Powder Identification

[Ojisan]

Greetings all,
Recently was gifted a bunch of reloading items, brass, primers ect however in the mix of thing was a can marked as Hercules 2400 powder (original container). When looking at the contents of the container, dated 1992, what was in side was not 2400 powder.
The grains of powder were perfectly round with a hole in the middle. Not 2400 any ideas just what brand of powder it is? Someone said it was Dupont #2 bulk powder appreciate any help member can give
Ojisan

Attachment 105913

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[us019255]

If this were my problem and with spring coming, I would sprinkle it on my wife's garden and turn it into the soil. Smokeless powder makes good fertilizer and is much safer than guessing about the identity of powder on the reloading bench.

[Bruce McAskill]

As Ed said its great fertilizer and that is just what it is. There is no way to tell just what powder it is by looking at it. The grass or garden is a fine place for it. Bulk powder like this hasn't been around in many many decades.

[browningautorifle]

Unknown powder is dangerous. I'd agree with the others here.

[Sunray]

You cannot tell anything about a powder by just looking at it. As mentioned, the grass or garden is a fine place for it.
Mind you, it's way more fun to take the stuff some place safe(there be desert near you), put it in a deep ceramic ash tray or the like and drop a match on it. Did that with some Bullseye that got damp long ago. The colume of fire was about 10 feet high.

[rcathey]

Mind you, it's way more fun to take the stuff some place safe(there be desert near you), put it in a deep ceramic ash tray or the like and drop a match on it. Did that with some Bullseye that got damp long ago. The colume of fire was about 10 feet high.

I pulled the big beautiful 220 grain round nose bullets from some really old 30-40 a while back. All the necks were split from age but I wanted them bullets.
Anyway, I piled up all the powder like you describe. Even my girlfriend enjoyed that display...she lit it herself!

[mmppres]

old surplus powder is not worth the trouble to reload. Un marked powder is not worth the trouble of blowing up a weapon. Now there is a mathematical method to figure out a load to the powder. Is it possible? yes. But unless you have a very large amount feed the garden. My dad is super cheep an talks of using unknown powder after the war. When 10 pound boxs were a few dollars. We have good powder now that will now hurt us.

[Sunray]

"...piled up all the powder..." Mine was nearly a whole can that sat too close to an open window and got damp. It was like a biblical pillar of fire. snicker.
"...there is a mathematical method to figure out a load to the powder..." Um, no. Ojisan wants to ID the powder by just looking at it. That is not possible.