little powder bits???

[bushka]

I always end up with a few loads shy of a full box out of the powder can.
What I mean is thats what I`m left with,maybe 5 shots left.
What do you guys do with the little bits if your not buying the same powder again?

[xtimberman]

Sprinkle on your breakfast cereal?


xtm

[jdhenry]

Dump it out in the yard. Or the compost pile.

[NVcurmudgeon]

Five shots left? Load five plinkers

[Ed Barrett]

Buy larger boxes to hold your loaded rounds. (5 more rounds) <G>

[fishhawk]

so what if you have less than enough powder to make a box, load them and shoot!

[26Charlie]

If it is not going bad, put it in a can labeled "Mixed Scrap Smokeless". After about twenty-five years, you'll have about two pounds. Then you can load it in .30-06 with a 200 gr. cast bullet and shoot a lot of fun loads. Great for CB silhouette matches - "what's your load there, horse?" "It's Lyman 311284 with 22.0 grs. mixed scrap smokeless."
Of course, it takes so long to accumulate two pounds, you can only do this once in a lifetime, but it was fun, in a dry cast-bullet humor sort of way.

Only sprinkle the spoiled powders on the lawn.

[buckndee]

I tried spreading 1/2lb of unknown power (looked like 4895?) in a thrown 8 foot sweeping pattern. Killed the grass in that area in a week. Bad part it was a friends lawn. Took a very long time to grow back.

[DLCTEX]

What's the problem with little bits of powder? I have lots of them and use them to do things like try a few rounds of a new caliber with various powders. DALE

[AZ-Stew]

I may get yelled at for this, but I always pour it into the next can of the same brand and type of powder. I then put the lid on the can and slowly roll the can from right side up to upside down, over and over, to mix the two together. There's not enough difference in powder lots to make any difference once they're thoroughly mixed.

Now, I CERTAINLY wouldn't mix powder types, but within the same type (Bullseye = Bullseye, 4064 = 4064 and 4831 = 4831), I don't see any reason not to. A thorough mixing prevents having some loads with the old powder lot and some with the new. Kind of like the old Sunoco "blend your own at the pump" technique.

Regards,

Stew

[Bigscot]

AZ,

I do the same thing. The little remaining of one type into the new can of the same type and do the same rolling around, no shaking.

Bigscot

[jim4065]

If I'm not going to use that powder again in the foreseeable future, I make a long narrow trail on the sidewalk to the barn. Actually it's best to have two trails of different powders. Then, making sure that SWMBO is gone, but the nosey neighbors are in their backyard, touch 'em both off at the same time. Endless variations are possible - makes for an entertaining afternoon.

Burned some BP that way once - but laid it in a big spiral on the grass. Unfortunately, SWMBO was home and the "coil" was a little too tight. One big flash that took off the facial hair and left a "mushroom" cloud over the house. A tad over a pound of FFFFg if I recall. Not so much fun that time - but memorable.

[bruce drake]

Frugal being the key to all boolit casters I feel, I do the same as BigScot and AZ. Maybe its the cost of the powder or the upbringing I had. I hate wasting powder that is good by sprinkling it on the ground or dumping it the toilet or something like that.

Now I have been known to create a powder trail for the boys on The Fourth of July that would make Yosemite Sam proud (For those who remember that man's troubles with a certain rabbit and Gunpowder - Good for Ya and the mental image is there.) Laid out three pounds of Russian Surplus Gunpowder that had gone bad less than a year after I bought the cases. Pulled the bullets, saved the primed cases and projectiles and laid out enough gunpowder to look like either a dominos match was going to happen or it was a Buddhist Sand Painting on the front driveway. Two matches laid on either end at Dusk led to a couple minutes of flaring light, a lot of oohs from the boys and an amusing pattern on my driveway from the scorching! Wife made me reseal the driveway the next week to cover up my "Abstract Painting" Didn't have the heart to tell her I had the resealing planned anyways with the tar and the brushes sitting in the garage for after the Fourth. I let her think she "made" me do it.

Bruce

[bruce drake]

Just realized that Jim and I were posting at the same time. Good on ya Jim!

[jim4065]

Great minds seldom disagree.

[tom barthel]

I bag my ammo. I don't box them. I keep loading till the powder is gone. If there isn't enough left for one light load, I toss it on the yard. Very little waste.

[EMC45]

I recently got another pound of Bullseye and had a bit left from the other botle. Different lot #s, but close in vintage. Mixed them. I have heard of folks throwing it out, but I am frugal and try not to be wasteful.

[1Shirt]

I'm not furgal like AZ and some of the others, I am just cheap particularly with the price of components going up. Have never had any problem using up small amounts of powder for a few loadings. Also have never had any problem with dumping a small amount of like powder from same mfg into a new can. Been doing it for years. As for getting rid of old or unknown powder, I utilize Mr. Crapers invention, and find it works very well.
1Shirt!