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Thread: powder bags

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy Scooby's Avatar
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    powder bags

    About 20 years ago I had a friend ask me to help him load some 3006 ammunition, he had all the components just no press or dies. He had these little bags of powder they were off white but not quite manilla and just had a stamp on them that said 4320, like a rubber stamp and ink pad. He asked me what I thought I got out my old Lyman manual and started low and worked up found a good load and loaded all he had. He is still hunting with them, so the powder is still working fine. Well fast forward about 20 years and I was telling a buddy about this powder in the little bags like you used to be able to grind coffee into at the grocery store. I am wondering if anyone could date this powder or maybe have some pictures of the bags they could post.

    Thank You

    Scooby

  2. #2
    Boolit Master
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    Hodgden used printed, heavy weight, coated paper bags for packaging some of their powders years ago. I don't remember exactly when, probably in the 60's. I still have some 4831 that is packaged in those bags.
    BIG OR SMALL I LIKE THEM ALL, 577 TO 22 HORNET.

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Didn’t Bruce Hodgden get his start buying surplus powder and repackaging it for commercial sale? My earliest exposure to his business model wasn’t until the Nineties when I bought H108 from him (via Powder Valley) in 8# black plastic jugs like bleach bottles. When the supply of this surplus powder H108 became a thing of the past.

    Froggie
    "It aint easy being green!"

  4. #4
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    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
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    In the old days, various places would sell surplus or bulk powders out of a big drum
    and repackage it their self in bags for retail sale.
    They might have come from one of those typed deals.

    Not bags, but Jeff Bartlett still sells his govt. surplus powders in what looks like one gallon anti-freeze jugs.
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  5. #5
    Boolit Master

    Eddie Southgate's Avatar
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    4320 is an IMR powder . Probably repackaged from a keg . Not an uncommon practice up to the 1970's . Lots of hardware stores that sold powder and some loading supplies would sell small quantities from bulk because they could buy it cheaper in a keg . Last place I knew that sold it that way quit in the late 60's .
    Grumpy Old Man With A Gun....... Do Not Touch !!

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master
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    Shot up the last paper bag of 4831 years ago. Kinda wish I'd kept it for conversational reasons.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master

    leadhead's Avatar
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    Back in the 60's a guy at work found a deal on 100 pounds of Hodgden 4831 in those 1 pound paper
    bags. Went around asking us if we wanted any of it. I was shooting a lot of 30/06 at the time, and
    thought it work for that. I bought 10 1 pound bags for $6.00...... That's right, 60 cents a pound.
    Boy, how times have changed.
    leadhead

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BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
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