How long is smokeless powder good for?

[NyDeer]

My father in law passed on, and in cleaning out some stuff for my mother in law, I have come across some 1 lb cans of smokeless powder. There's one can I found in his room which looks new, the top was tightly sealed, so I think he puchased it with intensions of loading up a batch, so I think this would be OK. However, there are several cans in the basement with various amounts of rust on the cans. I didn't pull them down off the shelf to take a look at them to see if what they are or if they're dated or not. Would this powder still be good? If not, how do I dispose of it?

[fornra@yahoo.com]

Powder has a very long shelf life if stored properly. You can still buy ammo which was loaded during WW2 and it fires just fine, that is 60 yrs old. The rule is to remove the cap and smell the powder,if it has a strong acid smell it should be discarded. Just don't confuse the smell with the odor of a solvent which probably not bad. If you don't know the difference sniff a new can and you will understand the solvent odor i'm referring to.You can also some off color dust settled in the botton of a can sometimes if the powder is deteritaded. In the case you decide to dispose of the powder ,just spread it out in the yard I've been told it's a good fertilizer allbeit quiet expensive. If you choose to burn the powder ,pour it into a pile and make a trail leading from the pile at least sevral feet long and the carefully light it and step away. The flame from burning powder is extremely hot and will burn you very quickly.

[fornra@yahoo.com]

I left out a very important point in my other post, If the cans of powder are not labeled clearly get rid of them anyway!

[NyDeer]

I'm going to pick up a new can of powder so I have a smell to compare them to. Thanks for the help.

[Soilarch]

Like you, I 'inherited' some powder that hadn't been touched for 20years. Loaded up several hundred shells with that GreenDot. Killed several squirrels, doves and clays with it. It didn't burn very cleanly, but I'm pretty sure that was the original nature of the powder, and not a product of ageing. Mine hadn't even been stored in the orignal canisters, it was left in the hopper on the press!!!

I'll second what fornra said. If it's labeled, if its dry, if it doesn't smell funky...its good to go.

[eldeguello]

"How long is smokeless powder good for"

Properly stored, most smokeless powders will last virtually forever.... I have fired .45 ACP ball ammunition headstamped FA -18 that was made during World War I, and it was still up to specs.....

When smokeless powder deteriorates, it disintegrates in rusty-looking dust or powder. If you note any such dust in the powder,use it spread thinly on the lawn for fertilizer!! Don't try to burn any large amounts of it!

[NyDeer]

Ok, Any acid small, NG, and rusty colored particles, NG. I'd probably go the fertilizer route for disposal if necccesary. I'll post what I find, Thanks.

[Vapodog]

as well as looking reddish in color I've also seen deteriorated smokeless powder look "wet".....but the odor is the give away. It'll smell quite badly.