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Thread: Strange looking powder in pulled down ammo

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Posts
    254

    Strange looking powder in pulled down ammo

    I recently purchased a Colt 1892 New Navy/Army (civilian) in 41 Long Colt and it came with a ancient and badly deteriorated box of Western Lubaloy 200 grain ammo.

    I tried firing the ammo and out of a box of 50 I got 5 to light off.

    The rest I'm breaking down for the brass and bullets.

    Upon breaking down the first round I was surprised to see that the powder was a finely ground yellow compound like nothing I've seen before.



    The charge weight was around 4 or 5 grains (it was hard to get it all in the pan as it was so fine it would go everywhere) and looked like sawdust.



    Anyone have any clue as to what powder type and manufacturer was used in this ammo?

    The box just fell apart in my hands so it went in the trash but the brass is all "solid head" design vice "baloon head" if that gives any indication as to age.

    I did touch off a single charge with a match (to make sure it was indeed a propellant and not sawdust) and it burned slow as molasses.

    I chronographed the five rounds that fired and the velocities were consistent and the average for 5 shots was 725 fps, standard deviation was 25 fps.

    Anybody know what this stuff is?

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Posts
    1,091
    Looks a bit like Dupont SR80 in color, but grain size is hard to compare by a photo. Sharpe's Guide To Handloading shows a .41 LC load with 7gr SR 80 at 737 fps, as recommended by DuPont, so your smaller charge may be some old and forgotten bulk shotgun powder. That stuff really does look like hard maple sawdust. Lubaloy bullets sure are pretty, and I wonder what that lube is, some kind of wax?

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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"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check