How to dry out new powder, or is this a bad idea?

[Dan-Schenk]

Im no expert certainly dont do what I do, but here is my experience. I live in las vegas. The humidity in the house is usually around 15 to 20 %. I fill the hopper on my scale and the powder stays in there for a while as I do testing. Could be a few weeks. I noticed early on that if I opened a fresh bottle of powder and loaded it, next week the identical charge would yield significantly faster velocity. I now try to only put as much in the hopper as I think I need that day.

I’ve had the same issue.

 

[mike mccormick]

Without a way to actually measure and qualify the total moisture content of the powder, you are only adding another variable. If one had a means to measure the moisture content, it may be a useful data point.

 

[Mulligan]

Wildland Firefighters have been measuring the moisture level of dead fuels for a long time. The correlation between the moisture content of dead fuels and fire spread rates and intensity is significant.

My background is in fire sciences, in my testing, powder exposed to the atmosphere “normalizes” in about 10 minutes.

If you choose to do this, please know that the velocity/pressure change can be significant.
I tested 5 powders last summer in the dry environment of Western Colorado. All original charges were in the neighborhood of 30.0gr. Some powders lost .2gr in 15 minutes. Some .3 in an hour.
Many powders are at around 5% dead fuel moisture in their original packaging. From my testing, getting dryer than that is an exercise most should avoid. Some powders I tested got real “snappy” , real fast.

CW

Did You Know? | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

A suite of notes that attempt to explain or clarify complex climate phenomena, Climate Monitoring products and methodologies, and climate system insights

www.ncei.noaa.gov

https://kestrelinstruments.com/mwdownloads/download/link/id/251

Dead Fuel Moisture

WFAS

www.wfas.net

edit
I thought I should add that a normal summer day here in Western Colorado can be substantially different in terms of relative humidity and temp than other parts of the world. 95 to 105*F and RH in the single digits is normal for us in June, July, and Aug....... somtimes May also.
I suspect the "normalization" of powders can mean an increase in fine dead fuel moisture in some parts of the world? Of this, I know nothing.
Kind Regards
CW

 

[barefooter56]

In search of narrowing down every possible variation, anything that I may have control over.
I had read somewhere sometime back about this short range shooter drying out powder in the sun in middle of winter. It was one of those threads in the middle of winter I was reading way back in the archives last year. I remember reading it but back then I didn't shoot short range. At a match earlier this year I over heard two guys discussing it.
I'm asking about how to do this. So, I'm under the impression that if you do this it some how get your lot of powder to the lightest it can get so later on it won't change on you as bad, change as in draw any moisture and become heavier, therefore charging your load. I understand it maybe very small amount. I keep my jugs tight, and never exposed. Is this something that shooters actually do? If so, have you actually seen a measurable difference.?
Iv not seen it discussed here, only just some thread from way back. I may had read about it on another sight for all I can remember.
So, like I say, I may have it all all wrong, would like to know more about it if I'm not misremembering or mistaken.
Thanks for any input.

VV POWDER has storage information here: https://www.vihtavuori.com/powders/storage-of-powders/

 

[Ccrider]

There is an article where a guy tested powders at different moisture levels. It was a pretty intense test. You may be able to Google and find it.

 

[Ccrider]

How Powder Moisture Content Affects Pressure and Speed « Daily Bulletin

This Technical Report Comes from the Vihtavuori website. Powder Moisture Content -- Did You Know? Variations in moisture content change the burning rate of a powder and thereby chamber pressures and muzzle velocity.

bulletin.accurateshooter.com