, if the powder is still black/gray, there should not be any problem.

The primers are also probably OK. I have had some for about 30 years that still realiably go bang and shoot tight groups. The worst "failure" I've had was ONE that split down the side (but not across the flat) and gave a VERY minor gas leak that looked a little odd, so I investigated and found the split. Probably due to age cracking in work-hardened brass, but could have been an original manufacturing defect.

There should be no harm in trying them in some "light" charges.

I'd say you are a lucky dude, and your benefactor is a great guy.

SL1

roy reali · August 5, 2008, 11:04 PM

A local shooters nearly lost his life about a year ago. He purchased a half can of powder from some small gun shop. He proceeded to reload it into .300 Win Mag cases to be fired in his Ruger. His gun exploded in his face. I saw the man, he had nasty cuts and bruises. Apparently the powder in the can he bought was not the same as the label.

I would never purchase nor use any can of powder that has been opened by someone else, especially an unknown person.

Sevens · August 6, 2008, 08:37 AM

I keep a supply of Bullseye since it's what I like to use for .45, and because I use it all the time, I would do a visual comparison check against a known supply of Bullseye, just to be safe. One of the single most dangerous things that can happen when reloading is a powder mix-up. Since you did have such a stroke of nice luck, it might not be a bad idea to dump the powder given that you can buy a whole pound of it for less than $20, this might be a good time to be cautious.

If you do choose to get rid of it, simply spread it out over the lawn or garden, it's good for the growth and not at all harmful. It's the best way to get rid of smokeless powder.

One other quick note of caution: Older Speer manuals have quite a reputation for some crazy-hot loads. I don't recall the exact volume number that always generates the stories, but I believe it's Speer #10 or #11 that has some really spicy data in it, so be CAREFUL and always double-check and cross reference any load you intend to build.

The primers can go to hell if they are left in a humid environment or they get attacked by mice **** (don't ask how I know this!), but there's no risk in using them other than having to pull any rounds that end up being FTF's.

If you show a picture of the Bullseye and the primer containers, it's a good bet that someone can tell you approximately when they were produced. A lot of us have older stock or remember previous packaging.

SL1 · August 6, 2008, 09:06 AM

Roy raises a good point about identifying the powder. If it was said to be a slow powder, there would be a lot of room for creating unintended over-pressures should it turn out to actually be a much faster powder (e.g., WW-231 instead of WW-296 or WW-680).

But, Bullseye is a rather fast powder. Not the fastest. But, when loaded into most cartridges, a light load of bullseye should be at or below the max load of anything else that looks like it . If you have a stout revolver, then that would be a good test bed instead of an autoloader for your first trial.

SL1

BigJimP · August 6, 2008, 02:36 PM

I would recommend you dispose of the open can of powder as well. The gentleman was very generous - and that's a good thing / but it still isn't worth the risk.

Many guys keep a dozen or more different kinds of powder around / and even if most of it is what is appears to be / what if something else got mixed into that can bu mistake ...

TimRB · August 6, 2008, 02:41 PM

My sources tell me that you can do a lot worse than sprinkling unwanted smokeless powder on your tomatoes. The plants, not the ones on your burger. Anyway, the stuff is supposedly fine fertilizer.

Tim

benzuncle · August 6, 2008, 04:27 PM

Thanks to all of you for your comments, concerns and sage advice. $10 worth of Bullseye does not seem to be worth the worry. (So much for loading up my 500S&W 2in. snubnose with some hot loads!

LOL) I guess I'll feed the weeds.

August 5, 2008, 11:04 PM	#3
roy reali Senior Member Join Date: August 23, 2005 Posts: 3,248	Nearly Killed A local shooters nearly lost his life about a year ago. He purchased a half can of powder from some small gun shop. He proceeded to reload it into .300 Win Mag cases to be fired in his Ruger. His gun exploded in his face. I saw the man, he had nasty cuts and bruises. Apparently the powder in the can he bought was not the same as the label. I would never purchase nor use any can of powder that has been opened by someone else, especially an unknown person.

