Might be a stupid question, but I honestly dont know.. I've always bought single lb's at a time, but this time I got my hands on an 8lb can of CFE223. I plan on using it almost exclusively for my .308, but 8lbs is enough for almost 1200 rounds of .308.. How long will the powder stay good after its opened, if its kept in my garage? Garage stays cool / cold all year long, and I live in a semi-dry environment. Thanks.
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How long does open powder last?
- Thread starter punkwood2k
- Start date
As long as you keep it capped, I wouldn't worry about it. People were still buying surplus rifle powder from WWII for 40 years. It's not like a quart of beer where it goes flat in a day or two after opening. BB
You will get volume/weight changes as the humidity changes. There is a thread on here about that. What effect that will have on your shooting is not readily available. I wouldn't worry...just enjoy the fact that you have some, and in a couple of years when you need more...it will cost twice as much.
I don't know, but I once used some Hercules unique (I think?) that was probably about twenty years old, maybe more. It was the kind that came in the cardboard tubes. It was left to me by a shooter who had opened it years before. It worked fine. Manufacturers will tell you to use it before that long, so I try to burn mine up faster than that, but it's pretty stable stuff.
How about UN-opened bottles? I just got some H4350 that is ~24 years old...I think. Lot # TO589 62591 (is that June 25, 1991?) and TO589 2990 (is that Feb 2, 1990?).
This is NOT recommended.
But I took a number of years off from shooting. When I stopped, I had my Dillon 650 set up for .45 ACP, loading WW231. I left about 1/3 of a hopper of powder in the measure. Just never got around to dealing with it.
Skip to 13 years later. I smelled the powder, it was OK. I burned some and some fresh powder, and it seemed OK. So I loaded up some, and test fired it. Worked fine.
But I took a number of years off from shooting. When I stopped, I had my Dillon 650 set up for .45 ACP, loading WW231. I left about 1/3 of a hopper of powder in the measure. Just never got around to dealing with it.
Skip to 13 years later. I smelled the powder, it was OK. I burned some and some fresh powder, and it seemed OK. So I loaded up some, and test fired it. Worked fine.
How long opened powder will last can vary greatly sometimes depending on the weather. I don't know where you live but in South Dakota we have wild temperature extremes. If I open a can in winter, and it's a winter like this with many days of -20 deg. temps, powder can last a while. However if I open one in the spring when we have 50 to 60 degree days, I shoot much more, and run out of powder much faster. So, if you want your powder to last, I advise against opening it in the spring....... Sorry, couldn't help myself. ... As far as the powder going bad, I have a can of IMR 4831 that my dad bought before I was born. (1978) I've loaded it in a .300 Winchester, and it shot great. Keep it dry and in a somewhat controlled environment, and you'll be fine.
^That is the answer.
I have personal knowledge, a friend, steel can of IMR4064 going bad after 10/15 years, (rusty discoloration) but that's rarer than winning the Lotto. It doesn't matter how many times you open and use it as long as you keep what's left, tightly capped. BB
A couple years ago I stumbled across a 10 pound cardboard drum of Win 452AA. It was discontinued in the late '80s. Still works as well as remember 30 years ago.
According to the National Center For Forensic Science, the chemicals used can be pretty drastically different. So being able to have an answer to such a general question probably won't be possible. I personally would think that the chemicals are stable enough that they do not have issues for a long time. I would be interested though to see a test done, but that would require the powders to be made exactly as they were.
a couple of years ago, I dumped several pounds of unknown surplus in piles on my concrete volleyball court. I lite off each pile to get rid of it. The following summer, I was sweeping off the court for play and noticed a bunch of extruded granules of un-burnt powder. I collected about a hundred grains of it and place it on a sheet of paper. I lite the paper and to my amazement, when it touched the powder, it took off and flash burned like new powder.
I was glad to see how unaffected it was to the open elements. My current supply will be safe for a good long while.
I was glad to see how unaffected it was to the open elements. My current supply will be safe for a good long while.
And, as far as the humidity aspect...it is reported that Alliant (formerly Hercules) has a supply of Unique from the early 1900's. It is stored in under water. Evey so often they take out a sample, dry it out and test it. Still good after a hundred years of water storage. FWIW
More like 30 - 40 years old.
It was 20 years ago!
I think it was made in the 60's or 70's if memory serves. Shot in the 90's.
I have a can of Bullseye in a cardboard cylinderical container from about 1977. No pull spout. Later containers came with the pull out plastic spout.
Then the metal cans. Then the plastic bottles.
IMR powders came in metal rectangular cans in the 70s. I still have part of a can of IMR 4350. I used it to work up a sub-MOA load for my Dad's Remington 760.
I have a can of Bullseye in a cardboard cylinderical container from about 1977. No pull spout. Later containers came with the pull out plastic spout.
Then the metal cans. Then the plastic bottles.
IMR powders came in metal rectangular cans in the 70s. I still have part of a can of IMR 4350. I used it to work up a sub-MOA load for my Dad's Remington 760.
Must have been late 70's/early eighties - I'm pretty sure it had the spout. That would put it at almost 20 years old as fired. I recall buying IMR powder in metal cans in the late 90's. I still have some 4064.
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