R
rkensinger
Guest
Bought a lb of varget about a year ago. The seal has not been opened. How do I tell if it's any good?
John Kielly
Shari's fan club
It will be fine as long as you haven't stored it hot - and the same with your gun shop. Without following up batch numbers, we generally don't know when a run of powder was made, how long it was held by the factory & then how long your gunshop held it.
Just shoot it.
Just shoot it.
C
Clifdweller77
Guest
Sniff Test
Give it the sniff test, if it has an alcohol smell it is good. I have never had any go bad, but it can, and sometimes does. I have some of my Granddads old powder and it is still good, probably circa 1950 stuff.
Sam
Give it the sniff test, if it has an alcohol smell it is good. I have never had any go bad, but it can, and sometimes does. I have some of my Granddads old powder and it is still good, probably circa 1950 stuff.
Sam
L
Larry Elliott
Guest
What John said. Unless the powder has been stored in high heat at some point an unopened (or opened and tightly capped) cannister of powder should be good for many years. When it goes bad you won't get the solvent odor when the cannister is opened, instead it will have the sharp nasty odor of NOx. A little sniff, unless your nose is dead, will tell you all you need to know about it.
D
dlay
Guest
I shot some imr4064 a little while back that my dad had, had a price on it of $3.75, it shot as good as the last purchased. I asked a dupont powder man a few years ago about powders and he said that they were still loading out of old war supplies, not to worry about it as long has not been wet. This powder that I shot had been in a room with no heat or air cond for all these years from way below freezing to over 100 deg.
J
J. Valentine
Guest
There is a few more pitfalls to watch out for with very old powders.
Most slower burning powders are controlled by external coatings on them.
So even though the powder smells ok and is still capable of burning it can still be in the process of the deterent coating breaking down.
So in addition to the smell test a visual inspection of the whole batch and inside the can is a good idea. If you see a lot of dusty material or flaky material that is not the normal powder grains . That could indicate the start of coating break down.
What it does is speed up the powder!
So a good idea if still unsure about a batch of very old powder is to start loading with a powder weight well below the reccommended starting point.
Just to get an idea of how fast it is right now.
Then work up as normal.
Most slower burning powders are controlled by external coatings on them.
So even though the powder smells ok and is still capable of burning it can still be in the process of the deterent coating breaking down.
So in addition to the smell test a visual inspection of the whole batch and inside the can is a good idea. If you see a lot of dusty material or flaky material that is not the normal powder grains . That could indicate the start of coating break down.
What it does is speed up the powder!
So a good idea if still unsure about a batch of very old powder is to start loading with a powder weight well below the reccommended starting point.
Just to get an idea of how fast it is right now.
Then work up as normal.
M
murphy
Guest
Old Powder
Some time ago I had a can of H4831(ADI 2213) go off on me. The first thing I noticed was a strong acidic smell and a change in colour to slightly mustard colour, also a dusty appearance like some one had sprinkled talcum powder on it. Some powders seem to last for ever, I found a part packet of Dominion factory loads in 25/20 that my father told me he had purchased in 1935. Tried them in my Martini and they shot better than my handloads, they were a 60g solid with a little dimple in the end. Pulled one apart and they had cotton wool packing and a powder that looked like Dupont 4227.
Some time ago I had a can of H4831(ADI 2213) go off on me. The first thing I noticed was a strong acidic smell and a change in colour to slightly mustard colour, also a dusty appearance like some one had sprinkled talcum powder on it. Some powders seem to last for ever, I found a part packet of Dominion factory loads in 25/20 that my father told me he had purchased in 1935. Tried them in my Martini and they shot better than my handloads, they were a 60g solid with a little dimple in the end. Pulled one apart and they had cotton wool packing and a powder that looked like Dupont 4227.
V
vmaxx
Guest
Shelf life of powder
I had two cans of Imr4831 that went bad after about seven years. Was pouring some out and noticed a brown color. It was rust from the can. Checked my other can that was sealed It to had rusted the can. No bad smells just rust. I had two cans of Imr4350 one sealed and the other had been opened and they were just fine. Bought at the same time as the 4831.
Could be why they went to plastic cans.
vmaxx
I had two cans of Imr4831 that went bad after about seven years. Was pouring some out and noticed a brown color. It was rust from the can. Checked my other can that was sealed It to had rusted the can. No bad smells just rust. I had two cans of Imr4350 one sealed and the other had been opened and they were just fine. Bought at the same time as the 4831.
Could be why they went to plastic cans.
vmaxx