Thread: Old Powder

For a warning insight to what old powder can do I posted a thread (Old powder wrecked reloading gear.) last year.

I'm real gun shy on old powder storage now.

Originally Posted by Gamehunter

For a warning insight to what old powder can do I posted a thread (Old powder wrecked reloading gear.) last year.

I'm real gun shy on old powder storage now.

Reading that thread (again) the salient point is

"There was an odd chemical smell when I opened the bin and on opening a 1/2 container of Vhitavuori N160 it was obvious this did not smell right. It appears that there was a chemical smell/fog that somehow climbed out of the sealed powder container and reacted with all metals in bin."

First I would never store powder, any powder, with other gear. Second, the smell. If it smells off...

Just being old is no more an indication of lack of safety or utility than a flat primer is a a reliable indicator of high pressure..if powder is old it should be treated with suspicion, but not necessarily discarded on that basis alone. But, each to their own. Do what you think is safest....