Mystery powder....

[DeanWinchester]

Yikes, we hate these threads!!!!

I was given an 8lb jug of surplus powder by a fella that sells it for a living. Now, he swears it's a rifle powder but the label fell off. No telling now. It's a fine ball powder so it could anything; SMP842, WC842-844-846, or even a .50 BMG powder. He said "in theory" a person COULD try 20.0g in a .223 and if it went bang, work up with a 55g bullet until you get an AR to cycle, watching velocity and primer signs.

Sorry, I ain't doing it. He doesn't sell any kind of surplus pistol powder, not ball powder anyway, BUT what if it IS? Whatever that surplus powder that .30 Carbine uses, similar to H110 would be a death sentence.

So, conventional wisdom says fertilize the yard. I was just about to do that when I had a thought. What if I were to run it in .357 Magnum in an H&R Handi Rifle? Even if it was an H110 equivalent, I'd be okay. Which leads me to my question, aside from a squib, how would a ball rifle powder behave with such a small charge?

8Lbs is a lot of powder to me, but I just ain't putting it in a rifle. NOT gonna happen.

[9w1911]

If it is a finer ball powder than H110 its wc820. Wc820 is very fine.

[biffj]

You can't tell what it is by looking at it so your plan to fertilize is a good one. If you don't know don't blow.....up.


Frank

[Ford SD]

Picture of the powder would help
Shape would eliminate some (stick powder/ ball / flake etc)

Have you thought of VMD Volume mass Density might not pin point it but you could elimiate lots of powders

[DeanWinchester]

It's kind of a flattened ball powder.
I was thinking, if I were fool enough to try it, about 12.0g under a 158g cast boolit in a .357 mag case. The SB-2 Handi Rifle is rated for 60K+ so unless this is something I've never encountered before (which I doubt) I'm betting I get a squib and I have to tap a stuck boolit out the barrel.

[N4AUD]

Why would you even consider taking the chance of using an unknown powder??? Blow up a firearm, and maybe injure yourself or someone else? It wouldn't be worth it to me, YMMV. I would chunk it.

[9w1911]

4gr in your 357 to start

[9w1911]

no way I would toss 8#'s

[jakec]

no way I would toss 8#'s

i dont think i could bring myself to chunk it either. i have a hard time tossing my mixed powder jug from pulldowns. i sometimes look at that jar sittin there and think "what if i started real low...".

[NavyVet1959]

Take the fastest burning powder and use the load data for it for the .357 as a worst case scenario for that powder. The worst that will happen is that you'll get a bullet stuck in the barrel and you'll have to knock it out with a rod. Keep upping the powder until the bullet comes out the barrel. If you have a chronograph, keep track of the velocities. If it is a .50BMG or 20mm powder, you are unlikely to even be able to compress enough powder in the cartridge to do any damage to the firearm. I did a compressed load with .50BMG and 20mm powders in a 10mm once just to see what would happen and it would not even cycle the action. Very little recoil and it was very quiet, so most of the powder was not being burnt by the time the bullet left the barrel.

[dubber123]

Take the fastest burning powder and use the load data for it for the .357 as a worst case scenario for that powder. The worst that will happen is that you'll get a bullet stuck in the barrel and you'll have to knock it out with a rod. Keep upping the powder until the bullet comes out the barrel. If you have a chronograph, keep track of the velocities. If it is a .50BMG or 20mm powder, you are unlikely to even be able to compress enough powder in the cartridge to do any damage to the firearm. I did a compressed load with .50BMG and 20mm powders in a 10mm once just to see what would happen and it would not even cycle the action. Very little recoil and it was very quiet, so most of the powder was not being burnt by the time the bullet left the barrel.

Thats how I would go about it. Just me though. If not, throw it on the shelf, I come through TN every once in a while and will buy it from you. Cheap though, after all, it is just fertilizer..

[Danderdude]

There are times when the frugal soul inside all of us reloaders and casters starts yelling louder than your conscience.

This is your conscience speaking. SAFETY FIRST. You don't know what this powder is. Do not risk your life or others to save a few measly bucks. Worst case scenario, you load up some of these, die in a car crash, and somebody else ends up shooting them maybe years later and loses a finger, hand, arm, eye or life.

The most productive thing you can do with this insignificant, paltry sum money, which equates to a huge risk if you let frugality win you over, is to go outside, dump a fine trail like in a western movie and light it up. Film it for Youtube. Educate your fellow man and budding reloaders on how smokeless burns, and reinforce the lessons your conscience is telling you.

[ShooterAZ]

I would pour it in my Scott's lawn fertilizer spreader and get busy on the lawn.

[ga41]

I picked up some powder a few years back that had been repackaged by the owner. It was all labeled, but I was wary. He was an older guy, seemed very careful ,but.........anyway some of it was IMR4198, well IMR 4198 is the fastest powder of it's type, so I loaded my TC with it's 12" bull barrel 45/70 with the starting load of IMR4198, worked fine. Of course I was fortunate about the type and speed of 4198. Also did the same in a 45 Colt Blackhawk with IMR4227 with success. Of course, YMMV, be safe

[mac60]

Don't do anything with it until you find out what it is - you'll find out eventually. I would never throw away a full 8 lb. jug of powder.

[zomby woof]

I would never throw away a full 8 lb. jug of powder.

This....

[rbuck351]

I assume you cast as you are posting here. Put 3grs behind any boolit in a 223 and see how it reacts. This will give you some idea of its burning speed. Move up a grain or two at a time until you either get velocity or a case full. If you get velocity at 2000+ with x grains you have a very usable idea what it is. If it won't burn fairly clean and won't give much velocity it's too slow for the 223. Move up to a 308 size round and start over. If it won't burn clean and give decent velocity it's slower than H414 so you move up again. This is the same as any reloading, start low and work up. The only difference is you have no idea where to start so you start with a small round (22H) would be even better and slowly work up. This could be any ball powder from w231/H870 but you can figure it out close enough to use it.

[RayinNH]

I have WC820, 860, 872. It doesn't look like my WC820 which is extremely fine and greenish gray in color.

It does look just like my WC860 and 872. These two powders, at least the lots I have, look exactly the same, you can't tell them apart outside of the jug.

Understand I'm not saying that is what you have but it may help after more responses.

[762 shooter]

"So, conventional wisdom says fertilize the yard." This is conventional superstition.

This will tell you what it is not.
http://www.ilrc.ucf.edu/powders/samp...?powder_id=244

Lee dippers, a scale, and Lee dipper charts will tell you what it might be.

A Ruger 357 will tell you what it does.

762

[lavenatti]

Is it in the original jug? If so you can figure out the manufacturer and really narrow down what it may be.