Got an old can of 2400

[Les Staley]

At a gunshow Sunday. Powder still smells good.

Reminds me of the first can I ever bought. About 1966 or so, a can of IMR 3031 cost me $3.75. No price on this 2400.

[Blaine]

Cool.
$3.75...Wow....Of course, that would have been about half of what I made on my paper route in those days; A small fortune for a young kid.

[southfork]

Heck, the nostalgia of the Can alone is worth what you probably paid for it. But, I'd for sure use it.

[AJMD429]

It would be interesting to make some identical loads with that, and with new-production 2400, and see how the chronograph readings compare.

[JohndeFresno]

Probably preaching to the choir, but I recall a post or two about the chemical change of the nitroglycerin in aging gunpowder. I do recall, however, that changes in smell - more acrid - plays into its evidence of stability.

I would be circumspect while using that stuff, and research a bit before deciding on a starting load.

[Ysabel Kid]

So cool!

[Les Staley]

I only paid $10..bought it for the can, but I'll try doc's suggestion. Will load some identical loads with this antique stuff and modern and chrono the loads. Good idea for a fun project.

[Les Staley]

This will be the test bed for the 2400 chrono test. Went up to Buffalo Arms in Sand Point Monday and got the Marble standard tang sight and two Hadley eye discs. The other is for the Axtel Riflesmith on my Shilo. Targets, lookout!

[Sixgun]

Les,
I picked this up at a small gunshop in Colorado in 1976. The old timer there told me that it must have been sitting around there for 30 years. It WAS factory sealed........I had to test out a few with it over the years...just fine and dandy.------6

[Les Staley]

Cool! Thanks Six. Was there a price on it? There wasn't on mine. The lid on mine doesn't screw on/off, but press the center to snap the edge clamps open and press the outer edge to reattach.

Did everyone notice the mandatory stocking feet in the photo? My wife's..

[Sixgun]

Cool! Thanks Six. Was there a price on it? There wasn't on mine.

Les,
Yes, the price tag is shown. I figure if mine is worth 6 big ones then yours must be worth at least $5,000. look at the printing on the back side of the cardboard can to see the recommended cartridges.

Things were sure much better back in the day.----6

[Rimfire McNutjob]

Nice. And you guys still haven't found me that can of Norma R123 that I've been looking for. We just don't get much old stuff down here in the high humidity state. You Yankees and arid Westerners should have no trouble finding me some R123. And by "that can" I mean any can still full or mostly full of actual R123. I know a lot of you think Lil'Gun is the bee's knees but R123 will, in fact, run circles around it in the Hornet or Bee or various other small caliber smokeless numbers. Yes, I know you don't have a HazMat license and can't ship it. I will literally take the week off and drive to whatever God forsaken place you live and buy it from you in person. Except for Hawaii ... sorry Ji.

[Sixgun]

Nut job,
Norma 123? OK, I'll keep my brown eye out for it. I see it burns similar to 2400. Why the desire?----6

[AJMD429]

You could test it in one of those Ruger No.1's in 22 Hornet; I'm betting you would have a hard time damaging that gun in that clambering no matter how badly the powder deteriorated...!

[earlmck]

If the powder smells right I would bet on there being no detectable deterioration. I still have a small amount of 4831 that I bought in the early 60's which I believe was WWII surplus powder at the time (got it for .50/lb which was real cheap even then). My only use for many years of this old powder has been in my '06 with 200 grain bullets; a load which gives 2700 fps from the 22" bbl on my Rem 700. A couple of years ago I chronographed some of these after I loaded a new batch and got essentially the same velocity as I had when I first chronographed the load 35 years ago, which was about what you'd expect from new 4831.

I've had a couple of powders go funny on me in these many years and these were both in metal Dupont cans -- 4227 and 3031. They just produced a redish dust and I didn't trust them so disposed of them. I don't think I've lost anything else though I have an unopened can of HiVel#2 that is in a cubical can just like Les' 2400 can except the HiVel still has the metal tab/seal on the cap so I can't just open and look. I'd be surprised if it isn't just as fine as the day it was made.

And Rimfire -- if I had R123 you could have it. I have a nearly full can of Herters 103 (still smells normal) and a full can of Herters 100. I wonder if one of them is really R123? I have a vague recollection that the H103 gave a lot more pressure than I was expecting from the load data supplied by Herters and I didn't use any more of it. So here it sits. My problem is that was back before I started my load records and I don't know which rifle it produced that pressure in. Would have been a 30/30 (wouldn't have been R123) or a 25/20 (coulda' been R123) or a Hornet (may well be R123). And by the way, QuickLoad thinks W296 or Lil'Gun should give at least 100 fps more in hornet and bee than R123 for 45 or 50 grain bullets. It looks real similar to 2400 on paper for those applications. But I have never shot any (or even seen a can that I recall).

[Rimfire McNutjob]

Nut job,
Norma 123? OK, I'll keep my brown eye out for it. I see it burns similar to 2400. Why the desire?----6

I'm embarrassed to say but it is THE powder in the 5mm CF. I know, WTF 5mm. But it also crushes in the Hornet.

To be honest, I may find that 300MP approaches its performance in these rounds. And I'm being kind of lazy in not working up a load in 300MP. It did take me forever just to get a can of that 300MP during the great power/primer drought a few years back. But I know how R123 does. It's just that R123 seems to be in some kind of miracle strike zone for these cartridges. In the Hornet, it's good for about 230fps over anything else in a reasonable load.

[Sixgun]

I hear ya R.M.Job. Will look. (Ya like that abbreviation of your name?......It sounds important, kinda like W.C.Fields) ----6. With a little imagination you can have some fun...like adding an "I" in between the R and the M.

[Rimfire McNutjob]

I hear ya R.M.Job. Will look. (Ya like that abbreviation of your name?......It sounds important, kinda like W.C.Fields) ----6. With a little imagination you can have some fun...like adding an "I" in between the R and the M.

Yeah, I like what you did there. Trying to puff up my profile I see. Hopefully Blaine won't see it and run with it.

[retmech]

I have a can of the old 2400 also and just for kicks I chrono'd it against a new can that I had. I shoot the Lyman311466 cast 150 gr bullet out of my Savage 340 with 13.5 grs of 2400 which gives me roughly 1500 fps and less than 2" 100 yd groups. Last year I shot both over the chrono with 10 shot strings. The new 2400 averaged 1489 fps/10 and the old averaged 1482 fps/10. The new had slightly better es and sd than the old but no more than you would expect from one 10 shot string to another. Groups on target were same/same. sorry about the sideways pic.

[Rimfire McNutjob]

... The new 2400 averaged 1489 fps/10 and the old averaged 1482 fps/10. ...

God bless them for maintaining that kind of consistency. I always get nervous when I hear the new owner of a brand has "reformulated" a powder. I bought a can of 2400 back in the powder crunch days just in case as it seems to do very well in a lot of cartridges. I've not had the chance to use it in a load yet ... but I have it nonetheless.

[Old Ironsights]

This is why I have about 24lbs of 2400.

The only thing I have more of is Holy Black.