Powder life

[stever1950]

I used to load for my .38/357 and still have the press, primers. and some lead projectiles. But, I also have about 3/4 pound of Unique and 3/4 pound of 2400 that is 20 plus years old. I kept it sealed and in the safe all this time, but is it still any good? I don't know what the shelf life for powder is. I imagine it is only good for pouring on the ground and scaring the grand kids... Are the primers still good ?

[olafpfj]

My understanding is that provided it was stored decently it should be fine. I've used 50 year old primers without issue and no one thinks twice about shooting 50+ year old military surplus ammo that's in good condition. Keep in mind 50 years ago is 1971

[stever1950]

Thanks. I figured the primers were still good, but I wasn't sure about the powder. What you say makes sense. I'll load up a few on the low end and test then work back up. Thanks again.

[flechero]

Absolutely!

If stored properly, it will out last us and our kids. Stored properly would include: in the house.

Keep in mind 50 years ago is 1971

Hey- I resemble that remark!!

[puma guy]

In the mid 60's I was using some of my dad's paper shot shells from the 30's that had been stored in a basement in NY. They worked just fine. I am presently shooting .22 LR and .22 WMR purchased in the 60's. Much of the .22 LR was submerged in 5 feet of water during Allison. I stupidly threw away (Disposed of properly) several cans of IMR powders, Bullseye and Unique powder, including a 3lb sealed canister of Red Dot around the time of the Allison floods, also. No idea what I was thinking, but I'm sure they were still good.

[MaduroBU]

I think humidity can affect them over time. When I open a can, I toss a silica gel packet in (maybe 2 of them if it's an 8 lb jug). I cannot prove that this makes any difference, but the theory is reasonable and the intervention is cheap.

[puma guy]

I think humidity can affect them over time. When I open a can, I toss a silica gel packet in (maybe 2 of them if it's an 8 lb jug). I cannot prove that this makes any difference, but the theory is reasonable and the intervention is cheap.

[tarbe]

I had a 30+ year old opened can of SR 4759...it was about 1/3 of a pound...so a fair bit of air space. This was the old metal can.

I also had a fresh 8 pounder and decided to do a test of the old vs new powder.

I loaded up identical loads in 45-70, only difference being one batch had new powder and one old.

The loads with the old powder were 131 fps faster (~7%!!).

That old powder was stored indoors and between A/C and heat, it evidently dried out a fair bit.

So, if you do load with really old powder that has been stored in conditioned air, you might want to make sure you start your load development a bit lower than you might otherwise.