Found some powder in grandpas room

[Capt.hollis]

I don't know the brand of gun powder it is, all I know is that it's Federal shotgun powder. He has a shell in the bag, and a piece of the box in the bag. Could I possibly use this to reload 9mm, and what type of powder would this typically be? I know it's not safe but I hate to waste it, because there's 10 lbs here.

 

[fuelfather]

You will need to post more info on the type of powder, but I am inclined to say no. I am not a reloader as of yet, but you would need to consult a loading manual to be sure

 

[Paul5388]

The only safe way to use it is to treat it like it's the fastest burning powder made. That would be close to Bullseye for commonly available data. So, use a starting load for Bullseye and clock it to compare with the expected velocity using Bullseye. If the velocity is close, just use data for Bullseye and don't try to use anything close to Max loads.

The only two reloaders I know in your area to consult with are Eugene Barta and J.C. Tanner and Tanner would be in his 90s if he's still alive.

 

[deemus]

Many shotgun powders are good for pistol, so its possible it would work for 9mm. You got more info on the powder?

 

[Capt.hollis]

Well, my grandpa has passed, and there really isnt anymore information. It's sealed, and in a dry container so it's in very good condition. It's probably 10 yrs old. I'm told that you can use shot gun powder for 9mm, but I've only seen universal powders .

 

[Paul5388]

BTW, I've never heard of Federal powder of any sort. As far as I know they've never been in the powder making business. They're part of the same group as Alliant now.

 

[Capt.hollis]

Ok . Well I appreciate it guys! I think I may try this , I've been wanting to for a while, and hate to see it go to waste.

 

[Capt.hollis]

Paul, I was referring to the type of shell it is.

 

[Paul5388]

You can't identify powder by its looks. All you can do is tell if its flake, ball or extruded tube that might help narrow it down. However, some powders have identifiers built in, like colored flakes in Blue Dot, Green Dot and etc.

I recently bought 12# of Alcan 8 and loaded it in .40 S&W. However, Alcan went out of business before the .40 S&W was even thought of. It can still be used and has to be treated like it was going to be used in a wildcat, where there isn't any loading data.

The shells aren't really a consideration with reloads, but at least we know an application it was used for.

BTW, I used to live in Riggs Oaks, not too far from Brazoria.

Looking at the data, 4.0 gr with a 125 gr bullet in 9mm should produce 1000 fps. That's about what you can expect if it's Bullseye, Red Dot, 700X and several others. If it's slower burning, like Unique, 4.0 gr will only get you to 850 fps or so.

 

[Acera]

Is it really worth guessing at what kind it is? I would think the potential damage to your guns would outweigh your desire to be frugal. Unless I was positive about what brand and type, no way I would reload with it.

FYI, you can use if for fertilizer for your wife's potted plants. The high nitrogen content will enrich the soil. At least it's not a total loss that way.

 

[Paul5388]

Would you go out and buy 10# of powder and then dump it on your garden? At $10/pound, it's only $100, but that's a little high priced for fertilizer, especially when components aren't too readily available.

Back in the old days, there wasn't a store that had any sort of reloading supplies closer to Brazoria than Cooksey's in Angleton and you probably have to go to Houston for it now.

The load I suggested could even be cut back to 3.5 gr, if there's a worry about an overload. But, there's also the need to ensure a bullet actually exits the barrel before the next round is shot.

 

[Acera]

Would you go out and buy 10# of powder and then dump it on your garden? At $10/pound, it's only $100, but that's a little high priced for fertilizer, especially when components aren't too readily available.

Heck no I would not, but if I bought it I would know what it is and what to use if for. But then again, as you said in a previous post that you cant positively identify a powder by how it looks, so it's a crap shoot for him. He did not spend any money on it, so it's not like he is facing a financial loss. Second, why risk personal injury and property loss over it?

I can predict all the crap the OP would get if he had started a thread about how he found some unknown powder, loaded up some bullets and blew his gun up. Would you defend him for doing that?

Gotta look at the risk vs. reward aspect. For me it's not even close.


Capt.hollis are you an experienced re-loader???

 

[mikeofcontex]

Yes... with great care. What has been proposed above is the correct procedure. Consider it fast burning and work up loads starting at the minimum for the fastest shotgun powder. Try to find loads of a fast powder that is of the same type (flake, cylinder/tube, or ball). Note the look of the load in the case. If it's too full... try again before you load the projectile and attempt the bang.

If everything you can think of has been checked and ALL things are a go... move forward carefully.

Another possibility is to check the size of a shotgun load to the load of 9mm in reloading manuals. You should see a similar proportion to what you are attempting.

STOP! If anything makes you wonder about your sanity. If you are a bit of a nutty professor, you'll be able to safely arrive at safe 9mm loads.

No warranties express are implied accompany this advice. You're on your own!

If all else fails... maybe one of us nutty professors would offer to purchase it from you without any warranties express or implied.

 

[Paul5388]

While it's true he didn't purchase the powder, someone did and he'll have to purchase the replacement, if he dumps it.

When you actually look at the procedure I proposed, you can't get anything faster burning than Bullseye that would be loaded in shot shells. That means it isn't going to over pressure if it's a slower powder and it isn't going to over pressure with a fast burning powder. The only real concern is whether the bullet actually exits. Shotgun powders have been used in handguns for over 100 years (Bullseye) and no shotgun was ever loaded with an uber fast blank powder. Here's a site that has tons of shot shell powders loaded in rifle cartridges Lever Gun Performance Studies and none of them blowup a gun.

 

[scap99]

What's the possibility it's some sort of black powder and the empty hull was a measure for pouring it into a cannon???

Is the powder in a bag or a container?

 

[mikeofcontex]

Determining whether it's black powder or smokeless should be quite easy... and, should be done safely.

 

[Paul5388]

You can ignite a very small amount of black and it'll smell like sulfur. Smokeless doesn't contain any sulfur in single based or double based powders. Triple based is pretty unusual to encounter in the civilian world, but DuPont #6 was triple based commercial powder made in the 1950s.

 

[Capt.hollis]

Yes sir , very familiar with Rigs Oaks area Paul. This definitely isn't black powder guys. I'll load a few shells, and fire one at a time for safety. I've been using power pistol with precision lead heads for so sometime now. I just can't make myself throw this away, because of the current circumstances. I really appreciate all y'all's help for sure.

 

[Capt.hollis]

Yes , I'm an experienced reloader , but haven't ever tried this . Lol.

 

[Paul5388]

My aunt lived on North Road until last month when she went to an assisted living facility. I still have a cousin that lives across the river from what used to be Sportsman Span.

I wouldn't be too concerned, it isn't much different than using surplus powder. I loaded some H385 in .223 that didn't have any data from being obsolete so long. It worked fine at 25.0 gr with a 55 gr bullet, about like any other ball powder for a .223.