Powder and primers in the attic.

[BLJ]

Recently found some powder and primers that I had apparently stored in the attic.
We’ve lived here for 12 years so it’s been that long.
Usually pretty humid in the summer but relatively dry winters.
(2) containers of H322 that are unopened (sealed), a half pound of IMR 4350,#7.5 Remington SRM and some CCI 250 Magnum primers.

My question is are these components still good? Would the big temperature and humidity swings between the seasons ruin them? Or would they still be good? Thanks.

 

[elkliver]

im pretty sure multiple members would agree to take them off of your hands... Unless you see corrosion on the primers or clumping in the powder, i'd be inclined to load some test loads and not look back

 

[BLJ]

They look good to me. No corrosion anywhere.
And I’d say my dad forgot about these as well.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen $3.99/100.

 

[xsn10s]

Look for orange dust or acrid smell from the powder.

 

[RockAndSage]

It's very difficult to kill primers in common household storage, unless they are around chemical vapor, like ammonia-based products (ie, bore cleaners, or household cleaners). Same with sealed cannisters of powder.

What does damage both powder and primers are extreme hot/cold cycles, like being left in the sun repeatedly. Something like being left in a window's sunlight for weeks.

To give an idea of how hardy primers can be, I've got primers from the 1960s that were left in a Nevada water pump/well house, unsealed just on a shelf, that still go bang when I test a couple of them every few years. They were there when my family moved in when I was a kid, and I've kept them as something of an experiment for the last 35 years.

Powder can be a different story. Sealed up it can last as long as that seal does, if kept in a cool, dry place. But as others have mentioned above, any kind of clumping is a bad sign, as is an acrid smell or any kind of orange discoloration inside the cannister. Once the factory seal is broken, it can become just a matter of time before that deterioration occurs, depending on how well a partial cannister was sealed back up. But the powder inside loaded cartridges can literally be expected to last over a century if stored in a cool, dry place.

 

[BLJ]

Both cans of H322 are sealed. The IMR4350 is about half gone.
I’ll dump the IMR 4350 if there’s any doubt. No worries there.
But after looking at the primers and since the H322 is sealed, I may give them a try.

 

[Rotnguns]

View attachment 753561

They look good to me. No corrosion anywhere.
And I’d say my dad forgot about these as well.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen $3.99/100.

They cannot be really old. I remember in the early 2000's that primer prices were about $1.50 per hundred.

 

[WCB]

If you attic is the typical attic and gets extremely hot...it doesn't matter if it is sealed or not. The powder can start to break down and basically scale. This will increase surface area and guess what happens with more surface area upon ignition. Faster burn and higher pressures. Primers wouldn't concern me as much as the potential powder issue.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Just check the batch numbers for recalls. I know there have been some recalls over the years...I wanna say they were Winchester primers that were recalled...

 

[TaperPin]

I’d simply burn up the components in short range practice rounds. When shooting seated or off hand at 100 or 200 yards, it doesn’t matter all that much if your practice ammo is top notch. For really oddball whacky combinations that aren’t worth adjusting a scope for, I color them red with a sharpie and use them for fouling shots simply shot into the bank after cleaning. (For those who have never seen or heard of it, cleaning is something old people do to prevent pitted bores and carbon rings.).

 

[wind gypsy]

They cannot be really old. I remember in the early 2000's that primer prices were about $1.50 per hundred.

Agree. I started loading in 2014 and for at least a few years after, $4 was roughly the going rate for 100 primers IIRC.

 

[BLJ]

Update. Opened up the powder and had varying discoloration and a different smell than normal.
Dumped it out. It didn’t seem to be worth the chance for it.
I’m probably going to try the primers. They seem to be good (visually).
Never thought to take pictures of the powder.

 

[Vern400]

Have had primers and powder degrade/ fail to fire after long exposure to severe heat. CCI $1.99 a box in tiny boxes. H380. Blue Dot.
Good stuff to play with if it's not spoiled.

Smell new, smell old. You'll know. Bad powder stinks.

 

[chindits]

If only you stored them in the basement or crawl space

Mine is pretty consistent temp year round