Nobel no 1

S

Scribe

New member
I have been offered two, one pound tins of this for a good price. Apparently the tins are sealed and have been correctly stored and are five to ten years old. The seller states the powder is almost identical in performance to Alliant 2400. I have previously used 2400 and Bullseye that was 25 years old without a problem.
I can’t find any details or reloading charts for this on the internet. I would be using it in .44 Magnum, bullet weights from 180 to 300 grains from a Chiappa 1892 with a 20 inch barrel.
Anyone have any data on this? All replies gratefully received.
 
If the maker is ICI Nobel in the UK, that company shut its plant in the 1980's (maybe 1982,when they closed their plant making the nitric acid needed to make nitrocellulose), so the powder would be more like 35 years old (though there is no telling when it was sold to fellow who wants to be rid of it. That's old enough to be going bad, even if properly stored. Powder can last a lot longer, but doesn't always. I keep powder in fairly ideal conditions and yet had to dispose of both some N140 and Accurate 3100 from the early 1990's last year. Nitric acid smell in the 3100 and the N140 actually stuck together in a mass. The British military won't stockpile even unblended bulk double-base powders over 20 years, even in ideal conditions. The bottom line is, before buying you want to open and smell and look for red dust—the usual powder checks—and if it is good and you decide to buy it, I would use it up fairly promptly.
 
I have a Nobel-Glasgow ICI manual dated September 1964 that lists a Nobel Rifle No. 1 and a Nobel Revolver Powder No 1.
I have not seen a shotgun powder with that designation.

I still have a small quantity of Revolver No 1 that is still good after more than 4 decades.

It is a semi transparent greenish grey powder that loads very much like the old IMR 4227.

I stopped using it because after a couple of cylinders of 357 the barrel was too hot to touch.
 
If it is Revolver No 1 then the manual lists the following loads for 44 Magnum.

205gn cast gas check; Sugg: 18.5gn for 1340fps. Max: 26.5gn for 1980 fps
215gn cast gas check; Sugg: 15.0gn for 1270fps. Max: 22.5gn for 1830fps
255gn cast gas check: Sugg: 16.5gn for 1240fps. Max: 23gn for 1618fps.

Yes I know these figures seem odd but that's what's in the book.

Doesn't list firearm or barrel length but the front cover has a picture of a universal receiver so I suspect it was tested in that.
 
From Cyril Waterworth's "Reloading Simplified" Fifth edition, 1970 for 44 Mag and Revolver No. 1.

180gn cast lead plain base; Sugg: 16gn for 1125fps. Max: 25gn for 1800 fps.
240 gn jacketed; Sugg: 20gn for 1477fps. Max: 21.8gn for 1580fps.
 
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