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Thread: IMR 4350 shelf life

  1. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Beau Cassidy View Post
    A few things to consider..

    Cold weld between the bullet and case.

    Deterioration of powder. I have about stopped using IMR powder for that very reason. I have a lot of 1 lb cans of 3031, 4064, 4350, and 7828. They are probably 25 years old. Some of that powder is the nice rusty color with a lot of dust indicative of breakdown. I do not consider that acceptable when I am also sitting on hodgdon rifle and pistol powders from the 60's that looks as good as new.
    Add 4198 to the list of those that are quick to show a red rust.
    [The Montana Gianni] Front sight and squeeze

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by MT Gianni View Post
    Add 4198 to the list of those that are quick to show a red rust.
    Had the same experience with 4198. Bought two cans at a garage sale. Both were still sealed. One was okay but the other one when opened and poured made a big rust cloud. Needless to say that one made a quick trip to the garden plot. Had another can of 4831 that was no rusty but a gas a slight gas release issued when opened. I tried that one and it seemed to be okay.

    Also had some 270 ammo that was loaded in the sixties given to me. When I pulled it down the powder (4350) was a clumped together and some of the necks separated from the body of the case rather than the bullet coming out (jacketed). Corrosion on the neck maybe? Also the clumped powder was stuck to the jacked bullet as some of it came out with it. Too much case lube? Could me many possible reason due to the fact I do not know how they were stored.

  3. #23
    Boolit Master

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    Hey guys was given 3lb 1lb metal cans of 4350, on first look is seemed good then poured some out on clean paper towel and it was very rusty. I have bought and been given much older powder in the square and round cardboard cans that were fine, 4198 & 4227.
    be well
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  4. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by cwheel View Post
    Just a follow up once I pulled the rounds down. Every thing looked normal in all aspects except for one thing. When pouring the powder from the cases, some of the powder was clumped up, had to tap the case to break it up to pour out. I think the answer is somehow the powder was moist ?? Living here in Nevada where it's dry with very low humidity you would think this would be the last thing to happen. Ammo stored in GI ammo cans in relatively stable temps. Neck tension seamed uniform. Live and learn I guess.
    Chris
    For a short time, I worked in a crime lab on the West Coast. I was sealing up some old evidence in new paint cans once, when the lab director told me to just put it in a manila envelope and close it up. He said that even when you think things are dry, they retain some water that will sweat inside a sealed container. Later on, when I worked in the environmental field, I would find empty drums with several inches of water inside, just from sweating under the right conditions.

    Wayne
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  5. #25
    Boolit Master Eutectic's Avatar
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    Those powders I've had go bad all started with DuPont as well. Two different lots of 4227 have went sticky stinky bad in good storage for me. I gave my father an old empty Hercules metal keg to put some WW2 surplus 4895 in. In good storage I saw the keg leaning some ten years later. It had decomposed and ate right through the metal keg.!! i was given a Remington Model 700 Classic in .375 H&H for a retirement gift. A friend had sold his .375 H&H Ruger #1. He gave me two boxes of reloads he still had. We went to the range to shoot them up. When we had an 'off' report my gut said to stop. But into the second box I had a bad hang-fire! If you think that isn't exciting with a light .375 H&H you need to try it!..... DuPont 4350 was the culprit. I pulled the bullets on several rounds before I found one the sticky smelly powder would not pour out of!

    Eutectic

  6. #26
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    In the end I went with fresh Nosler cases, new bullets, fresh primers, and a fresh lot of 4350. If I had not already bought a 8pounder of 4350, think I'd considered going with a different powder, but it's done now. Interesting that some of the cases had powder that was clumped, others not. The only thing that was consistent with all of the rounds shot is that they went through the chronograph much slower than when the round was worked up. Case neck tension on the old rounds being pulled was all the same with a collet puller, only difference I could find was the powder. I had choreographed 3175 with the old lot of 4350 @72 gr. The new lot took going to 74.1 gr. to do the same thing ?? Of course, the Nosler cases had a larger internal volume than the old WW cases, that was a part of the bump in the charge. The spread shot to shot had a little more deviation than the old lot as well. ( 22 fps ) I'll consider myself lucky to still be hunting 20 years from now, ( or still alive for that matter ) so, I hope it doesn't break down again in storage again. Still find it odd that after loading in a well sealed case, properly stored, the powder would breakdown inside the loaded round ?? Logic would lead me to expect the powder inside the bulk jug would breakdown first, guess that's not the case. I've got hundreds of old rounds loaded with 40 years or more in storage, gets me to wondering what shape they are in ?? Thanks to all for the input on this.
    Chris

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
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LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
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