I used to reload shotshell 10 years ago, and I found a bunch of powder and primers.

Do powder and primers go bad? I have a few pounds of 800X, BlueDot, and Unique. These are all in unopened containers.

Load em up, or get rid of them?

I would say start loading, providing that they have been kept in a somewhat controled enviroment
heat is the worst enemy of powder.

Some would run away at the old cans of powder that I have been feeding on lately.
The out side looks bad but inside the powder is like new stuff.
These cans are hercules brand,green dot,red dot herco,bullseye and unique.
I shot some bullseye in my 45 colt the other day and was not displeased.
I think if it looks good burn it up having fun.

I received my Dad's old reloading stuff with some Herco and primers only the Lord knows how old. I put some primers in shells from different trays (case) and they all went bang. I proceeded to reload a few boxes of shells and they all went bang, no problems. The cans looked terrible too, but the powder was dry and was uniform in color and pouring, no clumps.

Without actually going "bad", powder can lose some of it's umph over time. This is where having a Chrony helps when you developing a load, especially with old powder.

Primers can be tested.....simply shoot a few without powder or bullet!

Powder almost always looks and smells bad when it has deteriorated. If it looks good and don't have a acrid odor to it.....use it!

Of itself, ten years means nothing to powder or primers.

It was just a little while ago, that the guys down south were selling IMR4895 that was made in 1969. I bought a couple of jugs, and it performs just like the new stuff.

Jerry

I have and use plenty of powder that is old enough to vote. Some of it may even be eligible
for Social Security.

As a long time user of the 303 British we used to shoot ammunition from the 1940s and 1950s in the 1970s with no ill effect.

Save that it was corrosive primed and cordite. But what we did find was that later "Z" ammunition - loaded with nitro-cellulose - did not maintain its consistency as well as cordite.

This was ammunition that had been stored under "best" conditions. Not stuff that had been subject to heat, cold, damp, etc.

In fact for target shooting it was such that eventually we would pull all the "Z" loads and salvage the bullets to reload in cases with new powder.

It was not unsafe. Just not accurate enough for shooting at five or six hundred yards. Too many low shots by the odd six or seven or eight inches dropping out of the bull area.

So consistency wise I am not sure. I would even say that on old ammo the biggest enemy is cracking of the brass at the neck rather than problems with powder or primer.

But having said that the next time I can get a secondhand ten year old hand is the next time I'll use secondhand ten year old powder. Period!

The problem is that you - unless it is yours - simply do not know what is in it or what has been done to it!

Maybe someone had a load of bulk "powder X" from a friend. But no containers to store it. So his friend said it was OK and gave it to him in empty "powder y" canisters?

Or maybe that canister was the one where all the junk powder from pulled rounds got tipped?

So. I will use old FACTORY ammunition. But I will NEVER use somebody else's old handloads nor will I ever use old tins of powder that I have not had from new.

Or the same bought at an auction.

It is a false economy as no matter how small the risk if you do call it wrong there is no relief from the consequence.

And in the original poster's circumstance. In a shot gun! Never, never ever would I use old powders.

They "dry out", well I think so, and get more powerful (well actually they "dry out" and for xxx grains you are loading a heavier charge) margin if safety is just too slim.

Use the Blue Dot and the Unique in pistol loads. Starting 10% under recommended load. I'd have no problem.

I'm still shooting WWII surplus H4831 sold in the old faded square cans that I bought back around 1975. Not only does it still go BANG, my chronograph detects no loss of efficiency whatsoever.

Now all you quit lying too the Lad ; You know any powder which has set around more than a week isn't any good as with primers !.

He should immediately package all such articles of reloading an ship them too myself ; for proper disposal !.

Especially that Blue Dot stuff ,before any of our senior members start dreaming up additional reduced load data !!!.