How long does pistol powder and primers stay good for

[71olds442]

A friend gave me some winchester pistol powder and cci primers the container was sealed tight put has been opened new to reloading so I'm not sure thanks for any info keith

 

[Len-2A Training]

If properly stored lifespan is huge. If powder doesn't smell like vinegar it has been said by many that it is safe to use.

 

[Actnbill]

I have some powder from WWII....... still works great !!!

 

[saltydude]

Powder (black) can last indefinitely. Propellant & primers have a shelf life depending on the environmental conditions in which they were stored as someone eluded to.

 

[greencobra]

i just used up a few thousand winchester sp/lp primers that i had bought, ummmm, maybe 35 years ago and an 8 lb keg of winchester super target from the late 80's as well as a couple of pounds of unique in those old square metal cans that were i don't know how old with no issues. yeah, as long as stored properly, a lifetime.

 

[Monadnock]

To pile-on ...proper storage ...practically indefinite. The compounds are very stable unless exposed to moisture, excessive O2 and contaminants. I have shot plenty of both commercially loaded and hand loaded ammunition that is almost 80 years old (modern smokeless gunpowder ...not black powder mind you). And like others, I have purchased old loading equipment with the old Herco/Hercules/IMR tin cans intact, and unless they were poorly sealed, have loaded it all.

Modern Gunpowder seems to get a musty scent when it goes south. And black powder inherits an acrid acid-type odor similar to vinegar. It may also have an orange tint to it in my experience.

If in doubt, take a little out and put a match to it and compare the burn to a similar amount of known-good powder. This IS NOT a proof that the powder is OK, just an indication that it's still capable of ignition. Though if that were a question, put it in your "b-o-m-b" box or in your garden ...the plants seem to like it (nitrate).

 

[EddieCoyle]

Under ideal storage conditions, the performance of double-base powder is measurably different than new powder when it gets to be about 20 years old. For single-base powder, it's 40 years. How long the powder "lasts" beyond that depends on the powder in question, and how much performance degradation is "acceptable".

There's no way I would shoot 80 year old ammo. I have in the past, but I won't do it again. There are too many examples of guns blowing up when shooting old surplus ammo for it not to be a real hazard. I personally saw someone destroy a Garand because of multiple partial on one full case head separation with WWII vintage US surplus ammo.

Why do you think the military "surpluses" their ammo in the first place? Because it's still good and has plenty of life left in it?

I think the myth of indefinite powder longevity was created by this ad that Alliant put out when they took over Hercules:

Note that the powder is stored in distilled water, and the claim is that it "almost" performs to "original specifications". Folks, I've spent my entire 30-year professional career in Marketing. Believe me when I tell you there is a LOT of wiggle room in the word "almost". People have bastardized this to "Powder still works the same after 100 years." It doesn't.