Hey guys, I'ts been years. Anyway not to bore ya with my problems heres what I need.
Some time ago I picked up a lot of 8mm Yugo dated 54. It looks and fires great. Having much of this ammo and being a reloader I thought to pull bullets, inspect the powder and use it for different calibers. The powder inspected very good.
Here's the question. What modern powders does this stuff come closest to. Size/shape, etc.
Long ago I was giving the indication it resembled 3031. I would like to use this GOOD powder in other rifle cartridges.I know this is not normally done. But I bet somebody out there has tried this and with favorable results.
All constructive comments welcome.
Many Thanks Guys ..........

GT

It is not that unusual for people to break down cheap ammo for it's components.
With that said you are investing a lot of effort to not shoot the ammo.

One of your problems is - is all the ammo you have loaded with the same powder? You cannot make an assumption that it is unless it all came out of the same lot or can.

If you decide to use the powder in that manner you are on your own developing usable data.
Why not just buy an 8X57 rifle and shoot it up?

quote:

Why not just buy an 8X57 rifle and shoot it up

Thats what I do.

I've pulled bullets and used a lot of flake powder from 8x57 Mil. ammo. Never had any really good or consistent results no matter what cartridge it was loaded in. Most of it,but not all, was Turk ammo. roger

IMO, you're getting into an area that is best handled by wild catters. They have books that cross reference case capacity, bullet weight, and such.
As a FYI, one of the cardinal rules of reloading is to never, never try to identify a powder by appearance.

It ain't worth it. If I was going to re-use anything, maybe the bullets.

quote:

Here's the question. What modern powders does this stuff come closest to. Size/shape, etc.
Long ago I was giving the indication it resembled 3031. I would like to use this GOOD powder in other rifle cartridges.I know this is not normally done. But I bet somebody out there has tried this and with favorable results.
All constructive comments welcome.
Many Thanks Guys ..........

GT

Fifty nine year old gunpowder is at the end of any reasonable shelf life. I would dump it.

To determine the burn rate and composition will require chemical analysis and pressure testing.

If you are determined to use the stuff you are just going to have to test it yourself. I recommend starting low and working your way up. I would use a chronograph. After several hundred loads you will have an idea of the approximate burn rate of the stuff.

Be aware, old gunpowder does not get better with age. As it ages it outgasses fuming nitric acid gas. That will cause cracks in brass cases. Old gunpowder does not burn evenly so expect the occasional pressure spike.

A machine gunner friend of mine, after I told him about the pressure issues that old ammunition has, he said that explained why he had two top cover explosions with 1950's Yugo 8mm.