Clumped powder?

Trevillian

Trevillian

Trigger Trash
2A Bourbon Hound OG
Charter Member
Benefactor
Life Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 17, 2016
Messages
2,973
Location
Jackson county, NC
Rating - 100%
9   0   0
It has been a couple years since I loaded 308 and my lee powder measure has been sitting on its pegs on the wall, lid on, but not touched, about 3/4 full of Ramshot Tac. (Labeled as such)

I've been doing a deep clean/inventory of equipment so I brought it down. Looked good, smelled normal. Went to dump it back into a half full jug and there was a peach pit sized clump in the middle, turned it back up. Then when I pour it into a jar for "bad" powder, there wasn't the first hint of clumping. Didn't shake it or even jar it?

My reloading room is an 8x10 cinder block corner of the basement, safe is in there as well. Does have a fullsize dehumidifier that keeps it between 45 and 55% but if it rains super heavy long enough there will be a puddle that forms (traditionally, once a year, maybe) on the floor where the block was never sealed. Humidity sensor never goes above 65% and nothing in the safe nor in the room (books, photos, old tools, etc) suffer from moisture damage.

So the question is. Was it caused by static from the probably too dry air or is it that moisture got into the hopper? At $25 per lb I'd toss it to be safe but at $50+ I would hate to be overthinking it🙃
 
Last edited:
I pulled a bunch of 308 rounds I had loaded several years ago and found that the powder in most of them was clumped. I had to get something to poke down into the case to loosen the powder so it would come out of the case. I would not worry about the clumps. They should break up easily
 
I've never let powder sit in my powder measures, I ALWAYS empty them back into the original containers when I am done loading a batch. I have to believe they made the containers air-tight for a reason.

Having said that, if it un-clumped and looks/smells normal, I would try a small batch. Shoot them, and compare to some loaded from a sealed container, just to make sure.
 
Toprudder said:
I've never let powder sit in my powder measures, I ALWAYS empty them back into the original containers when I am done loading a batch. I have to believe they made the containers air-tight for a reason.

Having said that, if it un-clumped and looks/smells normal, I would try a small batch. Shoot them, and compare to some loaded from a sealed container, just to make sure.
Click to expand...
I learned that lesson a long time ago with chemical in a sprayer. It’s easier to clean it out so it’s right ready to go the next time instead of leaving it in there, making a huge mess.
 
Leaving powder in a powder measure for several years is probably not a good idea. The clumps may not be a problem, but the long-term exposure to the atmosphere could be. With powder being again somewhat available, I would trash the powder in the powder measure and start with fresh powder that has been in an air-tight container.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I generally do my reloading stuff after work. That powder measure is what I use for test loads on a single stage before transferring over to a progressive.

I would guess I was planning more workups with that powder (always gets a piece of tape stating what it is) so didn't return it to its original container as I normally would.

But then life happens and I barely had time to reload anything and there it sat.

Now that I have time available, I'm doing this inventory and "found" that hopper lol.

I adhere to the "better safe than sorry" mantra of reloading but how it acted and the insane jump in component prices have given me some hesitation.

I, at most will load a couple rounds of a known load and run it over the chrono but may toss it for peace of mind.

Thanks again, this place is always full of knowledge.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom