Gun powder

[Archery_nut]

Got some old powder off my grandfather. Just curious if powder ever goes bad? Seems to be dry so just wondering if it is safe to use or should I just get new stuff.

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[silver]

The first thing I would look for is dust. Pour some out into a cup. If there is a reddish brown dust mixed in with the kernals then it's gone bad. I had one pound develop the dust, it still fired but when I went to a new pound the groups did tighten up.

[Archery_nut]

Sounds good thanks

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[AndrewM]

Smell should be off as well if it is bad.

[303carbine]

Originally Posted by Archery_nut

Got some old powder off my grandfather. Just curious if powder ever goes bad? Seems to be dry so just wondering if it is safe to use or should I just get new stuff.

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I dump the powder into a clean bowl and use a magnet moved around in the powder to see if I get anything to stick to the magnet.
If it has had air inside or moisture, it will make rust, that will stick to the magnet and let you know if it is contaminated.
If it smells like rotten eggs , that is a good indicator that it's bad as well.