Old Powder

[Manomet]

This is a story about old powder, I had heard and read about the warning signs but had to learn the hard way i guess. I have used some powder that was thirty years old with no problems so....
Back in the no powder,primer days of 2 yrs ago I picked up a 1lb container of Varget for rifle from Natick Outdoor store and stuck it in the supply locker. A couple of weeks ago I started loading 45-90 after a lot of reading and research. I chose to use Varget for it' slow burning and low pressure , using light loads and working up with 405 gr bullets to start. When i opened this bottle of powder I noticed the seal was broken open but it seemed to be full and smelled ok. It had an ever so slight orange tint to it.
Well being a frugal Yankee I said lets try it, so I loaded a few rounds and they went boom just like I had planned. I loaded about 20 more and they all went fine as well. So after casting a bunch of 290 gr. bullets I started to load and noticed the color of the powder was much more orange in the middle of the jug but kept on going. After loading about 40 rounds in a nice 1/2 gr. progression up the scale to find a good load for this rifle/bullet combination my wife and I dragged all the stuff I needed to the range to see what worked best.
After setting out targets, setting up the spotting scope and getting everything ready I explained to her what I was trying to accomplish and she got familiar with the scope. I settled in at the bench, we put on our ear mops and I fired the first round. It went pop not bang, almost like it was just a primer and then at least a full second later we heard the bullet hit down range. I knew there was 50 grs of Varget in there, I also knew about the orange tint and that I had fired over thirty rounds from this jug with success. I jumped a few load sizes thinking the powder didn't have good contact with the primer and tilted the barrel up before aiming down range. Four rounds went fine. The last round of the day we never heard a pop and I ended up with a bullet lodged in the barrel. It came out very easy and so did a lot of yellow unburned Varget. I got lucky and now I only have about 60 rounds of painstakingly measured and loaded 45-90 to tear down and start all over. OLD POWDER if it looks bad it is.

 

[center442]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. You were smart enough to use caution so you avoided any possible damage or injury. Good for you.

Like you, I've used powder (and primers) that were decades old, and never had a problem. Those items were bought new by me and I stored them under controlled conditions. From your OP I'm guessing that you do the same. I would never have expected an issue like that from a canister of powder that was only a couple of years old and purchased at retail. Since the seal was broken I suspect that something got in there to contaminate the powder. Maybe someone bought it, spilled something in it, and returned it to the shop? Just curious if there was a date stamp on the canister? If it was an old lot it may have been improperly stored by the retailer.

Still a good post to remind reloaders to use caution and common sense. Like many things in life, if it looks or smells "off" be careful!

 

[DukeInFlorida]

The container that this Varget was in........ was it some sort of metal container????
The Hodgdon production is typically the black plastic containers.

Was the "orange" color. . . . RUST???

Iron oxide is very abrasive. In addition to iron oxide being a contaminate (if that is what you are describing) to the powder, you would also be abrading your lands and grooves with that stuff. Probably not good for the barrel.

I know that Varget doesn't have the dark black or dark gray color that most powders have. It's more of a dark green color. Haven't ever had any go "rusty" on me.

I have some old tin DuPont IMR cans with rusty powder that I use in classes as examples of what not to use. I tend to like that most of the companies now use the black plastic containers.

 

[mac1911]

I would report it to the manufacture..there may have been a issue with that lot ???

 

[one-eyed Jack]

If the seal was broken, you'll never know. Throw it out and get some more. Jack.

 

[ChargingCharlie]

Was the "orange" color. . . . RUST???

Orangish/Red dust on the powder is a sign of the powder breaking down. I've seen warnings in the past from Hodgon and Alliant that said to dispose of any powder that has red dust or flecks in it.

 

[Manomet]

Original black plastic container. Changing color from black or dark charcoal to a reddish or rusty color is a well known sign of smoke less powder breaking down. I just pushed my luck because the first loads went fine. The seal was definitely broken but to much time has gone by to take it back.

 

[DukeInFlorida]

Other than the rusty tins that I mentioned before, I have not ever had any powder go red like that.

Here is the data sheet for Varget:

http://hodgdon.com/PDF/MSDS Files/Smokeless/Hodgdon/Extruded Rifle Powders/MSDS_Varget_AR2208.pdf

 

[swampy]

About 5 years ago I used some 30+ year old 3031, that was already old when it was given to me in the late 70's, to load some 308 and 30-30 without much issue. There was a little yellow dust on the top so I shook the cans for a while to mix it up but it smelled and worked just fine. They had $5.99 price tags on them from Lew Horton's. I had a few cans of Dupont Hi Skor 700x that were in cream and olive green colored tin cans. Loaded that up in 12 gauge trap loads way back in the 90's.

We had a dealer nearby that had his shelves full of powder in front of a south facing window. That probably wasn't a good decision.

 

[bpm990d]

From Sierra's Exterior Ballistic webpage.

The shelf life of modern smokeless propellant is virtually indefinite, given proper conditions. Improperly stored, however, powder deterioration will occur. If you suspect that powder has been improperly stored, it should be checked for the following signs: 1) An irritating acidic odor, not to be confused with the ether odor common to most forms of smokeless powder. 2) A reddish dust, or a “clumped” appearance. 3) An oily or sticky substance in the powder. If the powder in question appears to have deteriorated, it should be destroyed at once.