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How long is powder good for
- Thread starter Top355x
- Start date
Depends on the conditions outside of the reservoir.
Inside the house and dry like this time of year? Forever and a day?
Outside in the garage (or iside the house) in the middle of june or july when its super humid? Not advisable unless where you store is near a dehumidifier.
Inside the house and dry like this time of year? Forever and a day?
Outside in the garage (or iside the house) in the middle of june or july when its super humid? Not advisable unless where you store is near a dehumidifier.
PL-52
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Powder and long term storage in the plastic hopper on a press is discouraged it will eventually damage the plastic hopper, is what I was told by someone WAY smarter than I am.
greencobra
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Top
you mean in the reservoir of your power dump? you'll know something is off if the sides of the reservoir are a plastic material. when the celulose (or whatever) in the powder starts to go, it'll eat at the plastic of the reservoir. you'll know!
^this for waste powder.
PL-52
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Being a bit on the OCD side I try to judge how much I put in the hopper by how many empties I have to load or when my next loading session might be. I have come closer and closer as I load more on a regular basis. But I still dump it out and wipe it clean if it's more than a day or 2.
I’ve never left powder in the hopper for more than a day or 2. 99% of the time I put the powder back into the containers. I don’t want to risk possibly ruining the powder. Takes just a minute.
My plastic Hornady hopper discolored from powder eating at it. I now have a Dram Worx glass hopper. Thing is awesome.
My plastic Hornady hopper discolored from powder eating at it. I now have a Dram Worx glass hopper. Thing is awesome.
UV light degrades powder too. If it gets sun, it's probably bad.
I have a shot shell reloader set up at another location, each year around Nov I am there and I will load up a box of 25 for trap. Its a Mec with the over sized powder bottle. Its going on 10 years now with the same powder......
Alliant Powder had a batch of red dot that they would test yearly....after something like 75 years they stopped testing it. Seems if you keep dark,cool,dry it will last a long long time. I have a unopened cardboard canister of HERCO from the 80s. Im almost certain it will go bang if I loaded it up. Top performance maybe not but it will work.
I went through 2k rounds of WWI era 45acp mostly Rem UMC and peters from 1918. Had the nickel or tin jacket. shot great
Alliant Powder had a batch of red dot that they would test yearly....after something like 75 years they stopped testing it. Seems if you keep dark,cool,dry it will last a long long time. I have a unopened cardboard canister of HERCO from the 80s. Im almost certain it will go bang if I loaded it up. Top performance maybe not but it will work.
I went through 2k rounds of WWI era 45acp mostly Rem UMC and peters from 1918. Had the nickel or tin jacket. shot great
dcmdon
NES Member
One thing to remember is that even if powder is stored in a humid environment, bringing it to a dry environment for a few days will allow it to dry out and it will be as good as new.
I read several years ago that some powder companies used to (maybe still do) store old reference power in water. When they need some to perform a test, they remove it and dry it out.
The only real issue is if the powder is clumping. The size of each grain of powder affects the speed at which it burns. Smaller grains have more surface area for a given amount of powder and are "fast". Larger grains have less surface area so they burn more slowly. Clumping reduces the surface area of the powder so it will burn more slowly than intended.
With that said, allowing powder to dry out inside will remove the clumps.
I sold off most of my powder and all were kept in their sealed cans. I checked them for a vinegar smell (it's a sign of spoilage) and there was no such odor. They were in a climate-controlled environment for many years and no buyer has complained about them. The bottom line is it all depends on how the powder is stored, done right it seems the stuff is good for a very long time (decades or more).
I'm pretty sure that there is a date code on each can but unsure if it is easily translatable.
Quite_Exasperated
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I’ve loaded up stuff from the bottle 20 years old and it worked flawlessly. A few days in the hopper is fine in a climate controlled environment or during the winter Here in NE. It costs too much $ to take a chance plus the safety factor of exposing powder to general accidents leads me to minimize time outside the bottle or the round...
jaypap
NES Member
I've only come across one can of bad powder in the last 30 years. It was in my Uncle's basement, not sure how long it was there he died in 1984.
It was in the original metal can. It smelled acidic and obnoxious to the nose. Sprinkled it on the lawn and kept the can as a collectors item.
It was in the original metal can. It smelled acidic and obnoxious to the nose. Sprinkled it on the lawn and kept the can as a collectors item.
jaypap
NES Member
I read everyones answers and not much of the original post. As for powder in the reservoir I don't store it there. If it is a damp moist area, humid and been a while I'd smell it, if acidic or in doubt start fresh.
Most manufacturers tell you not to store in the reservoir.
Also only keep one open powder out at a time so you don't put it back in the wrong container.
Just remove the hopper and pour it back in the original container when done.
I dont know if this makes a difference or if its just a waste of 2minutes of my life.
But, when I buy more powder than I need in the next 6 months (which is every time I buy powder), I tape all around the cap and throw it in the basement. I thought about putting the container in a vacuum sealed bag, but I got lazy.
As far as black powder, I found a container that had been in the basement for over 6 years and it shot great.
A year ago, I put one container of BP in an unheated barn, inside a big plastic container (those cheap ones used for moving). I will give it another year and try it out.
But, when I buy more powder than I need in the next 6 months (which is every time I buy powder), I tape all around the cap and throw it in the basement. I thought about putting the container in a vacuum sealed bag, but I got lazy.
As far as black powder, I found a container that had been in the basement for over 6 years and it shot great.
A year ago, I put one container of BP in an unheated barn, inside a big plastic container (those cheap ones used for moving). I will give it another year and try it out.
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