Years ago, working at the East Coast Bombing range, located on Piney Island off the coast of NC, we had a problem with our welding rods. The problem was the humidity. We fashioned a sort of dryer out of an old refrigerator that no longer worked. We built a 40-watt bulb inside of it that stayed on all the time..and use it to store our welding rods. Long story short, it worked, and we had no further problems. I adapted this Idea to store ammunition and powder at my home..the only thing I did differently is enclose the blub in one of those clear waterproof housings like you see in showers for safety. And I have to say it worked great in an area known for high humidity.
Very interesting to me as I live in the southeast where the humidity becomes absolutely miserable in summer here. I currently have my powder and reloading area in the basement. I’m going to start monitoring the humidity levels down there now. I had no idea that the temperature stable powders are actually more affected by humidity. Here I was thinking I was all set with my stash of Varget, H4350 and H4831SC! Lol
Great video! This really makes the idea of buying a huge amount of your favorite ammo and then stockpiling it for the next ammo shortage a bit questionable. Bargains aren’t bargains if the ammo isn’t predictable from one range trip to the next. I’d also imagine that longer shots would amplify the effects of overloading or under loading powder due to the reasons stated in this post. Again, thoroughly explained great content, as always! Thanks for posting!
As I stated in this video, I don't really see humidity effecting my loaded ammo. Powder storage is where the problem with humidity rears it's ugly head. Heat is a bigger issue with loaded ammo.
Absolutely fascinating, I had no idea humidity made that much of a difference. Makes me think of old lee manuals that tote loading by volume with the little scoops.
Really enjoyed this episode on heat & humidity effects on powder & ammunition , l remember years ago when you could buy army surplus British .303 in wooden boxes , if you took the time to have a close look at a cartridge, the primer had a dried ring of lacquer around it . No doubt to try & keep the contents dry in the uncertain conditions of the battle field. Great contents & research D D. Stay safe.
Yep, some places need a dehumidifier...Where I live, a humidifier is more useful because it's dry year-round (and the AC/Heater makes it worse). In dry environments like mine, unregulated powder can get dangerous fast.
Winchester Brother, I think your the man to ask this question for advice. I am looking to book a plains game hunt in Africa this year, which months would you recommend I strongly consider booking. April 15-May 30 or August 15- September 15. Any advice is appreciated.
If you're hunting a high-fence game farm in South Africa, it doesn't matter when you go; you'll get all the animals in your "package". For a true free-range hunt in Zim, Moz, or Tanzania, book in August because visibility will be much better and the weather will be dry and comfortable. I hate going to Africa in March-May because of all the ticks (I've had tick-bite fever before).
The feature caused me to recall an anecdote from a friend that associates with an old time Palma shooter who counseled my friend to charge powder by volume from a powder measure. I suppose this is part of the reason why this was his experience.
Back before we had the ability to control temp/humidity in our homes, the old scooper might have been the correct tool for the job. Hell, in the "old-days", guys kept their gunpowder in the garage on a shelf year-round. Where I live, humidity is pretty stable (on the dry-side year-round), but storing powder in a place like the Carolinas might be a challenge.
So... maybe I should actually use the ammo sealer I got several years ago. Do you have any info on how sealing the primer and neck improves longevity of a loaded round?
I don't know how sealers affect a loaded round (results vary), but I do know that most home sealing jobs don't actually work. Don't store your ammo underwater and you won't need a sealer. Powder storage and humidity is the much bigger issue.
For me I simply reload in my house and now that you mentioned it Ihave noticed that if I shoot my reloads less then 2 months after reloading then my rifle still shoots 1/3 moa but if it’s like half a year I do notice it spreads a little more to just at 1moa which is fine for me. Also I haven’t really noticed a fps loss or gain I’m averaging about 2940 and I think I’m farthest spread was 8 or 9? Maybe it’s a possible longevity thing?
I have never noticed velocity fluctuations in different humidity extremes with my loaded ammunition. Powder storage and conditions during loading are where humidity wreaks havoc.
