Dupont Bulk Smokeless Powder Question

[Bossloper]

A friend of mine just gave me a box of older shotgun reloading supplies. In it was a full 8oz green metal tin of Dupont Bulk Smokeless Powder for use in shotshells.  The back of the can reads "Lot No. 5117, A bulk smokeless shotgun powder to be used bulk for bulk for black powder in high grade steel shotgun barrels of modern construction." There's a price tag on it that reads Goodyear Sportsman's Outfitters $2.15 and the front of the can has a round logo like image at the top with two dogs in it & the oval Dupont logo beneath it. The powder is a greenish-gray in color. I'm just wondering if it's useable or I should dispose of the powder. If I can use it where would I find load data for this powder? Thanks, Brett

[rickyp]

For safety you should discard any powders that you do not know the history of first hand.

Someone could have made a mistake and mixed powders together, it could have been stored incorrectly, with the information you gave you have no reference to it so it will be very hard to find a safe load for it.

I would personally take it outside and put it on the flower beds and keep the container.

[Bossloper]

That's about what I figured. Thanks, Brett

[Maritime Storm]

Bulk is a very old powder that was for the most part phased out before WWII. Don't load with it because of the potential condition of the powder itself at this point, however it may be a collectors item. Bulk smokeless powders came out to replace Black Powder but could still(at the time) be loaded volume for volume to substitute black powder(either 30 gr of Bulk weighed, had the same volume & power as 30gr of Black Powder, again at the time). They were superceded when the the development of more powerful powders came into use.

[Bossloper]

Maritime Storm, When you say collector's item, do you mean the tin, the powder or both together? I know people collect powder tins, but powder? Thanks, Brett

[Graybeard]

Use it for fertilizer it does a good job of that. Save the tin as a collector's item.

[Maritime Storm]

Yes, the can might be a collectors item, the powder should be disposed of safely.