Decomposing smokeless powder

[MrBuzzard]

[LynnJr]

Sometimes it gets a wet brownish color to it and sometimes it turns bright green.

[Cypriss32]

I have a few 8lb containers on Accurate powder that have done this to me. I have hodgen powder from the 80s that has had no issues.

[OpenSightsOnly]

This powder was given to me in a 8# jug in 2015. It should be noted, this jug was of the plastic variety with metal lid.

Was it a generic plastic jug, or was it an 8lb plastic powder jug with a metal lid?

[the86d]

Any vets want to chime in and let us know how to avoid wasting power like this with preventing it going bad in some way?

[rsrocket1]

Any vets want to chime in and let us know how to avoid wasting power like this with preventing it going bad in some way?

Definitely.

Shoot it!

I see people who claim to have 10-20 years of ammo and components on hand "just in case" and to them I'd say "good luck depending on it when you need it". If you can't turn your ammo over in a year or two, you have too much. It will may very likely still be good in 20 years, but maybe it won't and just like the preppers who buy a years worth of food and expect to store it for 30, good luck.

Turn your ammo over and keep the pipeline flowing. Load up and shoot that old stuff up first.

[kcstott]

Definitely.

Shoot it!

I see people who claim to have 10-20 years of ammo and components on hand "just in case" and to them I'd say "good luck depending on it when you need it". If you can't turn your ammo over in a year or two, you have too much. It will may very likely still be good in 20 years, but maybe it won't and just like the preppers who buy a years worth of food and expect to store it for 30, good luck.

Turn your ammo over and keep the pipeline flowing. Load up and shoot that old stuff up first.

That is the reason I have powder and components on hand to make 1-2-3k rounds depending on caliber. I load what I need, shoot it and repeat. No need to stock more than a few hundred rounds.

[BigFatGuy]

what happens if you light the decomposing powder?

[Divernhunter]

I will keep an eye on my accurate powders now. Have not had any troubles yet.
I have Alcan, 700X and IMR powders from the 1960's that are still good. Just do not use much of them and had a very large amount of some to start with.

Thanks for the heads up on the accurate powder.

I have some mil surplus ammo that is old and some that I loaded years ago but usually I do not load up many, many rounds just to store.

[the86d]

Definitely.

Shoot it!

I see people who claim to have 10-20 years of ammo and components on hand "just in case" and to them I'd say "good luck depending on it when you need it". If you can't turn your ammo over in a year or two, you have too much. It will may very likely still be good in 20 years, but maybe it won't and just like the preppers who buy a years worth of food and expect to store it for 30, good luck.

Turn your ammo over and keep the pipeline flowing. Load up and shoot that old stuff up first.

Is there something in the mix, or bottles that makes it go off, I tentially by the MFR these days?

If I do leave primers out exposed in my reloading/computer room, being an eCig user, I notice I get more dud primers.

[dadswickedammo]

Wow!!!
Been at this a longgggggg time have seen and smelled powder go bad and have used powder and primers 50+ years old and shot some 80 year old 303 Brit lil hang fire.
What I see here worries me alot...
How dangerous is this off gassing?
How violent will it get?
Will it spontainously combust?
We need a smart guy Here!!

[MrBuzzard]

Wow!!!
Been at this a longgggggg time have seen and smelled powder go bad and have used powder and primers 50+ years old and shot some 80 year old 303 Brit lil hang fire.
What I see here worries me alot...
How dangerous is this off gassing?
How violent will it get?
Will it spontainously combust?
We need a smart guy Here!!

[rsrocket1]

Is there something in the mix, or bottles that makes it go off, I tentially by the MFR these days?

If I do leave primers out exposed in my reloading/computer room, being an eCig user, I notice I get more dud primers.

No.

Contrary to conspiracy theorists and TFH thoughts, certain firearm propellants have always "gone bad" depending on what powder you are talking about. Black powder (KNO3/Carbon/Sulfur) was very stable. Original batches of some powders like Unique have been periodically tested for nearly a century and are still good but Allaint stores that original batch under water..

I know of one powder I would never buy in more than 1 pound and I'd shoot it as soon as I got it would be IMR4895.

You should periodically check your stash of powder. An acidic odor or any red/rusty looking "dust" in the bottle could mean it's deteriorating. It's a good idea to know the location of the ammo where that powder was loaded and either test it by disassembling a round or two or disposing of it.

I like to keep my stash down to less than 1k of each type and make sure it gets shot within a couple of years. For my pistol rounds, I probably shoot 10k/year and go through an 8# jug annually so it's no problem. Heat is the biggest enemy of powder but virtually any powder will last at least a few years so if you cycle through the powder that quickly you never have to worry.

[hambam105]

Had something similar happen to me a few years back.
Apprantley I had some kind of South American 7.62X51mm factory & 1980s, corrosive factory ammo stored on the self just a bit too close to some U.S. non corrosive ammunition. It looked like a film of pale green crud growing over the cartridges.
Someone a lot smarter than me took one look at the situation and said it was a chemical reaction.

I'd call the powder manufacture most definitely.

[tonyjr]

maybe 30 years ago I opened a can [ metal with screw top
[ also metal ]. It smelled bad - gun store said to take to fire dept .
After that I started buying Hodgdon only . No more cheap / on sale
crap .
Now-a-days with nephews and nieces , powder does not make it to
2nd year .
I have a few hunting rounds boxes that are maybe 10 years old but am shooting them slowly at range .