Hello identifying a powder

[bradaz11]

Does anyone have any idea what powder this might be?

It's light brown / tan in colour

[Sim G]

Not a chance of correctly identifying that to my mind. Unknown powder I just regard as border fertiliser.

[bradaz11]

thats what I'm thinking. it's in 44spl, and is 7gr, which seems very high. the only thing around that loading is universal, and that is supposed to look very similar to unique. its only 15 rounds so I think pulling is the only thing to do.

Do you never touch off your powders? I've got a tub of mixed powder, really helps to get a fire going.

[Sim G]

Ah, touching off powders!! A quick story…

Hadn’t long had an RCBS Chargemaster. Getting ready to load some .223. Getting stuff ready at my loading station in the garage, open the new tub of H335 and tipped it into the hopper. What’s that noise? Left the bloody valve open and the Charge master was emptying it on the floor. Enter “Frank Spenser Mode” which resulted in the whole pound on the garage floor. Livid, I swept it up, cursing as I did. 20 minutes later, everything cleaned up and obviously couldn’t use that, so opened another tub and tipped that into the hopper. In all the excitement, is forgotten to close the valve!! Lost another half pound! FFS!

So, fast forward a week or so, back in that garage I see the dustpan full of a pound and a half of H335, some spent primers, dust, dog hair, a couple of leaves and no doubt a screw or two. Call my boy, who’s about eight at the time. “Want to make a gunpowder trail like in the Westerns?” Well, who wouldn’t?

Paper funnel had us make a thin trail all along the path that ran the length of the lawn to the bottom patio where there’s a big old tree and a bench where I used to smoke a cigar on a evening…

The trail comes to an end and we are left with a considerable mound of pounder where it finishes. I tried lighting the powder with a cigar, which is a must as it’s “Cowboy Time”!! That didn’t work, so got the BBQ lighter. Flash, and a way it went! So much faster than the movies! Then it got to the mound of powder…. That ignited with the sound of a jet engine! Feck me those flames rose 12 feet in the air with a huge rushing sound! That set fire to the tree, burning stuff fell on the bench setting fire to than. Alex was whooping and a hollowing as I grabbed the garden hose!

Yep, on the borders now or She’ll bury me in them…

[phaedra1106]

I once emptied a hopper of Trail Boss into a tub of N140

After many attempts to separate them I found a solution, poured the whole lot into a 3L jug. Shook it carefully and the Trail Boss, being light fluffy donuts, worked it's way to the top.

Found a bigger jug and carefully blew the donuts off the top of the Viht and into the 2nd jug. Took most of the afternoon but got all of it out of the Viht

Lesson learned and (so far) not done anything like it again.

[bradaz11]

I think we have all emptied a powder hopper back into the wrong bottle at least once! hey, it's how we learn (or not in Simons case with the self emptying hopper :) )

yeah I've done small trails and mounds, never huge though. I do love the sound.

as you shared a story, I'll share mine - nowhere near as funny as yours though.

on my reloading bench, I used to have an upside down plastic tray that primers are shipped in. into that would go any the powder when setting up my powder throwers if I was using non clean brass, as I didn't want to mix in the carbon from the case etc. or if I had just changed powders, there always seemed to be a few odd flakes left in the autodisc that no matter how well you clean it, always appeared. so those first few throws would go in there too.

now at the time, I was hand priming and running primed cases through the press. occasionally I'd want an extra case or two, so would deprime and prime at that bench, then run it through the press. the primers would go in that tub too.
there was never a whole lot of powder in this tub, maybe 2 teaspoons worth, and like 5 or so spent primers. and every so often, I would touch it off, rather than bin it ect, just light a cooks match, drop it in, PHUTZ, powder gone.

this time though, I lit the match, touched it in, PHU-BANG,BANG,BANG-TZ RIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG
something smacked into my face, luckily my blink reflex is quite quick, but it was stinging, hand to face - blood. run to the toilet, ears still ringing, two spots on my cheek bleeding a bit - but not as major as I thought. just missed my eye (was I wearing eye pro? of course not!)

once i'd sorted myself out, and answered the door and explained to the flat next door, that I was fine etc, no I wan't making bombs or shot anyone, I went back and found the cause.
three primer outsides, missing their anvils were on the bench. a few days before, I'd deprimed some cases and popped them to one side, I must have 'tidied' them up later and dropped them in this pot. as the powder went up, they set off the primer.
until one goes up like that, you wouldn't believe how much energy is in those things! even a primed case at home is ridiculously loud!
so lesson learned for me. not even spent primers go anywhere near the waste powder now!

[ukrifleman]

It looks very like Italian `solenite`powder loaded into 6.5x52 military ball.
ukrifleman

Does anyone have any idea what powder this might be?

It's light brown / tan in colour

[ovenpaa]

I once pulled maybe 125 ish 7,62x54R rounds once and poured the resulting powder into a tub with a rose bush. It took under a week to kill it....

[bradaz11]

It looks very like Italian `solenite`powder loaded into 6.5x52 military ball.
ukrifleman

I'm definitely not pulling a trigger on them if it is that. nope, in the bin

[ukrifleman]

It looks very like Italian `solenite`powder loaded into 6.5x52 military ball.
ukrifleman

I'm definitely not pulling a trigger on them if it is that. nope, in the bin

If the rounds in question are of unknown origin, then you would be very wise not to shoot them.

ukrifleman