I opened a "new" can of Clinton-era Imr 4831 to load my .338 mag, and found the dreaded red dust mixed in with the grains. Dang. I have another 15# of this powder.
I loaded some test rounds, and it shot just fine, it seemed. Rattled my teeth as always, hit the target where it was supposed to. Always nice to shoot a 1 inch group while someone else is watching. No bad pressure signs, primers maybe a little less flat than usual.
However, it is obvious that this powder is going south. I need to find some creative ways to burn up this powder in the next year or so before the cans rust out. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.
Hoarding powder may be false economy. The price on this stuff was $14 after hazmat to AK. This just means that the dollar is going sour also.