Let me say this upfront: I'm not going to use this powder. It becomes fertilizer in the spring. This question is asked out of technical curiosity only.
A friend recently gave me a half full container of Hercules Green Dot. This is one of the old 15 pound cardboard cartons with the lid that slides off after you break the seal (kind of like the old Quaker Oats containers, for those of you old enough to remember).
The friend received this from a widow whose husband was an avid shotgun reloader (where Green Dot in big volumes would make sense). The container is marked August 1983, and based on the Hercules logo, this is believable ... based on my recollection of the Hercules logo on the 1 pound Green Dot containers I had purchased in the late 80's. Although the cardboard container is certainly not airtight, the powder appears ok: no rust/brown discoloration and no foul odor ... but there is certainly less ether smell than with new powder.
But here's the strange thing: There are no green dots in this Green Dot. Granted it may not be Green Dot at all, but it would seem odd for someone to transfer a large amount of other powder (presumably from its own large container) to a Green Dot container. But people do odd stuff. I don't have any other Green Dot on hand to compare - and I'm not sure if that would be valid anyhow, given that it has been changed by Alliant somewhat over the years.
Assuming it really is Green Dot, I guess I would come to one of two conclusions: Either some batches of Green Dot didn't have green dots in the past ... or the green dots in my powder faded and/or deteriorated over time. Anyone have any experience or thoughts on this?
Sorry for the long post.
Thanks,
dogfood
A friend recently gave me a half full container of Hercules Green Dot. This is one of the old 15 pound cardboard cartons with the lid that slides off after you break the seal (kind of like the old Quaker Oats containers, for those of you old enough to remember).
The friend received this from a widow whose husband was an avid shotgun reloader (where Green Dot in big volumes would make sense). The container is marked August 1983, and based on the Hercules logo, this is believable ... based on my recollection of the Hercules logo on the 1 pound Green Dot containers I had purchased in the late 80's. Although the cardboard container is certainly not airtight, the powder appears ok: no rust/brown discoloration and no foul odor ... but there is certainly less ether smell than with new powder.
But here's the strange thing: There are no green dots in this Green Dot. Granted it may not be Green Dot at all, but it would seem odd for someone to transfer a large amount of other powder (presumably from its own large container) to a Green Dot container. But people do odd stuff. I don't have any other Green Dot on hand to compare - and I'm not sure if that would be valid anyhow, given that it has been changed by Alliant somewhat over the years.
Assuming it really is Green Dot, I guess I would come to one of two conclusions: Either some batches of Green Dot didn't have green dots in the past ... or the green dots in my powder faded and/or deteriorated over time. Anyone have any experience or thoughts on this?
Sorry for the long post.
Thanks,
dogfood
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