- Thread starter BenjaminMartin6.5
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Not unless it gets wet or contaminated, generally. Or exposed to extremes of heat in some cases.
In sealed or airtight containers with the lids screwed down... it lasts a long, long time.
I made the mistake of buying an 8lb can of bullseye in the early 1990s. Still loading .38 wc from it!
sirhr
In sealed or airtight containers with the lids screwed down... it lasts a long, long time.
I made the mistake of buying an 8lb can of bullseye in the early 1990s. Still loading .38 wc from it!
sirhr
Thanks, I guess I just haven’t did a load up in awhile and my sniffer was just sensitive.
Yes it can.....though fairly rare! Storage practices are the primary drivers as to shelf life. To my knowledge it has not be determined as to the exact life expectancy of smokeless powder when stored in “ideal” conditions.
I recently had to throw away about 8 ounces of IMR 4227, which was purchased and partially used in late ‘70’s early ‘80’s. Bought in Louisiana (high humidity), and relocated to Wyoming spending the rest of it’s time in various locations......from outdoor rental storage buildings (no climate control) to home basement storage.
I opened the can about a month ago to experiment with a new handgun load.....the powder was bad. I have no idea when it actually went bad. While approximately 1/2 of the can had been used many years ago.....it appeared that the lid was tightened securely!
I have a drum of mil-surp 50 BMG powder stored in a fiber drum, from the early ‘50’s which is still good powder! Go figure! memtb
I recently had to throw away about 8 ounces of IMR 4227, which was purchased and partially used in late ‘70’s early ‘80’s. Bought in Louisiana (high humidity), and relocated to Wyoming spending the rest of it’s time in various locations......from outdoor rental storage buildings (no climate control) to home basement storage.
I opened the can about a month ago to experiment with a new handgun load.....the powder was bad. I have no idea when it actually went bad. While approximately 1/2 of the can had been used many years ago.....it appeared that the lid was tightened securely!
I have a drum of mil-surp 50 BMG powder stored in a fiber drum, from the early ‘50’s which is still good powder! Go figure! memtb
I ruined about 20 pounds of powder back about 10 years ago. H1000, H4831SC, Varget - all gone. The H1000 was brand new, sealed. The others were opened previously.
I moved into a new house and stored the box in the attic accidentally (mislabeled box), and here in a Texas it's very easy for an attic to get up into the 120 F plus range during the summer. It stayed up there for about 6 months as was focused on a few different things. I knew I had screwed up when I found it and it still ignited fine, but the velocities and ES for everything that was reloaded with those powders was all over the place. In tune to the low 100's spread. Sealed or previously opened - didn't matter. The heat alone had acellerated the deteriation. Humidity is guaranteed to do the same.
I moved into a new house and stored the box in the attic accidentally (mislabeled box), and here in a Texas it's very easy for an attic to get up into the 120 F plus range during the summer. It stayed up there for about 6 months as was focused on a few different things. I knew I had screwed up when I found it and it still ignited fine, but the velocities and ES for everything that was reloaded with those powders was all over the place. In tune to the low 100's spread. Sealed or previously opened - didn't matter. The heat alone had acellerated the deteriation. Humidity is guaranteed to do the same.
If it smells rancid and if the inside of the cap is discolored then it could be bad. I had some 20 year old VV powder go bad on me. The inside of the purple cap turned brown and the powder smelled awful.
Big temperature swings and humidity are the only real problems for modern powders. If kept in the original container with the lid tight, probably good to go on the humidity side but that leaves the temperature.
One of the best and least expensive ways to store powder is to utilize a closet that is not on an exterior wall of your house. The closet is not very affected by the HVAC system, it is quite temperature stable. More so if there is not an exterior wall that will heat and cool from the outside.
I use the cheap styrofoam coolers to keep powder and primers in. I have several in a cabinet that is in a room in my shop, not a closet but as temperature stable. I label the outside on a piece of tape with a sharpie and then I use the thin packing tape to help keep the air out. Between being in that cabinet, in that room and in the styrofoam cooler, the temperature MUST be real stable but I have never tried to do any quantifying data collection. Also, the stuff is in it's manufacturers packaging and then sealed again inside the coolers so I would think the humidity thing is also covered, especially since I live in a real dry climate but, again, no data to prove anything.
One of the best and least expensive ways to store powder is to utilize a closet that is not on an exterior wall of your house. The closet is not very affected by the HVAC system, it is quite temperature stable. More so if there is not an exterior wall that will heat and cool from the outside.
I use the cheap styrofoam coolers to keep powder and primers in. I have several in a cabinet that is in a room in my shop, not a closet but as temperature stable. I label the outside on a piece of tape with a sharpie and then I use the thin packing tape to help keep the air out. Between being in that cabinet, in that room and in the styrofoam cooler, the temperature MUST be real stable but I have never tried to do any quantifying data collection. Also, the stuff is in it's manufacturers packaging and then sealed again inside the coolers so I would think the humidity thing is also covered, especially since I live in a real dry climate but, again, no data to prove anything.
Man that does suck.
That's a great idea. I have some of those Omaha steaks coolers my sisinlaw gives me. They suck for riding in the truck because they squeak so much, but they would be perfect for powder storage. Thanks!
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