Powder identification issue

[rbstern]

I recently picked up a small lot of reloading gear and supplies from a local guy who was downsizing. Included in the lot were open canisters of Titegroup and Win Autocomp. Also included were three Lee auto disks, nearly full of powder, with the lids taped on. Those are the only powders he had. Figured I would be easily able to identify the hopper powder to the canister powder by comparing samples from each. Ha! No way. Everything looks exactly the same.

I looked at samples from each of the three hoppers. All look identical. I then compared them to the powder in the Titegroup and Win Autocomp containers. Those look identical, too. Anybody here ever compared Titlegroup and Autocomp? If so, do they look identical?

Was thinking about blending it all thoroughly and working up a pipsqueak load for wadcutters in 38 special. Figure if I use starting Titegroup loads, there's no way I can load overpressure, since Autocomp is slower.

It's either that, or it goes in the garden. Just hate to waste perfectly good powder.

[Hickory]

Believe it or not, discarding the powder in the hoppers will be cheaper and safer than trying to salvage it.

[MrWolf]

Agreed. Fertilizer. Not worth what could happen.

[Yodogsandman]

Ask the guy you bought it from what it is.

[runfiverun]

I wouldn't blend it.
treat each hopper as titegroup and shoot it over a chronograph, 2-3 shots will prove it out to be or not be titegroup.
or you could just buy an 8lb jug of titegroup for 139.00 and know what you have.

[lylejb]

While I hate to waste powder as much as anyone, it's just not worth it. I'd dispose of the powder in the hoppers and start over with known powder.

[rbstern]

Managed to sort this out following riverfiverun's good advice.

Loaded 380ACP loads using Titgroup data, 1 batch of 5 rounds each from each mystery hopper, and 1 batch of 5 each from the open containers of Titegroup and Autocomp. Shot them across my chrony.

Everything shot the same (the averages for each group of 5 were within 20fps of one another), very close to published Titegroup loads, with the exception of the loads from the Autocomp container, which, to no great surprise, shot close to the Autocomp published loads.

Also telling: The Autocomp very consistently weighed 15% more than the Titegroup when dropped from the same Lee Pro Auto cavity.

I also loaded 1 batch of 5 from the old container of Titegroup I already had on hand (about 10 years old). It was about 6% slower than the Titegroup from the lot I just bought, which is a newer lot.

Eyes still work. All fingers still attached. Just needed a conservative approach to the problem.

[MT Gianni]

A long time ago it was proved that powders degrade in plastics, with some types of plastic overnight. Plastics have changed today but I would treat it as fertilizer.

[rbstern]

A long time ago it was proved that powders degrade in plastics, with some types of plastic overnight. Plastics have changed today but I would treat it as fertilizer.

Did you miss the part where I just described how the powder behaved consistently and predictably, right in line with published loads?

As for my old lot of Titegroup that ran about 6% slower: That's not an unreasonable difference between two lots. I marked that bottle "slow." I'll treat it accordingly. The only fertilizing it will be used for is depositing lead into my berm backstop.

[Ben]

Buy an 8lb jug of titegroup for 139.00 and know what you have.


Best and safest advice I've read so far.

[dragon813gt]

Five shots is not enough for statistical analysis. They're your fingers and eyes so do as you wish. Unless it's in a sealed container I discard all powders. No way of knowing if the previous owner decided to put other powders in the containers. My garden has received a good bit of fertilizer this way. Powder is cheap and my body parts don't grow back.

[jonp]

If you are sure of which powder is which then use the fastest data, in this case Titegroup, and load all to that spec and chrono it. I would not mix it together but use each separately. If your not sure what the powders are then load one at a time to Red Dot data and chrono it upwards checking for pressure signs along the way until it is accurate enough for you, repeat with the 2cd powder then shoot it all up. When you get a load make sure to write it down and tape it to the outside of each container so you don't have to guess again.

[LeftyDon]

Agreed. Fertilizer. Not worth what could happen.

Really good advice!!

[rintinglen]

Rb, what you did is just the thing to do if you must salvage. Now, make no mistake, today, I would very likely have tossed the few ounces in the powder measures, but 25 years ago, I would have done what you did. Money was a lot more precious to me when I had a wife and two children to support on half the income. Some folks are awfully generous with other peoples money.

Ps. Dragon, 5 shots are enough, when repeated 5 times. In fact, 5 shots may be enough, period. T score analysis, if I remember my college statistics course well enough allows analysis down to three, maybe even one...