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How long are primers and powder good for?

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woodchuckc

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Feb 9, 2005
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Location
Hickman County, TN
I've reloaded many thousands of shotgun shells over the years for skeet and sporting clays, but I never have reloaded metallic cartridges. My Dad used to reload for rifles and pistols back in the late 50's and early 60's, but I was too young to participate back then. When he passed away a couple of years ago I found most of his old reloading stuff and have had it packed away out in my shop (heated and cooled, with a dehumidifier). He had it stored for all those years in a closet in his house, so it has never been exposed to extreme heat or cold, or high humidity.

I have decided to start doing some reloading, and was wondering if it would be safe to use some of his old primers and powder? There are several thousand Federal large rifle primers, several hundred small rifle primers, a thousand small pistol primers, and about 10 brand new never opened cans of various smokeless gunpowders. To give you an idea of how old some of this stuff is, the price on one of the box of 1000 Federal primers is $5.45 and a couple of the pound cans of IMR powder are marked $4.95.

The reloader is a Herter's Model 81 double ram - I think the old cast iron beast weighs about 80 pounds! :crazy: I haven't found any dies, but I know that he reloaded for 30-06 and British .303, at least. I also have a powder measure, scale, and case trimmer along with another box of reloading stuff that I haven't gone through yet. I'd like to reload for rifle calibers 22-250, 270, 30-06, and 30-30. I haven't found his pistol cartridge reloading equipment yet, but I know that he used to reload for .38 Special, which I would also like to do (also 9mm and .44 Mag).

Also, there is probably about 1000 old military 30-06 brass cases which are probably only once fired - I would need to clean them up since they are pretty tarnished, but is that old military brass good for reloading or is it too brittle to bother with?
 
Pending on where the stuff was stored will determine if it "could" still be good. I have used primer from the 60's with no problems.

I know you will hear, junk the stuff and get fresh. If, you load a few rounds and it does not fire. JUNK.

Any standard die will fit the Herters loader, but good luck finding shell holders. I have two loaders handed down to me, I have searched high and low for over 6 yrs for stuff. None anywhere.

Military brass is difficult to deal with. I prefer to buy newer brass or get once fired from folks that don't reload.

FDXX75
 
FDXX75, if you are still looking for shell holders for Herter's presses, they are out there. I just looked on Ebay and there are some used shell holders for Herter's presses there (search using Herter's reloading). Also, there are several companies including Midway that offer adapters that allow you to use standard snap-in shell holders. Here are links to a few of them:
http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,667.htm
http://www.ch4d.com/catalog/?p=63
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.e ... t=11082005
 
I bought a RCBS Rockchucker and am very happy with it. I still have the Herter presses though. Maybe I will check it out, set one up just for a specific load.

Thanks

FDXX75
 
Tried to send you a PM FULLLDRAW.
message says you are over your private topic limit?
Not sure what this is.
 
The Big thing I would try to use Period Data for the Powders you have some powders have changed a little over time.Hopefully he kept the old data manuals around.

I have loaded and shot some old stuff.

Otherwise think you would be ok but if any doubts don't use.
 
I would use the equipment and I would not be scared to use the powder and primers,,But I would probablly put the stuff with price tags back somewhere as some kind of momento thing.ESPECIALLY if it was unopened..
 
Tiny said:
The Big thing I would try to use Period Data for the Powders you have some powders have changed a little over time.Hopefully he kept the old data manuals around.

I have loaded and shot some old stuff.

Otherwise think you would be ok but if any doubts don't use.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Tiny. I haven't gone through his stacks of books and magazines yet (he never threw anything away!), but I am sure that his old manuals are around somewhere.

I figure that I will get rid of any powder cans that were opened or have any corrosion on them, but it looks like most everything is in perfect shape - it is just old. The primers are all shiny and not tarnished at all. I guess it is a safe assumption that primer formulations have not changed enough over the years to invalidate using them with the currently listed loading data, but I plan on starting out on the low end and working up from there.
 
mr.big said:
I would use the equipment and I would not be scared to use the powder and primers,,But I would probablly put the stuff with price tags back somewhere as some kind of momento thing.ESPECIALLY if it was unopened..
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was thinking of doing some of that (just saving some of the old stuff). There are some old Peters cartridge boxes and a bunch of other stuff that was bought back in the 50's, but most of the ammo has been shot and he just refilled the boxes with empty brass. I'll take some pictures of some of the stuff and post it here - some of the "old-timers" might get a kick out of seeing some of it. I do have a couple of boxes of 22 shorts from the 1930's that he got when he was a kid (born in 1924) that he said they used for hog killing and squirrel hunting, and his old single shot 22 (I think it was a Western Auto) that he got when he was 8 years old. He said it had been used to kill several hundred hogs (they would load it with a 22 short and stick the muzzle in the hog's ear), since he and his Dad killed and butchered hogs for most of the farmers around them over in Carroll County back in the 30's and 40's.

It sure is bringing back a lot of memories going back through this stuff. He's been gone for almost 2 years now, and I still occasionally pick up the phone to give him a call before remembering that no one will pick up the phone on the other end. :(
 
woodchuckc said:
mr.big said:
I would use the equipment and I would not be scared to use the powder and primers,,But I would probablly put the stuff with price tags back somewhere as some kind of momento thing.ESPECIALLY if it was unopened..
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was thinking of doing some of that (just saving some of the old stuff). There are some old Peters cartridge boxes and a bunch of other stuff that was bought back in the 50's, but most of the ammo has been shot and he just refilled the boxes with empty brass. I'll take some pictures of some of the stuff and post it here - some of the "old-timers" might get a kick out of seeing some of it. I do have a couple of boxes of 22 shorts from the 1930's that he got when he was a kid (born in 1924) that he said they used for hog killing and squirrel hunting, and his old single shot 22 (I think it was a Western Auto) that he got when he was 8 years old. He said it had been used to kill several hundred hogs (they would load it with a 22 short and stick the muzzle in the hog's ear), since he and his Dad killed and butchered hogs for most of the farmers around them over in Carroll County back in the 30's and 40's.

It sure is bringing back a lot of memories going back through this stuff. He's been gone for almost 2 years now, and I still occasionally pick up the phone to give him a call before remembering that no one will pick up the phone on the other end. :(
Click to expand...

Heck some of us young squirts like seeing the old stuff essp our old stuff.

Dittos on the memories,I was at a local gunshop a few weeks back that had gotton some old stuff in from some where. The "Baby" that worked there hadn't seen Remington Reloading Brass in "Red" Boxes, Federal Ammo in Black and Red Boxes or Winchester/Western in the Yellow boxes.Heck that stuff doesn't seem that old to me.

Looking forward to the pics.
 

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