The question on primer got me thinking and I think I do know the answer but just to be safe ....

I have several pistol powders that are about 10 years old. Stored high on shelves in my gun room which is temperature and humidity controlled. I planned to go ahead and load up some plinking ammo with them and use them up. I used to shoot 500 rounds out of my 1911 a month but stopped with the arrival of kids. They are old enough now that it is easier for me to get out and shoot again.

Just how long would powder last assuming proper storage?

They are still using some of the orginal lot of Unique for benchmark tests against new lots. That's a bit over 100 years, but it's also underwater storage.

More practically, many of us are still shooting 60 year old WW II surplus.

I am personally shooting Hodgdon's I got 30 years ago and it was not new then. My storage conditions are not up to yours, either.

If it doesn't have an acid reek and/or red dust, shoot it.

That is kind of what I figured.

Thanks,

I was going to load up a couple and if everything went well I would then lod in volume.

Got to break in my new toy when it gets here.

I think you are fine. I just bought some IMR4831, cheap, that has to be at least ten years old, the cans have changed a bit since then. I crono tested it against a current lot i had & there was almost no variation btwn. the two.

while we are on the subject of shelf life of power, I was at my gunsmiths the other day and he showed me a box with about 20 cans of powder that retired gunsmith brought by and gave him. Some was euro powder that I have never heard of, some old has the hills. Some of the cans were pretty neat looking. I can't remember the names or types of powder, they just looked old to me.