Dessicant for powder

[Xmark1]

I have inherited a lot of reloading powder from a friend.
It was stored in his garage on shelves.
Since it was stored in the garage, I have concerns about the possibility of moisture getting in the sealed containers.
Has anyone stuck a small bag of desiccant in a bottle of powder, just in case?

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[Hueco]

I store my stuff in tubs that use silica gel tins (get the color change ones that you can bake to reuse). Have always gone from store to tub so haven't tried to desiccate already wet powder.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I have inherited a lot of reloading powder from a friend.
It was stored in his garage on shelves.
Since it was stored in the garage, I have concerns about the possibility of moisture getting in the sealed containers.
Has anyone stuck a small bag of desiccant in a bottle of powder, just in case?

I don't think I'd bother. With that said, garages vary wildly as to humidity here in the damplands.
Garages can be very hot too.. heat is the number one enemy of powders.
With inspection and testing going forward you should be able to see if any are bad for one reason or another.

 

[DizzyJ]

I would avoid doing this. Manufacturers don't do this from the factory that I've ever seen. There's probably a good reason for this.

 

[slimmer13]

If it passes the look and smell test, it's probably fine. Use it for blasting ammo.

 

[Catfishmoon]

I would think that sealed plastic containers should be okay, as others mentioned heat is also a concern. I store my bottles of powder in a large plastic ice chest and I have dessicant in the chest...
A good safety tip is to always only have one bottle of powder at a time in the area where reloading is occurring (on the table) so the wrong powder is never accidentally loaded.
Congratulations on getting the powders.

 

[Koda]

Since it was stored in the garage, I have concerns about the possibility of moisture getting in the sealed containers.

How can moisture get inside a sealed container?

If they are sealed dont open them. I dont even check mine because ive found some of the sealing label to come off upon opening the lid.

 

[Xmark1]

How can moisture get inside a sealed container?

If they are sealed dont open them. I dont even check mine because ive found some of the sealing label to come off upon opening the lid.

I have a boat and I have a jeep. Both have axel seals.
Some say whenever I drive axel deep through water, to change the diff lube on the jeep. And boat axels have a spring-loaded seal for this reason.
When a hot bearing/axel hits cold water an air pressure differential is created that can cause a vacuum and pull in water/moisture onto the wheel bearings.

With this in mind, I have seen temp changes bloat or buckle things like a plastic gas container. The same rules of physics must apply to powder containers not stored in a more climate-controlled environment.

 

[Xmark1]

If it passes the look and smell test, it's probably fine. Use it for blasting ammo.

That does bad powder smell like?

 

[aasbra]

How Long Will Reloading Powder Last

Powder used for reloading ammo can last for decades and even a lifetime when properly stored and handled. Shop Powder Valley for all your reloading supplies.

www.powdervalleyinc.com

 

[Xaevian]

That does bad powder smell like?

Disappointment?

 

[Nosferatu]

If you're overly concerned about it, have a storage container just for your powders. Put the desiccant and/or dehumidifier in the storage container.

They also make these little cylindrical shaped micro containers out of brass that you top off with a lead or copper cap for holding powder.

 

[Xmark1]

If you're overly concerned about it, have a storage container just for your powders. Put the desiccant and/or dehumidifier in the storage container.

They also make these little cylindrical shaped micro containers out of brass that you top off with a lead or copper cap for holding powder.

I do have a large indoor ammo cabinet for the powder I buy new. Thank you for the input.

The powder in question, I inherited from a responsible reloader with probably over 100K reloads to his credit. He passed with all his fingers & eyes intact.

My concern is that he stored his powder in the garage on shelves in a non temp controlled environment, and some of it is many years old.

 

[slimmer13]

That does bad powder smell like?

Honestly I've never smelled bad powder. I've heard it described as a vinegar smell. I know good powder has a mild acetone smell, so if it doesn't smell like good powder, I'd dump it on the lawn.

 

[Xmark1]

Honestly I've never smelled bad powder. I've heard it described as a vinegar smell. I know good powder has a mild acetone smell, so if it doesn't smell like good powder, I'd dump it on the lawn.

Thanks for the info.
I smelled the powder and it smelled normal. I even made about 400 reloads and tested them last week, everything went fine. I looks & sounds like I'm good.

Thank You for everyone's input.

 

[CLT65]

It's hard to describe, but good powder should have more of a sweet, solvent-like smell, whereas bad powder tends to have more of an acidic, wrinkle-your-nose smell.

 

[ma96782]

You can tell if a can of powder is good or bad by giving its contents a sniff test. If the smell ranges from no detectable odor to resembling alcohol, ether or acetone (from its solvent content), it is okay. If you get a terribly unpleasant, acidic odor that fries your nasal passages, extreme deterioration has taken place. The odor is difficult to describe, but my nose says the experience is quite a bit like taking a strong whiff of the fumes produced by muriatic acid.

Taken from.......

How to Determine Gunpowder Shelf Life - RifleShooter

You can check powders by giving them the sniff test, and in some cases a visual inspection of the

www.rifleshootermag.com

Aloha, Mark

 

[Koda]

The question I have is does it get hot enough here in the PNW to matter if you stored your powder in the garage?

 

[BigGame]

Here's an interesting article on powder humidity that might also give you some ideas on how to regulate it.

How does humidity affect powder?

You may have heard about a relationship between humidity and bullet velocity either in a book, on a reloading forum, or from a crusty benchrest shooter right after saying they get better ES/SD&#821…

chronoplotter.com

 

[Xmark1]

The question I have is does it get hot enough here in the PNW to matter if you stored your powder in the garage?

The garage was in northwest Wa.