Powder shelf life

[MA5177]

I have a friend that has several large cans of powder that's about 30 years old.
Always kept sealed and dry stored in his old reloading room.

Is this powder safe ? Thanks, Mike.

[Citadelgrad87]

Open it, look at it, and smell it.

My understanding is degraded powder stinks pretty badly.

I defer to anyone who has actually encountered old powder. If bad, use it as fertilizer.

[pdq_wizzard]

if it smells like cat pee it's done, but with that I have powder that is 30 + years old and it works fine.

edit to add, look for rust dust when you poor it. if you see rusty dust its done.

[thomashoward]

Pour a little in a shot glass. if it has red powdery rust in it ,dump it
I know this because I bought some opened cans cheap at a gun show. I compared them with new stuff when I got home. There was a noticeable red dust throughout, so my loss I dumped it. Some I just burned for fun.

check each can individually. no rust keep it. I'm using some older powder in paper cans from the early 80's.
Single base powders degrade faster. Double base powders last almost indefinitely if properly stored.

[kendog4570]

Rust in the container and strong acidic smell are the big things to watch for. Don't confuse the normal (for some powders) acetone/solvent smell with a acidic/vinegar smell of decomposing powder.
I have some powder that is over 40 years old and still works fine. If kept dry and cool it will last almost indefinitely.

[trania_000]

I was given a 4lbs can not too long ago, the date stamp on it was from 1975. It was still sealed. I opened it, smelled it and did the shot glass test and everything seemed fine to me. That can is long gone and I have had zero issues with any of my reloads with it!

[CamW]

I bought some Red Dot from an estate sale, the container was marked 1974.
I've used it with no problems.

[rcslotcar]

I still have a container of Unique,, marked $7.45 still goes bang.

[opos]

If you suspect a problem be pretty careful about breathing the "red dust" you hear mentioned...not a good thing.

[MA5177]

Thanks guys, looks like I may score a BUNCH of free powder. Bullseye , unique, red dot , etc etc.

[Cowboy T]

One thing that will help its longevity is to keep it in a reasonably cool, dry place without a lot of temperature fluctuations.

[Divernhunter]

I have powder from WWII and there abouts and it is good. It is mil surplus pull-down stuff.

I also have powder I purchased in the 1960's and it is good. Cost about $3.25/lb. Some of it is Alcan powder. Alcan was common back then but not so much now.
Also have a couple of boxes of 12ga Alcan shells

[LynnJr]

Besides what others have already posted powder can get sticky when it breaks down and it can also turn green like Lilli pads on a pond.

[pacrat]

I have powder from WWII and there abouts and it is good. It is mil surplus pull-down stuff.

I also have powder I purchased in the 1960's and it is good. Cost about $3.25/lb. Some of it is Alcan powder. Alcan was common back then but not so much now.
Also have a couple of boxes of 12ga Alcan shells

All of the above.

I have some IMR 4064 that I got at a garage sale in 1968 that is still just fine.

Also have 10 lbs of AL-8 from same period that is still going strong.

[Sky_DiveR]

Besides what others have already posted powder can get sticky when it breaks down and it can also turn green like Lilli pads on a pond.

I'm guessing that's mold from being damp? I've never seen that... but then again, I haven't run across any degraded powder as long as I've been loading either (and I've bought some old powder). Depends on how its stored.