Old Powder/Primers

[ByrdDog76]

Long story short. I kept my reloading gear at Dad’s in his Shop. It was not climate controlled and when he died I brought all of it to my place. I noticed about two boxes worth of .35 Whelen reloads that the primer had been struck on but they had not fired. I’m guessing that either the powder or primers had absorbed moisture.

The stuff has been in my utility room(inside the house) for several years. Assuming that it absorbed moisture, would several weeks in my safe with the dehumidifier and Dessicant material restore it to normal condition?

There is about 10# of powder and probably 1,000 primers, I hate for it to all go to waste.

 

[f250superduty]

i would take them apart and start over. the primers are not going to fix them selves

 

[Tator Man]

Maybe try them in another gun.

 

[1006]

Toss the loaded, already miss fired stuff. The unused primers will likely be okay once stored in a dry area; oil is about the only way to kill a primer.

Some powder will break down with time. If it is old enough that it came in a paper canister with a rusted metal top, it may not be worth trying to use. If it is in a newer plastic container with a tight fitting lid, I would give it a try.

 

[BillMe45]

Send it to me for disposal

 

[jeep78]

I left several hundred pieces of primed brass in a horse trailer for 2 years, stored outdoors. Loaded some up, and all went bang.

Humidity isn't as hard on components as one would think, else all that Greek ammo CMP sold would have been junk (was stored in outdoor connex boxes for several years till sold).

 

[ByrdDog76]

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I’m going to put in the safe and then try a few test loads from each batch of powder/primers.

 

[jcountry]

It's actually really hard to kill a primer.

I have never had a bad one, and have shot tons of reloads made from primers stored in a hot/cold ass attic for decades.

 

[Old_School]

If powder is bad, it will generally turn brown and have an acrid smell. Best to fertilize the yard with it.

As for primers, I'm still loading some my Dad and I got that were made in the 1960s. No issues.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk