Old IMR 4350

[battleop]

I have a metal can of Dupont IMR-4350 that was given to me by a friend.  His dad used to reload in the 80s but he passed away in the late 90s.   The can was unopened until last night when I opened it.  It smells like gun powder and looks like gun powder.   The top of the can has a little surface rust but it's remained sealed.   I do know that his dad's reloading room was in their finished basement so there should not have been any wild temp changes

 

I'm loading for a 7mm Rem Mag with a 139g Hornady SST.   I've loaded 25 routes starting at the minimum load of 52.9g and worked up in .3 increments so I'm far away from the 59.7g max load.    

 

Starting with the minimum loads should I be concerned about this power?

[Hozzie]

Nope, if it has been sealed, I think you will be fine.  

[Jamie Jackson]

I still use IMR 3031in metal cans I purchased around 90-92 ans it works great.

 

I use the "sniff" test in these situations as well and haven't had any problems. 

 

That's a good friend btw.

[res308]

That's a good friend btw.

Yep. A friend will be there for you in time of need,  bring you a can of gas when you're stuck on the road, help you build your house or barn, help you rebuild your engine, etc., etc.

A GOOD friend will give you gunpowder.

[battleop]

He is a good friend.   Also gave me his dad's MEC Sizemaster to use for a while.   They used to shoot skeet and trap as a family and they would spend the off season loading for when they were shooting.   He said he has 5 gallon buckets of stuff they loaded so he wouldn't need it for a while.  I'm working on filling a few buckets my self and then we will probably trade that thing back and fourth. 

 

It does pass the sniff test..  It has a very pleasant gun power smell.  :)

[gregintenn]

I'm almost finished with a can of 4064 that's about old as I am. If it' been stored properly, it'll be fine.

[Sidecarist]

If it were bad, you wouldn't be able to get your nose over the neck of the can. bad powder smells BAD indeed...

[roverboy]

I've got some IMR4350 and some Hercules Herco that's got to be 40 years old or so. Still good.

[frankmako]

I am using some sr 4756 that I got on 1988 and some unique from 1981. I called the powder companies and they walk me through on how to test gun powder to see if it is still good. There are four simple tests. Smell, look, rub some on white paper to see of it makes black marks and a small burn test. Edited April 12, 2016 by frankmako

[Jonnin]

?  Not sure what rubbing it on paper proves since a lot of it is full of graphite.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Jonnin

[Trekbike]

? Not sure what rubbing it on paper proves since a lot of it is full of graphite.

Just a guess, but if the powder easily smears on the paper it probably has moisture in it. Fresh powder would be harder and more prone to stay intact rather than easily smear.