A friend of mine came over yesterday, to load up some .38 SPL. As a parting gift, he gave me 2 1/2 quart jars of powder, very old, in Mason jars. The powder had been in the jars so long that the tape holding the labels had dried out, and the labels had fallen to the bottom of the cardboard box they were in. However, the powder appears to be just fine.

I think I have two full quarts of pre-"extreme" Hodgdon 4895. I have a couple of strain gauge instrumented rifles, so I can check that out.

The puzzler is the half full bottle. The label that I think goes with that bottle says 4531. It is a rod powder, smaller in diameter, and shorter than the 4895.

Anybody got an idea what 4531 was?

You sure it isn't 4831?

And if I were you, I would take all 2-1/2 quarts and sprinkle it on the lawn this spring...

I have wondered about the possibility of it being 4831...

I've had powder that I've gotten frustrated with (erratic results), and have used it to fertilize the black raspberries that grow just outside my shop window. I have found that it is OK to mix powders in this kind of application. They all produce nice, juicy berries. However, the grandkids have gotten big enough that they frequently beat me to most of them.

Testing the alleged 4895 is no great difficulty. I have a 30-06 and a 7.62x54R rifle that are equipped with strain gauges, so checking peak pressure is pretty straightforward. I can work up loads completely independent of any load manuals. It's just that if I know something about the powder before I start, it makes the load development a little easier.

I'd burn it.

Sorry, I'm a bit of a pyro

There has never been any powder labeled as 4531. It is likely mis-labeled 4831. However ,you think you have identified the pre extreme 4895 and the other powder is smaller in size. 4895 is one of the smallest stick type powders on the market. I can't think of any powder with shorter length than 4895. You clearly have those jars mis-labeled
Is your eyesight a couple fingers and a rifle worth screwing around with 2 1/2 lbs of powder? I agree with the others on this .Any way you cut it You have 2 1/2 lbs of fertilizer!

Sounds like todbartell and I would get along!

Problem with powder like this is you just don't know... Don't know for sure what it is and don't know how it was stored and therefore, don't know its condition.

I understand wanting to use it and the strain guages may even make that feeling stronger, possibly giving a false sence of security. But I would think that not knowing if there is any deterioration would be the prevailing concern, not the burn rate.

BURN IT!!!

I am a pyro too.

It just isn't worth your safety not knowing for sure what it is. I have a local store that repackages powder but I will not buy from him because I like sealed packages that I know what is inside. I like my hands and eyes

For your safety just disposed of the powder.

Be Safe

Hcliff

denton---

That's probably one of the many surplus powders sold by Bruce Hodgdon just after the war.

I still have a can of 4806 and several cans of 240 powder which are close, but not the same as, 4198 and 2400.

I have several old barrels that I put on a scrap action and mount in a pipe vice to test powders. By sound and velocity in different cases the burning rate can be compared with known powders and loading data developed. It's not worth the trouble unless you can get a lot of it really cheap.

An unidentified powder in a manson jar(not it's original container) that is labeled 4531(a nonexistent powder)was made specificly for fertilizer about 20 years ago in a very small quauntiy. I only wonder if it has lost it's use as a fertilizer by now?