Shelf life for powder and primers ?

[JeffB1961]

Is there a shelf life for powder or primers as long as they're kept dry ?
Should I put one/some of those moisture absorbing things in my powder when I open it ?
I have pyrodex RS and federal 209 primers for my optima .

Thanks , jeff

 

[1874sharpsshooter]

I would for the powder but not necessary for the primers

 

[toytruck]

Keep them high and dry. They will last indefinitely! If I have any left over from hunting season I either use them for the range or small game in the white muzzleloader shotgun.

 

[deermanok]

I have some black powder that's over 15 years old and # 11 caps about the same age.
Still good.
As long as you keep the stuff dry, it will last quite a while.

 

[one-shot]

Vacuum pack

 

[JeffB1961]

thanks folks . i think i'll pick up a few more packs of federal 209's tomorrow if H&V still has some .

 

[ElDiablo]

Lots of reading on the Internet on this subject. I figure forever if cool. But heres what Hodgdon says about smokeless so Id assume it would apply to BH209 anyway.

https://www.hodgdonreloading.com/gunpowder-stability

 

[sheriffjohn]

Lots of reading on the Internet on this subject. I figure forever if cool. But heres what Hodgdon says about smokeless so Id assume it would apply to BH209 anyway.

https://www.hodgdonreloading.com/gunpowder-stability

Best pay attention to this Hogdon advice for SMOKELESS powder which is far different than traditional black powder. I am still shooting black powder purchased in the 1960's at less than $3 a pound. Original offering plastic containers of Pyrodex (powder and pellets) unopened have not fared as well after decades of storage on shelves in my shop. That has proved to be more "disappointing" than "devastating" - one container had formed clumps, one package of pellets produced several "fizzles" - pellets actually exiting the barrel only a few feet visibly smoking.

Smokeless powder in unopened cans has completely rusted through the can and one non-factory plastic container became so brittle it crumbled when I shook it to see how much remained. Old percussion caps (also from the 60's) that had been opened mostly popped but some did not. Remington caps survived the best, Italian are the worst in my experience. Really old musket caps I found were all, every one, no exceptions ...duds.

I am no expert, but I know for certain where my stuff's been for over 60 years. Be more careful than I have and be careful (suspicious) of old components and old ammo.

 

[Wildrangeringreen]

Smokeless degrades over time and exposure to heat/humidity (improvements in stabilizers allows modern smokeless to degrade very slowly), Black powder doesn't (so long as it isn't soaked), people still find sealed 1880's and 1900's cans of BP from time to time and shoot it with no ill effects. I doubt Pyrodex will degrade, as it's a perclorate enhanced Black powder with a different fuel source (the "dex", in pyrodex). I believe 777 (dinitrotoluene)will degrade over time, like smokeless (someone correct me if that is incorrect). Priming compounds are fairly stable. Store all of it in a cool, dry place, and you'll most likely shoot through it before it goes bad, like sheriffjohn said.

 

[JeffB1961]

thanks folks . went back this morning and H&Y only had 2 packs of the federal 209 primers left so i got both of them , so now i have 400 of them . i mentioned i got the wrong powder the other day when i got 3 bottles of the pyrodex RS powder because i didn't think i could use 777 fffg powder in the optima and he asked if i used any yet and told him no and he said if i wanted to bring it back and pay the difference that i could . i didn't expect that ! just got back with the three bottles of 777 fffg . he has two bottles left and i might go get them when i get paid for my little side job today . i saw comments here about primers and powder being hard to find so i figure i better stock up while i can . H&Y will definitely be getting more of my business !

 

[ElDiablo]

Good to hear! Get it while you can. Especially 209s. 777 isnt too hard to find currently but that could change in a hurry.

 

[sheriffjohn]

Get while the gettin's good and shoot up the old stuff first. You can often substitute various powders. Don't know anyone that actually made their own primers. Percussion caps, yes. Primers, nope.

 

[Wildrangeringreen]

H48 is an oldie, but a goodie. Just be aware that it is corrosive (where the ye-olden mantra of cleaning your smokeless guns religiously after each shooting session comes from, and why so many self-loading military rifles have horrifically rusted gas systems), unlike the "Kleanbore" (Remington/UMC's trademark name) priming commonly available today (most of today's priming typically contains some form of lead-styphnate). Owners of the forum don't like us going over how to make powder and primers, but there are other sources for that anyway . If you can make percussion caps, you realistically can make caps for cartridges (they're the same thing, just that instead of the anvil being made into the gun with a cap, the cartridge primer has the anvil built into it (Boxer Priming), or into the case (Berdan Priming)).

Not sure about EPH-20 or 25 on how they do

 

[MrTom]

I bought my first jug of BH209 11 years ago and still had maybe 25 charges left in it. Of late I have been working at shooting them at the range and the powder performs flawlessly.

 

[middlejohn]

Smokeless powder in unopened cans has completely rusted through the can and one non-factory plastic container became so brittle it crumbled when I shook it to see how much remained.

For safety sake, I just spread over 50 pounds of misc. smokeless powders in our vineyard. I inherited it from a cousin. The stuff dated back to the 50s and virtually every can showed rust inside and many had red cornels mixed in. As I understand it that is a big sign of trouble. And he always stored it cool and dry.

I read some place the Navy doesn't store double base past 20 years or single base past 45 years.
Some of the stuff I used as fertilizer was over 70 years old!
My cousin should have been way more careful, or shot a lot more!

By the way most of the cans had price tags under $10.

 

[walrus]

No "expert" here either. The phrase "Keep it in cool and dry place..." still fits. I finally ran out of my WW2 stash of H4831 a couple years ago. LOL, but it chrono'd just fine right up until the end. On the other hand, I did have a couple cans of "new" powder that smelled a bit funny and showed red dust when I poured it into the powder measure. That became yard fertilizer right then. So, you never know. If you're going to err', make sure it's on the side of "Safety first". Just my $.02 worth