How long is reloading powder good for

Those who have stockpiled enough to supply a small army should consider other alternatives. One of my neighbors, who will probably never have to buy another primer or pound of powder for the rest of his life, uses several old refrigerators located in an insulated outbuilding.

Powder companies recommend disposing of deteriorated powder by burning in small quantities a pound or less in an isolated area. The pile should be spread out so it is less than inch deep and enough reserved for making a narrow ignition train reaching a safe distance away. Laying a sheet of crumpled newspaper at the end of the train and lighting it with a match gives you time to retreat even farther away before the main pile of powder starts burning.

Like fertilizers, smokeless powders contain nitrate, so thinly spreading it on the lawn is another option. It is impossible for me to squeeze every detail about the subject into the confines of my allotted space, so I strongly urge all handloaders to do a web search for "storing smokeless powders. In addition to containing the rules and regulations that apply to the storage of powder, it has about 70 pages of load data for shotguns, rifles and handguns.

A similar booklet on IMR powders is available from Hodgdon at Give a Gift Subscriber Services. See All Special Interest Magazines. All RifleShooter subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.

Get Digital Access. All Rifles Gear Learn News. Subscribe To The Magazine. More Articles From Ammo. November 26, By Layne Simpson. Sign Me Up. Winchester Model in. Scott Rupp. Water Posted July 29, Stored correctly, a life time. Colorado Coffinmaker Posted July 29, What he said.

Kept dry and capped, indefinitely. Captain Clark Posted July 29, John Boy Posted July 29, Do not transfer the powder from an approved container into one which is not approved. Works just fine. DOC, I had some 30 yr old H that had been opened and only partially used. I'm still shooting some Bullseye from the 70's.

No change in performance. Thanks guys Alliant has a glass container of Unique that is close to yr's old, maybe older. Trailrider Posted July 29, Good luck, GJ. Posted July 30, Mustang Gregg Posted July 30, I am using some BLC that I opened in It was mfd in , I recollect.

Clean up spilled powder promptly. Make sure the surrounding area is free of trash or other readily combustible materials. Box , Branford, CT Skip to content. Storage of smokeless powders What is the estimated shelf life of gun powder?