August 6, 2008, 08:37 AM	#4
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	I keep a supply of Bullseye since it's what I like to use for .45, and because I use it all the time, I would do a visual comparison check against a known supply of Bullseye, just to be safe. One of the single most dangerous things that can happen when reloading is a powder mix-up. Since you did have such a stroke of nice luck, it might not be a bad idea to dump the powder given that you can buy a whole pound of it for less than $20, this might be a good time to be cautious. If you do choose to get rid of it, simply spread it out over the lawn or garden, it's good for the growth and not at all harmful. It's the best way to get rid of smokeless powder. One other quick note of caution: Older Speer manuals have quite a reputation for some crazy-hot loads. I don't recall the exact volume number that always generates the stories, but I believe it's Speer #10 or #11 that has some really spicy data in it, so be CAREFUL and always double-check and cross reference any load you intend to build. The primers can go to hell if they are left in a humid environment or they get attacked by mice ** (don't ask how I know this!), but there's no risk in using them other than having to pull any rounds that end up being FTF's. If you show a picture of the Bullseye and the primer containers, it's a good bet that someone can tell you approximately when they were produced. A lot of us have older stock or remember previous packaging. __________________ Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:** I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

August 5, 2008, 09:29 PM	#1
benzuncle Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2008 Location: Central Florida Posts: 357	At the range today... A guy walked in while I was picking up some targets and fishing out my hearing protection and wanted to know if there was working there that reloaded ammo. They said no. I piped up, "I do." The guy took me outside and proceeded to give me some stuff! 4 old Speer reloading books, 245 spent 38special cartridges, 820 Winchester Small Pistol Primers, a half-can of Bullseye smokeless powder and two 22lr cleaning kits; one for pistols and one for rifles. What's a guy to do? I thanked him graciously! I have 2 questions: I've already read that old powder may still be good. May. This stuff was in a metal can with a metal pop-off lid. You push the edges to close it and push the center to open it. I thought of loading a few rounds near the low end (nothing hot. I don't do that.) and trying it. Any thoughts? And the primers. Are they like Wonder Bread? Do they get stale? They look fine and were stored in the original yellow box and that was inside a Planter's Peanut can with the plastic lid on it. I'd be grateful for any advice. If the powder works, that's 600 rounds of 45ACP. And those primers would do nicely in my .380 loads.

August 5, 2008, 09:48 PM	#2
SL1 Senior Member Join Date: November 8, 2007 Posts: 2,001	I'd guess that powder is fine. If the can is rusty, it might hide some powder deterioration. But, if the powder is still black/gray, there should not be any problem. The primers are also probably OK. I have had some for about 30 years that still realiably go bang and shoot tight groups. The worst "failure" I've had was ONE that split down the side (but not across the flat) and gave a VERY minor gas leak that looked a little odd, so I investigated and found the split. Probably due to age cracking in work-hardened brass, but could have been an original manufacturing defect. There should be no harm in trying them in some "light" charges. I'd say you are a lucky dude, and your benefactor is a great guy. SL1

August 6, 2008, 09:06 AM	#5
SL1 Senior Member Join Date: November 8, 2007 Posts: 2,001	Roy raises a good point about identifying the powder. If it was said to be a slow powder, there would be a lot of room for creating unintended over-pressures should it turn out to actually be a much faster powder (e.g., WW-231 instead of WW-296 or WW-680). But, Bullseye is a rather fast powder. Not the fastest. But, when loaded into most cartridges, a light load of bullseye should be at or below the max load of anything else that looks like it . If you have a stout revolver, then that would be a good test bed instead of an autoloader for your first trial. SL1

August 6, 2008, 02:36 PM	#6
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 13,195	I would recommend you dispose of the open can of powder as well. The gentleman was very generous - and that's a good thing / but it still isn't worth the risk. Many guys keep a dozen or more different kinds of powder around / and even if most of it is what is appears to be / what if something else got mixed into that can bu mistake ...

August 6, 2008, 02:41 PM	#7
TimRB Senior Member Join Date: May 18, 2004 Posts: 1,049	My sources tell me that you can do a lot worse than sprinkling unwanted smokeless powder on your tomatoes. The plants, not the ones on your burger. Anyway, the stuff is supposedly fine fertilizer. Tim

August 6, 2008, 04:27 PM	#8
benzuncle Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2008 Location: Central Florida Posts: 357	*Thanks* to all of you for your comments, concerns and sage advice. $10 worth of Bullseye does not seem to be worth the worry. (So much for loading up my 500S&W 2in. snubnose with some hot loads! LOL) I guess I'll feed the weeds.