Powder Storage Shelf Life

[Hanshi]

Back in the 1960s I bought Dupont locally for $1.10 a can. Even farther back than that I had some Dupont in one of those "whiskey flask" cans.

 

[[email protected]]

Was at 29 Palms Marine base, weapons demo. 8 inch howitzer was doing its thing and a short round landed close to the spectator area stuck in the sand. It never armed the window was still green. EOD picked it up and threw it in the back of the truck. Made my butt pucker I tell you.

 

[muzzleloader48]

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THE GOEX STORY

GOEX Powder, Inc. is a proud American business with a rich history.

In 1802, E.I. Du Pont de Nemours broke ground on his original black powder plant along the Brandywine River in Delaware. To meet the growing demand for black powder, E.I. Du Pont de Nemours began construction on the Belin Plant in Pennsylvania and produced the first batches of black powder in 1912. The Belin Plant supplied military black powder during World War I, World war II, and the Korean and Vietnam conflicts.

In the early 1970’s, the Belin Plant became a part of GOEX. GOEX continued to supply black powder for Military and Industry and for a growing Sporting interest. In 1997, GOEX moved to Minden, Louisiana to continue the tradition of manufacturing fine quality black powder.

On 01 January 2009 GOEX was bought by the Hodgdon Powder Company and became GOEX Powder, Inc. The Hodgdon Powder Company’s philosophy is, “We are here today. We were here yesterday. We will be here tomorrow.” The Hodgdon Powder Company has taken care to replace critical processes at GOEX with state of the art equipment. The state of the art equipment and procedures have enhanced the safety of the employees and the quality of GOEX black powder.

Today, GOEX manufactures black powder used for sporting applications such as civil war re-enactments and flint lock firearms, and is a vital component for industrial and military applications. It remains as the only U.S. manufacturer of black powder.

GOEX has over a 200 year history of black powder manufacturing in the United States and GOEX Powder, Inc. intends to be a good steward of this company’s history and tradition.

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Buck, Years ago there was a story circulating that the govt. wanted the manufacturers of cartridges to have a shelf life. Never heard anything after that. Do you remember that?

 

[texsam1949]

Was at 29 Palms Marine base, weapons demo. 8 inch howitzer was doing its thing and a short round landed close to the spectator area stuck in the sand. It never armed the window was still green. EOD picked it up and threw it in the back of the truck. Made my butt pucker I tell you.

Very interesting story ! Having been a "Range office" many eons ago, my question is how was the 8" firing in a direction that included the spectator area ?

 

[Buck Conner1]

Buck, Years ago there was a story circulating that the govt. wanted the manufacturers of cartridges to have a shelf life. Never heard anything after that. Do you remember that?

I remember Skeeter Skelton writing (mentioning) this in the Editor Section of Guns & Ammo, said he would check it out but never saw his reply?

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[Buck Conner1]

One of the reasons Camp George West (National Guard Site in Golden CO) was shut down was the amount of practice rounds and the small reduced-range practice rockets (RRPR) found on the site.

We were allowed to camp there for our state rendezvous and monthly shoots, then several of the RRPR were found on the shooting range.

A couple of the kids got to playing with one (discovered by their mother) - mom's seem to be able to take the fun out of everything worth a damn. That was what the press was told, the site was sold and clearned up of all the neat things. :coffee:

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[drax05]

Forgot to add in an earlier post on powder shelf life, I worked with a friend and outdoor writer for several years, and still do on occasion, testing new firearms, loads etc., in the early 80's. He made a move 1/2 state away, and "gifted" me with a lot of smokeless powder, lots.... anyhow gave away all I wasn't using for myself and family, reloading large rifle and pistol mostly, and am still using to this day, powder from late 70's and early 80's with no noticeable effect. I have only added some H380, Trail Boss, and 2F to the batch. Again, cool and dry, cool and dry.....

 

[Okie Hog]

When black powder is kept dry it remains potent for hundreds of years.

i spent 20 years in US Army EOD. My first duty station was Fort Bragg, NC. In about 1961 an EOD NCO and myself responded to a call from police in Washington, NC. A man was brazing a lug on a 10" Civil War round shell that he intended to use for a boat anchor when it exploded.

Windows in numerous homes were broken by the blast that killed the man instantly. That shell had contained at least five pounds of black powder. The man had other Civil War explosive ordnance in his garage that we took back to Fort Bragg for disposal.

Decades after my retirement from the US Army and while doing EOD stuff as a civilian, i met a medically retired Marine NCO. In the late 1980s he was inerting a Civil War Parrot round when it exploded, causing serious injuries: The last USMC casualty of the Civil War.