Powder Stuck In Old Corroded Cases

[ChasHam]

I'm trying to make safe about two dozen very old 30/06 and 30-30 reloads that variously developed green scrunge/corrosion on the sidewalls, base and some primers after sitting in the garage for 30+ years. I'm guessing the bacteria from my hands that transferred to them during reloading led to their sorry condition.

I pulled the bullets (most are still re-usable as plinkers) with the intent to dump the Dupont(!) IMR stick powders-- but it's clumped up and semi-solidified inside the cases and won't come out.

Not sure if I want to try to poke it out with a thin wooden stick, tap the case mouth down on a wood block or just soak the lot of them in WD-40 or whatever.

Ideas?

 

[IMtheNRA]

Put them in a jar with water and throw them away.

Bacteria does not eat brass.

 

[Unclenick]

I'm afraid that's correct. What has most likely happened is the breakdown of the powder (clumping like that is one of the symptoms of severe breakdown) released nitric and nitrous acid radicals that attacked the brass and ate through it from the inside, so the brass is no longer safe to use. Confirmation of this would be blue-green corrosion on the copper of the bullet jackets at the base where they were inside the case. A second confirmation would be dropping them into a glass of water and seeing the water turn yellowish as it picks up acid contamination from the powder.

In any event, the powder is done for, the brass most likely is as well. You might be able to salvage the bullets, but if the corrosion has to be rubbed off the bases and especially if it is uneven, the best accuracy cannot be expected from them anymore.

 

[FrankenMauser]

Pull the bullets and burn it all.
Maintain appropriate safety measures for the primers, if you do not decap first.

 

[jetinteriorguy]

I’d pull the bullets and toss the rest after neutralizing them somehow.

 

[Reloadron]

Here are a few similar examples of what you describe.

Including the bullets.

All things considered I just trashed everything as nothing was worth salvage.

Ron

 

[ChasHam]

Now just when did you go into my garage to take these pictures of my ammo!!

I posted here looking for ideas on how to safely remove or neutralize the powder that I can't get out of the cases after I pulled the bullets.

I liked IMtheNRA's simple solution to just dump them in water-- but I wonder if the powder and primers would become live again after drying out...

 

[jetinteriorguy]

You might try breaking up the powder with a sharp bamboo skewer, then just dump it all in a pile and ignite it. Then pop the primers and soak them in whatever would neutralize them, no particular suggestions there but I know there have been several discussions on this subject over the years so a little research should give you an answer.

 

[gwpercle]

Not so much bacteria from your hands ... 30 years in an unconditioned garage , the humidity reacts with the brass and corrodes . Plastic doesn't help .
I had a box of 500 once fired 308 cases in a cardboard box in my closet , 25 years are so and some of those had corrosion on them ... inside the house ...it happens .
Gary

 

[Unclenick]

The powder got that way from breaking down. Heat, especially, will do that over time (actually accelerates the natural process). So the stabilizer was used up trying to neutralize the acids, and once it was gone, the acids won the war. What's left will be weak and probably have a different burn rate from the original. It can actually get faster because the deterrents have been damaged by the acids. So it isn't to be salvaged.

You could dry it and lay it out in a train and burn it out in the open. I've used sticks to work powder like that out of cases without a problem. But I wouldn't try to light the powder in the cases, as that is likely to set the primer off, and that could throw a lot of sparks and burning powder around unpredictable.