Thread: old powder

I recently tossed (well poured a long strip on the ground and set fire to it he he) about 1.5 pounds of 3031. It was over 30 years old.
I also had recovered milsurp 4895 pop the cap off a can and fume vigorously. Quite alarming as the only storage place I had in the place we were living in at the time was a cabinet in the bedroom.

Both powders had been stored in a dry cool environment.

The 3031 had lost its sweet smell and was quite acrid. It had also started to go from a greyish colour to brown, although this was harder to detect.

Check powders by smell. Should not be acrid. Check for colour change. If old enough to be stored in a metallic container check inside for corrosion. If corrosion inside container powder may still be OK sort-of but performance may be degraded and who wants rust mixed in with their pet load.