3030 IMR Powder Poured into measure and a cloud of rust

[afish4570]

Rusty dust from inside of powder can. Looking into empty can with flash light and the entire inside of can is coated with rust. Will rust dust in powder effect the safety of this powder. Powder color seems ok but there is rust dust mixed in powder. 3031 lot # e91 ap23 l3450 not sure how long its been open. I loaded some 45 gr. loads in my 356Win several years ago and shot them . Worked fine. Should I use it or dump it.....???afish4570

[Hobie]

Dump it.

[Tycer]

Call IMR. You get to talk to a real person that knows their stuff.


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[afish4570]

Rusty dust from inside of powder can. Looking into empty can with flash light and the entire inside of can is coated with rust. Will rust dust in powder effect the safety of this powder. Powder color seems ok but there is rust dust mixed in powder. 3031 lot # e91 ap23 l3450 not sure how long its been open. I loaded some 45 gr. loads in my 356Win several years ago and shot them . Worked fine. Should I use it or dump it.....???afish4570

I have a can of 4227 Dupont powder marked 1968 that looks as good as the day it was last used. The lot # above on the 3031 has a typo it is lot 91 AP24 L1450 afish4570

[earlmck]

I had the same thing happen with a partially filled can of IMR4227 and one of IMR4198. They were just small remaining dabs; I didn't like the looks of that red dust and just went ahead and tossed them, but it would be interesting to see what the IMR folks would say about it.

Must be something about those metal cans the IMR folks were using back in the 70's -- I have some other metal cans that so far seem fine. I actually have a can of Herter's powder -- you know that has to date back to the early 70's. I opened and looked and there is no rust in it, though that can is nearly full (anybody have any loading data for something called "H103"?). And I have several of the old "snap cap" Hercules powder cans I have used for years as a handy way to hold smaller amounts of powders that I bought bulk in a keg. None of those have ever showed any rust. But I also have some IMR metal cans that have powder purchased who know when (probably in the 80's) and they are still fine.

And I have a bit of 4831 remaining from a keg I bought in the early 60's when Hodgdon was selling it as a war surplus powder (dating to WWII, I'd guess). I first had it in a big (25#) cardboard keg but I used to use lots of that stuff and the big keg was not handy. So by now I have long since transferred it to those gallon plastic jugs that Hodgdon uses for their 8# size. And I loaded some stuff with it just last weekend and it looked and performed just like it was freshly made.

[1894c]

when in doubt--DUMP IT...i agree with Hobie... :)

[J Miller]

Rust on a steel surface indicates the presence of moisture. When ever I've seen that much rust that it comes out with the power, the powder has been contaminated and therefore dumped out. Don't take a chance with it.

Joe

[jhrosier]

Powder which is starting to break down will often have the red dust and/or a strong smell of acid.
It cannot be saved and should be removed from the storage area and disposed of.
The powder may break down either from poor storage conditions or inadequate washing during manufacture.

Jack

[w30wcf]

I had the same thing happen with a can of 3031. I checked the inside of the can and it was rusted BUT THE POWDER SMELLED FINE so...... I seived the powder to remove the rust particles. I loaded some cartridges with it and they shot fine.

If the powder still has an ether smell to it, I'd say ok to use, if not, dump it.

w30wcf

[Don McDowell]

Dump it, whether the rust is coming from the can or the powder, it matters little. There is something eating on the can or the powder, and either way it will cause irratic pressures at best. A new can of powder is cheap insurance against a catastrophic failure.

[w30wcf]

As smokeless powder deteriorates, it looses ballistic strength. I have a box of 30-30 cartridges made between 1946 and 1958. Several years ago I fired a few cartridges from that box and they did not seem as robust as they should have.

I dissected a couple and found that the powder, which appeared to be 4895, had an acrid smell, appeared to be a bit wet and was definitely in the process of deteriorating.

At some point further along in the process, the powder would have lost sufficient strength, enough so to stick a bullet in the barrel........

w30wcf

[Don McDowell]

We had some surplus 4895, that had never seen a metal can since it was bought in the early 50's, along about the late 80's it started showing up with a red dust. What had previously been dead accurate safe loads in 3 different rifles , loaded with the red dusty powder even after seiving and slow pouring infront of a fan to elimate the red dust, went to irratic velocity, no accuracy and blown primers...
Dump the powder.

[Shasta]

No way would I try to use that powder. It is decomposing. Dump it!

SHASTA