Shelf life of powder

T

timmy

Guest
Getting tired of not finding the powders I am looking for and am starting to hoard. How long does powder stay good? I would think a long time but am curious if that isn’t the case.
 
I don't know.
I've heard stories of powder being good for years.
I put too many rounds down range that i'm always buying powder.
And primers, bullets.....
 
I hope that it’s a long time! I’ve got most of a 95 pound keg of Korean War surplus 50 BMG powder yet to use! ;) memtb
 
Old non-working refrigerators or freezers are good for storage.

If twas me I'd try to use something that's easy to get. Within the last couple years I've had some IMR7828 go bad for whatever reason while other powders around it stayed good.
 
IMO, I see no reason to hoard or buy massive amounts. I shoot a fair bit and buy in 5-8lb kegs and in some rifles, that amount of powder will take a while to burn through.

I've never had powder go bad and have shot some that's 15-20 years old with no problem.
 
I recently dumped a half pound of Pyrodex. My ML was not shooting it accurately like it used to. I also had an unexpected misfire and a bad hang fire. I happened to notice the price tag still on the canister said "I-20 Pawn and Bail Bonds, Eastland Texas". I had to think about how long its been since I've set foot in that store - 24 years? I decided it was time to invest in some new powder.
 
What does everyone consider proper storage?

I've got two steel insulated fire cabinets that came out of a bank. I use them for ammo, powder, primer storage. Kept in a cool, dry place, the powder & primers should last for a couple of decades.
 
Interesting Hodgdon doesn't say much about humidity, I'm curious if there is a threshold? I built a wine room/cellar this summer in my garage and figure that could be great storage depending on humidity sensitivity.
 
Interesting Hodgdon doesn't say much about humidity, I'm curious if there is a threshold? I built a wine room/cellar this summer in my garage and figure that could be great storage depending on humidity sensitivity.

Moisture is bad for powder. Dry & cool.

Don't be the guy with clumpy powder.
 
Interesting Hodgdon doesn't say much about humidity, I'm curious if there is a threshold? I built a wine room/cellar this summer in my garage and figure that could be great storage depending on humidity sensitivity.
I just looked at SAAMi's recommendations, which is "dry and cool". No threshold specified for either temperature or humidity. I don't know how much effect humidity would have now that powder comes in non-breathable plastic containers.
 
What level of moisture though? We're pretty damp up here in the winter fluctuating between 60-90%

The least amount possible. Buy some desiccants. I don't think you need to overthink this. If your wine room is not dry - then enclose an area and make it dry.
 
If it smells like ammonia, dump it. If it smells like gun powder, shoot it. It’s obvious when smokeless powder goes bad. The only bad powder I’ve ever had was in an old waxed cardboard Hodgdon container. The container was in bad shape. My dad most about 6lbs of powder that wasn’t more than ten years old, but he had it stored in a hot place.
 
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The least amount possible. Buy some desiccants. I don't think you need to overthink this. If your wine room is not dry - then enclose an area and make it dry.


I mostly agree with keeping it dry! However, is it possible to get it too dry, thereby promoting something similar to a capillary effect, or sponge effect.....it could potentially “suck up” moisture at a higher rate when exposed to moisture laden air. Example being, when the canister is opened or inside the cartridge case....if the bullet and primer “are not” sealed! Inquiring minds! :unsure: memtb
 
I still have WW2 surplus 4831 and 870. It's still perfectly fine for use.
When I buy powder I do so in 8lb containers along with 500-1000 bullets of the same lot.
 
Powder will last decades if stored properly. People were still shooting WW2 surplus powder into the 1980s. Hoard away.
+1 to decades if stored properly. I just loaded and shot IMR powders my dad bought 25 years ago and they worked fine and held repeatable velocities. (4064 and 3031 in metal cans!!)
 
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