Old Powder Warning

[Rootshot]

I finished a move and had my powder supply stored in my garage in Florida for about a year. I was starting a new project that called for some Vitavuori N133 and was happy that I had an old jug of it.

I dreaded finding a strong smell coming from the mostly empty 8lb factory container (maybe 1 lb left). It smelled sharp - something like either chlorine or ammonia. I dumped the powder in the toilet and flushed it thinking all is well. I started filling the empty jug with water and a brownish / yellowish vapor started coming out. It's unclear whether it was powder in suspension or some reaction with the water. I immediately sealed the container and took it outside. I may have inhaled a little. Even though I don't have a cough, my lungs don't exactly feel good.

When I inspected the cardboard box that the powder was stored in, I found it slightly discolored and brittle. It seems pretty clear to me now that vapors escaped and were degrading the cardboard. The label confirmed that the powder was from 2004.

I strongly suggest inspecting old batches of powder and keeping them stored somewhere where they can't cause damage (not inside the house!).

 

[918v]

No, not all old powder. Just VV is that way. I have shit from the 80’s stored the same way and only VV goes bad.

 

[stello1001]

No, not all old powder. Just VV is that way. I have shit from the 80’s stored the same way and only VV goes bad.

I guess that's a great reason to go shoot more and don't let VV sit

 

[cas6969]

Next time sprinkle it around some plants.

 

[Rootshot]

Next time sprinkle it around some plants.

Dude... This stuff was WWI trench warfare poison. I wouldn't do that to my plants.

 

[JerkyFreak]

Dude... This stuff was WWI trench warfare poison. I wouldn't do that to my plants.

That does not mean it isn't good fertilizer.

 

[.505gibbs]

This was a known issue with vv 100 series powders. To my knowledge they have corrected it.

 

[culater]

Dude... This stuff was WWI trench warfare poison. I wouldn't do that to my plants.

So in your infinite wisdom you dump in the water supply you drink and posing the community.

Your quote
I dumped the powder in the toilet and flushed it thinking all is well. Not Smart at all.

 

[Rootshot]

So in your infinite wisdom you dump in the water supply you drink and posing the community.

Your quote
I dumped the powder in the toilet and flushed it thinking all is well. Not Smart at all.

I hope I don't drink toilet or sewer water.... That said, fair point. I do tend to be thoughtful about disposing other waste such as paint.

 

[.338LM]

No, not all old powder. Just VV is that way. I have shit from the 80’s stored the same way and only VV goes bad.

I’ve got some older VV, what is a reasonable shelf life? Mines like 15 years old…

 

[rijndael]

In talking with Hodgdon, temp stability is a big factor in how well it ages.

 

[918v]

I’ve got some older VV, what is a reasonable shelf life? Mines like 15 years old…

I don’t know. Smell it. Mine went bad around 20 years old. Stored in the house.

 

[TheOE800]

I hope I don't drink toilet or sewer water.... That said, fair point. I do tend to be thoughtful about disposing other waste such as paint.

I hate to break it to you…

 

[Kiba]

On a note very close to the OP, I just finished a jug of 2013 vintage N133 (and just opened a 2016 jug of N133 that was from my overly large stock up order before the election.) Both smell ok, and the final loads made with the 2013 vintage N133 still matched my load data from 2014 regarding charge weight vs velocity in one of my infrequently shot rifles. SD and ES were still in the same ballpark even 11 years apart.

On the other hand, here's something else to read and think about for the hoarding types that buy large quantities of powder and use it over the course of many years...

There was a recent thread on accurate shooter where a member had some 4166 enduron powder go bad. The jug smelled funny and was actually bubbled slightly. He took it to work to throw in the dumpster and the jug blew up while sitting in the back of his pickup.

https://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/anybody-ever-had-a-powder-explosion.4125184/

Security camera video in post #18.

Granted, in this case the bad jug was sitting in the bed of his pickup, but imagine that happening in your house, probably while stored next to your other powder and possibly primers.

A few members in that thread said they occasionally use a thermal camera to inspect their powder stash and see if any of the jugs are exotherming. Post #46 mentions a similar situation with a warm jug.

Also, here's a thread about defective IMR 4007 rapidly degrading, eating brass, and spontaneously combusting. Granted, that was a known recall, but still scary, because you know there's still some out there in someone's stash and they never received the recall notice.

You are being redirected...

And right on the vihtavuori website...

 

[sinister]

I just threw out 250 x 80-grain 5.56mm 600-yard cartridges I bulk-loaded in 2020 with VV N135. This ammo had been stored in plastic bags in air-tight .50-cal cans in climate-controlled space.

All cases and primers were tarnished and corroded, as well as a few of the Sierra bullets. I guess the powder went sour and whatever fumes off-gassed was corrosive.

My son was having problems with the cartridges blowing primers out of their pockets and not extracting out of chambers in 20-inch National Match rifles.

I've never had that happen with any other handloads.

 

[Rootshot]

I made the mistake of having a few die sets in the same moving box as the old VV powder. All have some surface rust from the vapor. Dies stored in other boxes were unaffected.