I recently moved from a dry environment (Phoenix)to a humid one (gulf coast), so jumped right on to this video. I have no idea what I'm doing. As I watched, I started thinking about military ammunition with sealed primers and bullets. Assuming the powder was at similar moisture levels when loaded at different times, it should be stable over time. It would have to be used in load development as I suspect bullet pull would be affected. My question being: Do you have any recommendations as to products and procedures for doing this.
My loaded ammunition stays perfectly stable without a sealer. In fact, testing has shown that "home sealing jobs" usually don't seal. You have to watch humidity and temperature in your powder storage / reloading area. Once you load the ammo, store it in a cool dry place and don't worry about it.
You should do your research on gunpowder and humidity. Bryan Litz (the greatest modern rifle ballistician), saw a 200fps velocity difference with H4350 powder in 6.5 Creedmoor between humidity extremes (testing was done in a lab and was repeatable). In the "Norma Reloading Manual", page 115, Norma lists their humidity test with 201 powder in 308win; Norma noticed a 190fps velocity difference. Several other tests have been done that show over 200fps shift with different powders. As you can see, a 100fps velocity shift based on humidity is easy to achieve.
Last month On toob asked f class shooter: why whith w cases same xact powder in a dispenser bullets all from same box after allso weighing after the drop in long neck case the volume went from bottom of neck to mid way up neck.? He correctly answered damp conditions.SO to get non compressed load Had to reduce weight to reduce volume. [ i didn't do anymore of thaT ] d dog how does that fit whaT your saying.? My self I could use more on this.🐎🦧
If he would have just controlled the humidity in his reloading room, his powder (by volume) wouldn't have changed. And powder weight isn't the biggest problem; the change in burn rate of the powder itself is a bigger issue. Most F-class shooters have known this for 10 years.
Years ago, working at the East Coast Bombing range, located on Piney Island off the coast of NC, we had a problem with our welding rods. The problem was the humidity. We fashioned a sort of dryer out of an old refrigerator that no longer worked. We built a 40-watt bulb inside of it that stayed on all the time..and use it to store our welding rods. Long story short, it worked, and we had no further problems. I adapted this Idea to store ammunition and powder at my home..the only thing I did differently is enclose the blub in one of those clear waterproof housings like you see in showers for safety. And I have to say it worked great in an area known for high humidity.
This video is helpful because The Philippines is always humid almost the whole year. Thank You.
Informative video
As always I learned something. THANKS
Once again, very informative video. Thankyou.
Very interesting to me as I live in the southeast where the humidity becomes absolutely miserable in summer here. I currently have my powder and reloading area in the basement. I’m going to start monitoring the humidity levels down there now. I had no idea that the temperature stable powders are actually more affected by humidity. Here I was thinking I was all set with my stash of Varget, H4350 and H4831SC! Lol
Great video! This really makes the idea of buying a huge amount of your favorite ammo and then stockpiling it for the next ammo shortage a bit questionable. Bargains aren’t bargains if the ammo isn’t predictable from one range trip to the next. I’d also imagine that longer shots would amplify the effects of overloading or under loading powder due to the reasons stated in this post.
Again, thoroughly explained great content, as always! Thanks for posting!
As I stated in this video, I don't really see humidity effecting my loaded ammo. Powder storage is where the problem with humidity rears it's ugly head. Heat is a bigger issue with loaded ammo.
Absolutely fascinating, I had no idea humidity made that much of a difference. Makes me think of old lee manuals that tote loading by volume with the little scoops.
Yep. Back before we could control temp and humidity in our homes, the scooper might have been more accurate in places with wild humidity extremes.
Very informative
Really enjoyed this episode on heat & humidity effects on powder & ammunition , l remember years ago when you could buy army surplus British
.303 in wooden boxes , if you took the time to have a close look at a cartridge, the primer had a dried ring of lacquer around it .
No doubt to try & keep the contents dry in the uncertain conditions of the battle field.
Great contents & research D D.
Stay safe.
👍👍some good information, thanks. I’ve always used a dehumidifier.
Yep, some places need a dehumidifier...Where I live, a humidifier is more useful because it's dry year-round (and the AC/Heater makes it worse). In dry environments like mine, unregulated powder can get dangerous fast.
Hey Desert Dog.............great info.........what is your opinion of putting ammo in a safe with a heating rod?
