reloading

[bill50]

was into reloading about 15 yrs ago im going to get back into it was wondering if powder or primers go bad  they have been put away in a cool dry room  thanks for any replies

[YRUpunting?]

Powder does go bad but it's usually a lot older than 15 years.  If it's bad it will smell bad and may have redish rust colored flakes. 

[Larry L]

I'm still using primers and powder that well beyond 15 years. Yeah, it's kept inside out of the elements. I'm loading the last keg of Unique into 9mm that wears the Hercules label and is date stamped 1975. Now if I could just find some Speer 146gr Half Jacketed bullets in 357.........Darn those were some of the most accurate bullets to ever come out of a Python.

[Dand]

I just made some loads last night with primers dates 1991 and 1993.  I think the powder was older than that and its been doing fine in other loads. I keep my stuff in a very dry spot where temps are pretty stable. 

[mcbammer]

The  shelf life  of  powders & primers  has a lot  to  do  with  how its  stored  ,  maybe  some  brands  last  longer than others  . A  lot of  variables .  I  have  primers  25 plus  years old  . I  still  plan on using  them  . Hopefully  their  stored  &  ignite  properly.  I am  open  to  suggestions  on  that  same  topic . One  question  that  bothers me is,  Does  powder  lose  or  gain  strength  over  time? 

[Ranger99]

i don't know that powder degrades incrementally.
i've never had any go bad yet. i'm sure that if
there were some kind of warning signs that
manufacturers would be printing expiration dates
or something in our current litigious society.
i would think powder that has been opened would
degrade at a faster rate than a container that
is still sealed. i believe unopened powder and primers kept
at the proper temperature would likely last indefinitely.

[twoshooter]

I have some primers so old that they are still mercuric I think, mfg in the 1930's. I do not load them, but occasionally I set a few off just to see if they still function. They were in with a bunch of bullets in old tobacco tins labeled as having been cast between 1927 and 1931.

Most of the primers and loaded ammo I am shooting up now were loaded in the early to mid '90s, and I have yet to have jacketed loads fail. Some cast however have , and I attribute that to the lube seeping into the powder or degrading the primer. Most still go bang, but a few in each box have failed. This is on 20+ year old cast loads.

[calvon]

I have some Winchester #116 small rifle primers that were given to me by an old friend over forty years ago. They work today just like they did then. They came in a wooden box and have a domed top.

[Westbound]

I just found some primers that have been stored in a shed for 8 years or more.  Federal large pistol.  I loaded up 50 rounds of 45 Colt using them and some Unique that was just as old and stored in the same manner.  All went bang like they should. 
This shed is barely sealed against the elements.  Humidity, heat, cold... This stuff saw all of it.  Temps ranged from 10 degrees to probably 130 degrees in there.