smokeless powder disposal?

[njl]

A friend gave me a bunch of old reloading gear which includes a couple bottles of unidentified smokeless powder that were likely used for shotgun shell reloading. Unfortunately, these bottles are not original powder jugs...they must have bought 4-8lb. jugs and then dispensed them into smaller containers for easier handling. I've probably got around 1 lb. of this unidentified stuff. It looks pretty similar to universal clays, not that it really matters.

I assume there's no reliable way to determine what a powder is by looking at it, and for the amount here, it's probably not worth the risk or effort of trying to figure out what it is by loading a few rounds with really conservative charges.

I've heard you can just dump it in the yard and call it fertilizer. Anyone actually done that? I'd hate to kill a section of grass or a tree with it.

I've also got some 30 year old black powder. How would you dispose of that?

[open17]

I've dumped old smokeless powder on the lawn---sprinkled it over a wide area. Didn't

really seem to green up the grass, but it didn't kill it either.

Black powder---you don't know any black powder shooters? It's probably just fine to shoot.

[GrumpyOne]

Black powder doesn't go "bad". Keep it, you may have a use for it later.

Mix your old unidentified powder in a bunch of water and pour it in the yard.

[Vlad]

I'm guessing you could probably even flush it in small quantities.

[LPatterson]

I pulled some bullets on a combination of different loads and just sprinkled the powder on the lawn. If you have cans of it save for 4th of July, open can and dump on board with can on top. Be suprised the height you can get.

Editted DO NOT TRY THIS WITH BLACK POWDER.

Edited March 21, 2010 by LPatterson

[BMartens]

Burn it in small quantities, less than one pound, out in the open.

Do NOT do this with black powder !!

[GrumpyOne]

Burn it in small quantities, less than one pound, out in the open.

Do NOT do this with black powder !!

+10 on the black powder. While smokeless powder ia considered a propellant, black powder, because of its' burn rate, is an EXPLOSIVE. If you want to get rid of the black powder soak it in water and pour it out in the yard. It's makeup is potassium nitrate (salt peter), charcoal, and suphur, so it shouldn't hurt your grass or plants.

[markm87]

I've dumped old smokeless powder on the lawn---sprinkled it over a wide area. Didn't

really seem to green up the grass, but it didn't kill it either.

That's my experience. I didn't have much. But I hit a small area and it didn't do anything. I'd have burned it had I known what a waste it was as fertilizer.

[John Heiter]

Go all A-Team with it. Pour it out down your driveway making a small trail leading to your neighbor's mailbox.

[Bear23]

Go all A-Team with it. Pour it out down your driveway making a small trail leading to your neighbor's mailbox.

That or a big box that says 'ACME' on it and put Wile E Coyote somewhere in the vicinity.

[Bob DuBois]

Took a few min. to recover from laughing at John Heiter's idea, that's a good one.