Unsealed Powder Container

[dale2242]

I was gifted a container of H4831.
The powder was stored in the original 50# round cardboard container. There is 25#-30# of it left.
The lid had lost it`s seal and the powder has been exposed to open air for some time.
It has been stored in an enclosed outbuilding.
It had been kept dry except what moisture it drew from the air.
It is completely dry now.
It appears completely normal with no apparent physical or chemical changes.
There is no sign of clumping or red dust.
The kernels appear normal.
I ran my hand through it and I could still get that slight solvent smell you get when you open a fresh can of powder.
That`s a lot of powder to toss.
I think I am going to try some starting loads.
I have fresh H4831 that I can load the same loads to compare velocities.

[smithnframe]

How does it smell?

[BK7saum]

If anything, it should have less energy per charge due to any moisture. Like you said, I would start with starting charges of it and new powder and test / compare velocities to establish a baseline.

[JimB..]

Sounds like it’s still good. I’d work up a new load for it just in case something has changed ever so slightly over the years.

[Ozark mike]

Id run it over a chrono along with a fresh batch to see if there is any changes between the two

[ascast]

You can send it to me for testing, through testing, every last kernel of it will be tested.

[1hole]

I still have a few pounds of the original 4831 in the 50# drums. It has no odor and no "rust". It still gives good performance in my .30-06 with 170-180 gr. bullets and .243 w/100 gr bullets.

[Larry Gibson]

Dale

That is just to much of a hazard to use and as much as I like and respect you I volunteer to save you from yourself. I will gladly dispose of it for you.......:drinks:

[earlmck]

I got one of those 50# kegs in the mid-sixties after getting hooked by the local shop selling it in brown paper bags for 50 cents a pound; used 4831 for all kinds of loads over the years and it made for lots of fine shooting. I'm down to my last couple pounds of that keg, though when it got low enough I did empty the keg into a couple of those plastic gallon jugs that Hodgdon uses for their 8#'ers because that is handier than the big keg. Near as I can tell (and I have owned some sort of chronograph for 45 years) I'm getting the same velocities today from favorite loads as I did at the beginning. That old cardboard container must work mighty fine for keeping our powder dry.

And go to this thread http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?408515-Downloading-H4831 and download the IMR booklet that Landy88 put in his post. It has some nifty uses of 4831 in low-pressure loads that may help you use up that old stale powder you got stuck with on some fine cast boolit shooting.

[dale2242]

Thanks so much for your concern for my personal safety Larry.
I suspect you would also protect me from the 8# of 296 he gave me.......

[Larry Gibson]

Of course I would, the sacrifice could be problematic [have to cast a lot more bullets....:lol:] but for you I'd be more than willing.........:drinks:

[swheeler]

Dale that was a nice gift, maybe pass some of your good fortune on to others, I still shoot 4831 and 296 ;-)

[dale2242]

I finally got around to test the powder that had been left in the open container.
It has been stored in a sealed card board container like it was originally packaged in for the last 3 months.
My original H4831 was from a 50# container like the unsealed powder came in, only it had been stored in a cool dry place for 40 years.
My test load was in my 25-06. 5 rounds of 55gr of each of the my original H4831 and 5 rounds of the H4831 that been left open.
A 70 gr hp bullet of unknown maker. That was the only 25 caliber bullets I had except $.75+ each premium bullets.
The primers were CCI 250s. Cases were RP.
These loads were chronographed with my Shooting Chrony
Now for my results.... There was virtually no difference in velocity between the loads. There was 8 FPS difference average velocity.
10 rounds isn`t much of a test, but I am convinced the powder is still in perfect condition and I will be using it for my downloading experiment with cast.