👍👍👍
Winchester Brother, I think your the man to ask this question for advice. I am looking to book a plains game hunt in Africa this year, which months would you recommend I strongly consider booking. April 15-May 30 or August 15- September 15. Any advice is appreciated.
If you're hunting a high-fence game farm in South Africa, it doesn't matter when you go; you'll get all the animals in your "package". For a true free-range hunt in Zim, Moz, or Tanzania, book in August because visibility will be much better and the weather will be dry and comfortable. I hate going to Africa in March-May because of all the ticks (I've had tick-bite fever before).
Thanks
Always great content , but I liked the old intro more 😁
The feature caused me to recall an anecdote from a friend that associates with an old time Palma shooter who counseled my friend to charge powder by volume from a powder measure. I suppose this is part of the reason why this was his experience.
Back before we had the ability to control temp/humidity in our homes, the old scooper might have been the correct tool for the job. Hell, in the "old-days", guys kept their gunpowder in the garage on a shelf year-round. Where I live, humidity is pretty stable (on the dry-side year-round), but storing powder in a place like the Carolinas might be a challenge.
So... maybe I should actually use the ammo sealer I got several years ago. Do you have any info on how sealing the primer and neck improves longevity of a loaded round?
I don't know how sealers affect a loaded round (results vary), but I do know that most home sealing jobs don't actually work. Don't store your ammo underwater and you won't need a sealer. Powder storage and humidity is the much bigger issue.
For me I simply reload in my house and now that you mentioned it Ihave noticed that if I shoot my reloads less then 2 months after reloading then my rifle still shoots 1/3 moa but if it’s like half a year I do notice it spreads a little more to just at 1moa which is fine for me. Also I haven’t really noticed a fps loss or gain I’m averaging about 2940 and I think I’m farthest spread was 8 or 9? Maybe it’s a possible longevity thing?
I have never noticed velocity fluctuations in different humidity extremes with my loaded ammunition. Powder storage and conditions during loading are where humidity wreaks havoc.
Would a sealed package help ?
Like a plastic with a silica pack inside etc...
It's much easier to control humidity in the room you store your powder in, than try to control humidity in every single individual canister of powder.
@@desertdogoutdoors1113 Very true , but I might add that some parts of the room might change ,expecially in winter
Another great video! It is good to listen to an intelligent man sharing information with the hunting public………
Sound like a cigar humidor might be needed as a "powder room".
I recently moved from a dry environment (Phoenix)to a humid one (gulf coast), so jumped right on to this video. I have no idea what I'm doing. As I watched, I started thinking about military ammunition with sealed primers and bullets. Assuming the powder was at similar moisture levels when loaded at different times, it should be stable over time. It would have to be used in load development as I suspect bullet pull would be affected. My question being: Do you have any recommendations as to products and procedures for doing this.
My loaded ammunition stays perfectly stable without a sealer. In fact, testing has shown that "home sealing jobs" usually don't seal. You have to watch humidity and temperature in your powder storage / reloading area. Once you load the ammo, store it in a cool dry place and don't worry about it.
Lake city.
100 FPS difference.. I find that hard to believe. His scale was probably off.
You should do your research on gunpowder and humidity. Bryan Litz (the greatest modern rifle ballistician), saw a 200fps velocity difference with H4350 powder in 6.5 Creedmoor between humidity extremes (testing was done in a lab and was repeatable). In the "Norma Reloading Manual", page 115, Norma lists their humidity test with 201 powder in 308win; Norma noticed a 190fps velocity difference. Several other tests have been done that show over 200fps shift with different powders. As you can see, a 100fps velocity shift based on humidity is easy to achieve.
Last month On toob asked f class shooter: why whith w cases same xact powder in a dispenser bullets all from same box after allso weighing after the drop in long neck case the volume went from bottom of neck to mid way up neck.? He correctly answered damp conditions.SO to get non compressed load Had to reduce weight to reduce volume. [ i didn't do anymore of thaT ] d dog how does that fit whaT your saying.? My self I could use more on this.🐎🦧
If he would have just controlled the humidity in his reloading room, his powder (by volume) wouldn't have changed. And powder weight isn't the biggest problem; the change in burn rate of the powder itself is a bigger issue. Most F-class shooters have known this for 10 years.