Military powders

[Ditchdigger]

I was at a gun show today and run across some old IMR 4227 and 4350 today,and was wondering if anyone else had bought some of it. I was $8.88 a pd. ,it would be a bargain if it any good.  Digger

[like2shoot]

In my experience, as long as the cans are not rusty, the powder should be ok.  Go for it.

[marv]

Hello Ditch Digger
 Where is that gun show at? That powder should be fine and a D---
good bargin at that price You should have bought about 3 or 4 cans of Each that you use, I am still useing powder I bought back in the early
 70's, still good, I try to not let it get hot, or wet, Good luck. Marv.

[Ditchdigger]

Marv;The gun show is in Durant,at the fair grounds. It will be there tomorrow also, so come on up. If you let me know if you're coming I'll meet you out there. I sold 1 shotgun today,probably to cheap but I made $80 on it.  Digger

[Deadeye47]

Did ya get rid of that ratty looking  Browning??? :-D    Just kiddin Digger! Actually I was at the range this week and sighted in the scope on a 44Mag and I was using a box of of shells, that I recently found, that I  loaded in 1978  :mrgreen: !!!! 14 grains IMR 4227 and a 240 grain jacketed bullet....shot great!!!

[lik2hunt]

Hey marv - Better bring 5 bucks if ya plan on getting into this shindig. Wasn't worth it to me so I turned around and went home. I was just going in to look around anyway.....really didn't plan on selling anything or buying anything.

[marv]

Digger and lik2hunt,
 I can not make gun show, don't need any thing and just spend money, but I am going to Texas in the morning early. Got to much to do,
 Thanks anyway, $5.00 in cheap for a gun show, Last one I went to in Tyler cost $8.00 plus I spent to much. Marv.

[quickdtoo]

Heck, everytime I go to a gun show, it costs $5 to park and another $6-$8 to get in the door!  :cry:

[Donaldo]

It really pi$$es me about what they charge to get in the door.  I guess they know what loonies we are, and just what we will pay to get in and look at all them guns and things.  I paid $10 to get in the OKC show about 2-3 months ago.  Then I found out that if you had said you were a veteran you could get in free.  What a bummer, always find out too late about the good deals.  Maybe we could boycott the shows.  Naw that won't work. :?

[Paul5388]

This is what Hodgdon says about old powder.

How to Check Smokeless Powder for Deterioration     

Although modern smokeless powders are basically free from deterioration under proper storage conditions, safe practices require a recognition of the signs of deterioration and its possible effects.

Powder deterioration can be checked by opening the cap on the container and smelling the contents. Powder undergoing deterioration has an irritating acidic odor. (Don't confuse this with common solvent odors such as alcohol, ether and acetone.)

Check to make certain that powder is not exposed to extreme heat as this may cause deterioration. Such exposure produces an acidity which accelerates further reaction and has been known, because of the heat generated by the reaction, to cause spontaneous combustion.

Never salvage powder from old cartridges and do not attempt to blend salvaged powder with new powder. Don't accumulate old powder stocks.

The best way to dispose of deteriorated smokeless powder is to burn it out in the open at an isolated location in small shallow piles (not over 1" deep). The quantity burned in any one pile should never exceed one pound. Use an ignition train of slow burning combustible material so that the person may retreat to a safe distance before powder is ignited. For more instructions call Hodgdon Powder.

Some of the above sounds a little contradictory, but still tells what to look for.