how old before gun powder go's bad
2007-07-17 06:52:39 · 8 answers · asked by rebelbeard53 1 in Sports ➔ Outdoor Recreation ➔ Hunting
As long as it is kept dry and sealed, it may last forever. I have some more than 10 years old that still works.
2007-07-17 06:57:53 · answer #1 · answered by eferrell01 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Dry and cool and probably longer than is known at this point in time. US Army has a supply of original ball smokeless powder that was adopted for 30-06 in 1906. Every year several pounds of it are taken from supply, loaded into test cases and fired. Last time I heard about this being done there was less than one tenth of one percent loss of power. It may be dupont instead of the army so this might be a good question for anybody else interested to shed more light on. On a personal experience note; I was given a box of 45 acp shells that had been found during demolition of an old cabin at a mine here in Montana; that appeared to have been made sometime in the 1920's. It had been opened and three were gone but I took the box out to the range with my 45 and fired up the remaining 47; they all went off just fine. That means that at the age of 75 years they should work fine.
2007-07-17 09:55:46 · answer #2 · answered by acmeraven 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Smokeless powder kept in the proper environment will last for decades. I have some surplus ammo that was made back in 1978, when I shake the cartridges the power is still loose and the rounds are just as accurate as new ones.
You want to make sure you keep powder in a cool DRY place, moisture will ruin the stuff in very short order.
2007-07-17 07:04:13 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
BLACK POWDER will keep forever if you keep it dry.
NITRATE based powder has a shelf life. As it ages it does one of two things. It either weakens and you run the risk of getting a bullet stuck in the barrel OR it becomes highly unstable and goes off unexpectedly, like it did on the USS Iowa.
Best bet is to always rotate your ammo. Buy a new box but use the oldest box. If you keep your rotation to within 2 years, you should never have a problem.
2007-07-20 17:27:07 · answer #4 · answered by forgivebutdonotforget911 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As long as it is properly stored, life is almost indefinite.
For blackpowder, I've known of 100+ year-old powder charges to fire perfectly.
And I've shot WWII surplus ammo that was over 50 years old with no trouble.
The main thing is storing properly so that the powder does not absorb moisture.
Doc
2007-07-17 07:01:11 · answer #5 · answered by Doc Hudson 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I heard on Tom Gresham's Gun Talk this weekend, someone had powder, properly stored, from World War 2 that he was using to make his own loads.
2007-07-17 09:16:24 · answer #6 · answered by icing_in_ak 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
with proper storage, a lifetime.
2007-07-17 07:27:06 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
under proper conditions, it will last longer than you.
2007-07-17 11:11:12 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