Controlling powder moisture absorption?

R

Ramsh00ter

Guest
I am sure I am not the first to inquire about this? I did a seach for previous threads and did not find anything.

Considering that VV133 seems to be humidity and temperature sensitive, has anyone tried storing their powder in a portable Humidor prior to loading?

How fast will 133 absorb moisture? Once the bullet is seated, is it a good enough seal to retard the absorption of moisture?

In other words, if we stored the powder bottle in a humidor that was set at say 25% humidity, pulled it out just long enough to dump 10-15 charges before returning it to the Humidor, after seating bullets, would you be able to keep the humidity level close to the 25% (or what ever desired level you want) on a 60% humidity day?

Given we have a somewhat consistent time period between relays and keeping the powder in a controlled environment until loaded would cut down on the time the powder was exposed to higher or lower humidity.

Randy
 
Randy

I do not think powder is humidity sensitive in that it absorbs water, I think it is humidity sensitive because of the retardents that some manufacturers, (VV) use tend to work different at different levels.
Some powders do not even seem to be subject to this phenomina. 8208 comes to mind.
Now, I have no idea what happens to 133 when the bottom falls out of the humidity, but I do know how to react to it. I wish I did know what was really going on. But untill someone comes up with a viable explanation as to why it wants to "go verticle" in the lower humidity ranges, I will settle for just being able to react and keep the Rifle agging.
I did an experiment a while back. I took a brand new 2 lb can of 133, and weighed out exactly 500 grns of it, and poured it onto a dinner plate.. I then sat it out in my garage for one week.
I then weighed it again, and it weighed exactly the same as a week earlier.
Now, as you know, I live in Houston, Tx, which is the Arm Pit of the lower 48. If it was going to absorb humidity, it would darn sure be here.
As far as I know, it didn't. Or, at least, not enough to show any weight difference.
There was a story floating around a couple of years ago that a well known shooter got so disgusted with 133 that he poured an entire 8 lb jug onto A plastic sheet in a bathroom, then turned the shower on for all night, letting it really steam up. It was, I suppose, an attempt to induce some sanity into the stuff.
I don't think it helped.........jackie
 
Thanks Jackie,

I know it is just an opinion, but do you think the change in performance with the change in humidity is while the round is being loaded or the condition with it is fired?

If it is during the loading process, seems like we could figure out a way to control the humiditiy.

If it is the condition during firing, pretend I never posted this thread.....LOL
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I suggest looking beyond humidity effecting the gunpowder, and look at "air density" effects to being the cause of POI changes, from said humidity changes (which changes elevation).
Tuning a load to ambient altitudes is as important to competitive reloading, as it is to drag racers, and aviation, in my opinion.

Happy Shooting
Donovan Moran
 
Last edited:
I dissagree

Well, sort of.
I shoot nothing but 133. I have come to the conclusion that it makes no difference when you load the rounds, or where you load them. The only thing that matters is the exact time you shoot them, and what the conditions are at that moment. I guess over the past years, I have tried it all.
All I base this on is experience in Competition. Shooters will see me stacking a gosh awfull amount in those cases at 98 degrees on a hot summer day in Denton, or Midland, but with only 20 percent humidity, and say, "how do you do that'. Sure, it doesn't seem to make sense. But as I said before, play with this stuff long enough, and you will learn what to do.
Keep in mind, I am only talking about 133. How other powders react is something foreign to me......jackie
 
Last edited:
Thanks Guys,

My mind got to running in the wrong direction as usual, lol

I appreciate your input and experience.

I live and shoot in Southern California (unfortunately not much these days), we don't have huge humidity swings like the south, but it is still there.

I hope to learn how to deal with it.

Thanks again,

Randy
 
Randy

We probably have as large of humidity swings here in Houston as anywhere. We have days running where it never drops below 90 percent. Then, a front will come through, blow all of the bad air out into The Gulf, and it will get just beautiful, crisp,and dry, for about a day. Then the cycle starts over.
Denton is a Range where you get big swings during the day. It is not uncommon for it to be in the 90 percent range in the morning, then, as the heat comes in, it can fall down into the 20's. That is one place that can drive 133 shooters crazy if they do not know what to do during these swings.
The reason it is different from Houston is we have the Gulf of Mexico feeding the moisture on the coastal bend.........jackie
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top