"Bucketing" or mixing powder from different lots. What say yee?

[Bob Wright]

I think it's a great idea to blend lots, especially like GlTaylor did.
What technique to "seal" though?

 

[GLTaylor]

Nothing special required to seal. Every pwdr manufacturer's container is made with a soft/compressable top cover to seal well. Never been an issue. I've got powder @30 yrs and counting...

 

[Dragoon300]

Sounds like a plan, I have a number of pounds of RL33 that would be good to do this to. It should smooth out the overall end result. Great thread, keep the good suggestions comming!

 

[DoneNOut]

Blend away of the same type powders. I hold onto my empty 8lb jugs to aid in this practice.

 

[MagnumManiac]

I will add another good practise for you to do. I keep/buy a 1lb bottle when I buy an 8lb jug, I use this one to decant from the 8lb jug so that pouring into the powder measure is easier. It also saves opening and closing the jug, just top up the 1lber when near empty and you're done.

Cheers.

 

[dxlbaile]

It's never a waste of time to be safe... Been mixing and making one big lot for awhile.. I love not having to rework loads every lot change.. Why not make one big usable lot.. People say they have never had a need but, I have had huge swings lot to lot in H-1000 and other powders.. Just make sure you mix it well and you will be good.

 

[Reelman1]

I noted in another thread that one user reports mixing powder from two different LOTS (not kinds) so as to improve consistency. I've been thinking of doing this for some time, as I just never got a full 8# jug of H4350, but I shoot it in enough different guns that I have 5 single pounders from various sources.

So to clarify: I would like all 5 lbs to be the same, much as you would get from a large jug of one lot or 5 cans from one lot. Mixing them all together is called "bucketing" by painters, and that is always a good idea to avoid slight color variations in the paint. Mixing 5 lbs of powder should result in the powder being consistent over the whole 5# so that I don' t have to worry about lot to lot variation.

I cannot see any downside except that I would have to label the cans as "mixed lots" and if there were ever a recall, I'd be screwed. And of course, I could not sell any in good conscience. But that's not happening anyhow.....

Boxing I tbink.

 

[Mike Matteson]

I generally get powder 8lbs lots, and place 1 pound in a bottle an seal both containers. That way they all age the same, or that my thinking. I might add if you can get powder.

 

[backyardsniper]

I think its a good idea. I do it with my powders. I keep an 8lb just and when I run across some 1lb at the store I just dump it in and roll it around and keep on reloading.

 

[westexhunt]

I have given some thought to this before. I have (5) 1 lb cans and one 8lb can all of the same powder. Just mix the 5 lbs together or mix all 13 lbs ?

 

[zb338]

Not a bad idea, but don't be too aggressive so as to break down individual kernels of powder.

Does Midway sell a grain breaker tool. If they do I have to have it.

Zeke

 

[Robbie Sanders]

This is a pretty neat idea. A friend of mine was just given a few open 1lb containers and he and guy that gave them to him put them all in the same container. I was a little leery of it (mostly because neither of them really know what they're looking at) but since it's all the same powder turns out to be a happy accident.

 

[johnnyk]

I've done it quiet a few times. Varget, RL22, RL25, RL26, Retumbo, IMR4831 and CFE Pistol. Never missed a beat.

 

[Mike Matteson]

It seem like that it will work, but never had done that. The only thing is I hope people don't mix different types of powders together thinking they are creating a new type of powder.