Deteriorated powder

A widowed neighbor gave me some reloading equipment, powder & primers to dispose of - give away. None of her children (all adults) want them.

I found a home for a nice Pacific press & set of 308 WCF dies.

The powders are some Alcan AL-5, Hercules 2400 & some H4831. The 4831 came in a 3-lb coffee can sealed shut with packaging tape. The lady believes these were stored in the garage where she found them. I believe the 4831 is some of the WWII surplus 4831 on which Hodgdon built their business - at least 65 years old.

Upon opening the can, the powder appeared to be good - no clumping or discoloration & still has the strong sweet solvent smell of good powder. Removing some of the powder reveals the sides of the can are lightly rusted & some powder has stuck to the side, signs the powder is deteriorating; the can could also be the culprit as it was intended to store coffee, not powder. I think the powder is still good but is on the edge of being too deteriorated to use. It will probably wind up in a pyre Dec 31 at 2400 hrs! I put it in a real powder jug for now.

The 2400 & AL-5 date from the 70's. The AL-5 can says it was made in Sweden for S&W-Fiochi.

Moral of the story: Don't get attached to your stuff. It's just stuff. And, in the meantime, don't repackage your powders.

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The safe thing to do is use it to fertilize your garden. Not so safe, make a trail and light it. Downright dangerous, use it in reloading. You haved very little idea of what it will do.