The blessing of the backyard

[Martin Luber]

Is now complete.

Poured the better part of a pound of IMR 4227 out on the grass.

Some tears shed...YA but it had orange dust when poured or handled. As expensive as powder is, house fires cost more.

Was advised that a friend of a friend had spontaneous combustion of some similar in his house.

How often do you check yours? This, and others, are over 30 years old. Yeah yeah I know, send it to you for safe disposal, not.
Thanks

[dangitgriff]

Hell if you had an 8-pounder you could’ve spelled out “TRUMP 2020” and lit it up on election night...[emoji1783]

[smithnframe]

I never heard of old powder spontaneously combusting!

[Martin Luber]

Since one of the skeet gods died that way, l never considered pyrotechnical disposal of old powder...

[firefly1957]

I once lit a pound + of mixed powders it started slow but went up in big fireball the heat was very intense.

I have read over and over about gun powder used as fertilizer I could see lack powder used for that but smokeless powder is closer to Lacquer paint then anything else it will wash away and settle in piles to be a fire threat.

[gwpercle]

I never heard of old powder spontaneously combusting!

I never heard this one either ... but if a friend of a friend read it somewhere on the interweb then it must be true .

[Conditor22]

I never heard this one either ... but if a friend of a friend read it somewhere on the interweb then it must be true .

[smilie=l:[smilie=l:[smilie=l::holysheep:groner::not listening:

[jdfoxinc]

Smokeless powder is nitrates.

[WebMonkey]

Smokeless powder is nitrates.

ought to cure some snausages with it!

;)

[Rapidrob]

Read "Hatcher's Notebook" about spontaneous smokeless powder fires.

[RoyEllis]

Let it be "lesson learned"....if yer powder is that old, you ain't shootin enuf!

[Land Owner]

Attention! Hand Salute! Too!

[elk hunter]

I never heard of old powder spontaneously combusting!

I had not heard of it either until June 8th 2015 when some old surplus 4831 cooked off and set my shop/garage on fire. Expensive lessen learned. If you have old powder watch it closely if it starts to small bad or if it's in a metal container and starts showing rust dispose of it quickly and safely.

[bedbugbilly]

All things in this life spoil . . . except honey.

"Ashes to ashes . . . dust to dust". All things should return to nature . . .

Hopefully, when I die, my "powder supply" will be minimal, but now you've got me to thinking. I should update my wishes so that when my heirs spread my ashes, they can also spread what's left of my powder supply . . . it will all make good fertilizer.

[Martin Luber]

Another friend lost his buds in 'Nam from an ammo dump fire. Apparently was large kernel artillery powder. 1/4 mile away wasn't far enough. Fireball caught up to them. Thanks Elk Hunter.

[Scrounge]

Smokeless powder is nitrates.

So is black powder. A bit different in composition, but close enough. And the nitrocellulose film base used in early photography and cinematography was made by the same basic process as modern gun powder. Early nitrocellulose gun powders and films had a nasty habit of spontaneously combusting. Provoked some serious efforts to solve the problems.

[BrutalAB]

Does this mean that old ammo could spontaneously set off?

[Petrol & Powder]

I once lit a pound + of mixed powders it started slow but went up in big fireball the heat was very intense.

I have read over and over about gun powder used as fertilizer I could see lack powder used for that but smokeless powder is closer to Lacquer paint then anything else it will wash away and settle in piles to be a fire threat.

I'm not exactly sure what you are stating here but smokeless powder is largely a nitrogen compound (nitrocellulose) and when scattered on grass it makes a good fertilizer (albeit an expensive one). Black powder, which is largely made up of potassium nitrate, would also release nitrogen but would have the bad effects from the small amount of sulfur.

In any event, scattering old smokeless powder on grass presents no safety threat and is an excellent method to dispose of old powder.

[yeahbub]

I once had a container of AA 3100 start to smell very acrid and strongly of ammonia. I thought to set it out in small piles and burn it off. When I did, a match wouldn't light it. A propane torch wouldn't either. When I poured it out it was sticking together in chunks and turning brown. I couldn't get it to burn at all, so out in the yard it went.

[john.k]

Fire or not,decomposing powder is producing very acid fumes that will rust any steel within reach......I also know from personal experience that sifting out the red dust is of no use ,because within 24 hrs just as much red dust will again be there,until all the granules crumble into useless red dust...........As the manufacturers will tell you,if you ask,a certain amount of stabilizer is added to the powder when its made......when the stabilizer runs out,the nitrocellulose begins to decompose rapidly into acidic nitro compounds including gases........rapid decomposition in a large bulk produces heat,enough heat ,and there is a fire which still has sufficient oxygen content to self consume .......this is a fire water cannot put out by shutting off the air supply.

[Martin Luber]

Does this mean that old ammo could spontaneously set off?

I THINK the answer is, "unlikely". I never heard of such either. In Smaller quantities, any heat generated coild be absorbed by the shell. Air presence MAY be an issue in storage cans but less is present in loaded ammo partially from high loading density ( if applicable) and a tight seal from the bullet.

[Three44s]

Hell if you had an 8-pounder you could’ve spelled out “TRUMP 2020” and lit it up on election night...[emoji1783]

Write “Trump 2024” and water it in!

You will enjoy the green graffiti all next growing season!

Three44s

[Texas by God]

I have some H450, Norma Magnum, and H870 that date from the very early 1970s that I will dispose of by pushing bullets with it down range in the back yard. These powders have survived metal building storage through nearly 50 Texas summers. I believe that there’s a better chance of a tornado or a lightning strike or an airplane hitting my shop than that powder spontaneously combusting, but that’s me.

[john.k]

Ball powders are claimed to be a lot more stable than IMR powders,due to the double processing they undergo........Only powders Ive ever had decompose were IMR powders,mainly 4895.......Ive never stocked up large quantities ,so all ive ever lost was part tins........Hodgdon is reputed to have lost tons of IMR powders that decomposed.