I found a stash of five or maybe seven one-pound cans of H335. The cans are paper with the metal tops. I have no idea how old they are, but they have been stored dry and cool. Would you use it?

I haven't seen the inside of the can yet - to actually examine the powder, but assuming it looks ok, how will I know whether it's bad or not?

Thanks
KB

I haven't seen the inside of the can yet - to actually examine the powder, but assuming it looks ok, how will I know whether it's bad or not?ThanksKB[/QUOTE]

Start by smelling it.Do not stick your nose up to it. Hold the can about 10" away and fan it towards you with your hand. DO NOT TAKE DEEP Breaths. I kid you not.A nitrous or nitric oder is a dead give away of deteriorization or iadequate rinsing. Haven't heard of this happening with 335.

Having passed the oder test, Next build up some modest loads with light for caliber bullets seated out reasonably far. Try it. See what happens. Keep records. roger

I bought 20# of H335 30 years ago. I came in a plastic bag in a cardboard box. I moved it to a metal powder can I had and always stored in a cool dry place. I didn't use it as much as I thought I would, but am still using it with no problems.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Kabluewy:
I found a stash of five or maybe seven one-pound cans of H335. The cans are paper with the metal tops. I have no idea how old they are, but they have been stored dry and cool. Would you use it?

I haven't seen the inside of the can yet - to actually examine the powder, but assuming it looks ok, how will I know whether it's bad or not?

Thanks
KB[/QUOTE


If the lid is not rusty inside or out & the paper on the can shows no water signs or sun fadeing, I would use it in a heartbeat!!
My .458WM loves it!

quote:

Originally posted by bartsche:
Start by smelling it.Do not stick your nose up to it. Hold the can about 10" away and fan it towards you with your hand. DO NOT TAKE DEEP Breaths. I kid you not.A nitrous or nitric oder is a dead give away of deteriorization or iadequate rinsing. Haven't heard of this happening with 335.

Having passed the oder test, Next build up some modest loads with light for caliber bullets seated out reasonably far. Try it. See what happens. Keep records. roger

Agree.

The only thing I'd add is to smell a relatively new can you know has fresh Powder in it first. The good Powder will have a smell quite similar to "Ether".

If it has the Bad smell, it is time for it to go on the yard. Best of luck to you.

After the "snif" test, pour some out onto a paper plate. Look for any traces of rust(the powder is oxidizing), a clear or straw color(1st stage of oxidation where the burning deterrent is starting to fail), or clumping(indicates possible moisture absorption).
If all is well use it with confidence.

If it passes the sniff test, use it. Even if it's lost some of it's oomph, it's still good. You can proof it with a chrony or match it against a load in a good reloading book or against a can of new manufacture powder. If there is a difference, just adjust your loads.
If you have a proper container, I think I'd open all the cans and sniff them and then blend them together into one container so you only have to check it once instead of everytime you open another can.

I have never had powder go bad, but I have had mice damage to the container and powder spilled out.

Damn mice

quote:

The only thing I'd add is to smell a relatively new can you know has fresh Powder in it first. The good Powder will have a smell quite similar to "Ether".

While the smell is from ether, you won't get that from H-335 which is a ball or as Hodgden calls it, a "spherical" powder. I shoot mostly ball type powders and I've never smelled the ether odor from any of it.
One nice thing about ball powders is they are double based and store much better than single based powders.
When I bought my first rifle in .308 win., most of the loading manuals gave the impression that I could get the probably the highest velocity using H-335. I forget the loading and I lost much of my loading data in the move to Arizona, but about 6 months ago, I was doing some load work ups for a .35 Whelen using some of Paco Kelly's data. H-335 was one of the better looking powders and I still had some of that old H-335 I bought way back in 1971 when I bought that first .308 so that powder in it's cardboard can has to be at least 36 years old.
Smelled just fine and shot just fine. Two cans of IMR-4350 bought at the same time that I figured I would use in a 30-06 was not only bad but totally ruined. Both had been stored together in the same place under decent conditions. My gues is the powed is probably OK.
Paul B.

If powder is stored properly (cool/dry place) it usually has a very long shelf life. I did recently have a can of IMR4350 which deteriorated after about 10 years storage. I actually talked to a tech guy at IMR who told me that some IMR powders from the early 90s could be problematic. When I poured the powder there was a fery fine reddish/brownish dust which made me cautious. I have not heard of problems with other brands of powder.

be certain to "sniff" a fresh can of powder before trying the sniff test... just call it sinal calibration...

i LOVE h335, and but 5lbs wouldn't have lasted me a year.. heck, i burnt that much in 4q7

I am using some H-335, about the same vintage as you describe, that I've had for at least 30 years and know it has been stored correctly. I started with Hodgdon's minimum recommended load of 42 grains for the .308/150 grain bullets and my velocities were just shy of 2800 fps, very close to their max. loads. The accuracy was very good so, I didn't try any other loads but, I certainly would be very cautious increasing the charge with my lot of powder. Start low and work up with any powder is very sound wisdom to eliminate any surpises. HTH

It is probably no good .You should box it up and ship it to me.I will test it free of charge.If it is not up to snuff I will let you know and dispose of it properly.

I had a pound of H322 in the same types of cans go bad on me about 8 years ago. The can itself was swollen, and when I opened the top it emitted visible fumes which had the acrid odor of nitric acid that was mentioned earlier. I poured it into a sink and it noticibly created bubbles of CO2 when it reacted with the alkalinity in the tap water. You might not have enough alkalinity in your water in Alaska to notice this, particularly if it is a snowmelt water source.

I also had a little bit of red dust show up on some old IMR 4895, but it smelled ok and I continued to use it with no noticeable effect. I think it may be a little iron oxide from the can it was stored in rather than any powder decomposition products.

I was at first concerned that the oxide would damage the barrel in some way, then I realized that it's the same stuff used on tumbling media. I've been shooting cases with some red residue in them for a long time with no damage that I can see. Others may have different opinions on this.