Powder left in measure

[PBking51]

My reloading space is in my basement. Relative humidity hovers around 40-50% ( I don't have to use a dehumidifier and no musty smell ever) I must have loaded something with h4350 approximately a month ago and had maybe 4 oz in a harrels measure without the plastic cap on it.

Any reason to think I should just toss this powder?

 

[snert]

no...i do it all the time. Same humidity. The only downside to this practice is the powder can mess with the plastic resevoir on the thrower.

 

[6bra1k]

mix it well with what ever you have left
letting a powder breathe is a tool some shooter do so the powder does not change over time

 

[Straightshooter1]

My reloading space is in my basement. Relative humidity hovers around 40-50% ( I don't have to use a dehumidifier and no musty smell ever) I must have loaded something with h4350 approximately a month ago and had maybe 4 oz in a harrels measure without the plastic cap on it.

Any reason to think I should just toss this powder?

While the moisture content should stay pretty stable with that kind of RH is you basement, I would think that being exposed to the open air that long would have some evaporation issue with regards to either the nitroglycerine or the potassium nitrate, depending on which powder you're talking about. It may be negligible in terms of some reduction in burn rate, but am not sure. You can always load up a single cartridge and test it . . . use if for a fouler???

 

[Rsadams]

Hell no , dump it back in a new jug and shake it up.... I only load at the same temperature etc and if I leave powder in the hopper that's what I do.... I load more shotgun stuff now and do it all the time and m not seeing that much difference.... Like always of course weigh 5 in a row and every 5 after that till you sure everything is good. Weight after that is up to you.... Of course your the safety officer so take your time....

 

[PBking51]

Thanks all. I feel confident putting it back in jug now.

 

[M-61]

I never leave powder in the in the measure. Many reasons but the paramount one is not being 100% sure what it is when I get back to it. So for me it’s safety beyond any other reason.
Somewhere I read some manufacturers advice not to do it but I think it’s concern about some powders reacting with the plastic.
I might add two things: I always finish loading (not prep) at one sitting. Second: I have plenty of time.

 

[jelenko]

With the well documented experiments posted below, I deleted my post.

 

[rijndael]

I haven't done my own tests but find this to be a useful resource:

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

 

[M-61]

mix it well with what ever you have left
letting a powder breathe is a tool some shooter do so the powder does not change over time

Never heard of this

 

[PBking51]

So it sounds like powder can be "dried out" or left to soak up humidity and that a container without a decantesant pack is really no dried then the environment it is store in, and then even further when a loaded round is exposed to prolonged periods of time in different RH areas, such as in a dry basement and then left in a vehicle at a match for 2 days, it can change the vel and pressure of the round.

 

[powderbrake]

I always remove the powder from the dispenser when stopping loading. I return it immediately to its sealed container, primarily to insure it's identification, and to keep it at the same conditions as the other powder in the container.
Only one powder bottle on the bench at one time helps prevent possible confusion.

 

[Idaho-Lefty]

I UN-load my powder Chargers Immediately, after Reloading, Cart's and TOSS powder back in, the Original can.
There are enough, "Issues" with reloads, in Idaho's, Deserts / Mountains ( POI & accuracy, in Cold / Heat ), as is, so I keep, a very CLOSE "watch", on my Gunpowder storage.

 

[PBking51]

I always remove the powder from the dispenser when stopping loading. I return it immediately to its sealed container, primarily to insure it's identification, and to keep it at the same conditions as the other powder in the container.
Only one powder bottle on the bench at one time helps prevent possible confusion.

Usually my same practice. I have been loading shotshells the last month and completely forgot to empty the hopper with the h435. I only noticed it because i was looking down abd saw through the hopper which i misplaced the stoppee for.

I figured I would see what I was dispensing and based on the charge, I can only deduce it was for some 30-06 I loaded in March.
I'm fortunate that I have about 7 -1lb jugs of h4350 left in addition to the partial one this questionable powder is from.

 

[Pietro panama]

You guys have eased my conscience about leaving powder in dispensers. No longer worry about it. Thank you all.

 

[fkimble@charter.net]

I leave powder in 8 of my 9 powder measures. Each one is dedicated to a caliber, powder and charge. I have a band around the measure with the powder type and charge weight. One measure services 2 rifles, same powder different weight. It's labeled accordingly. The other measure is used for intermittent loading duty. Again it has a slip on band around the reservoir with the powder type. Works for me.

Frank

 

[Old Navy]

So it sounds like powder can be "dried out" or left to soak up humidity and that a container without a decantesant pack is really no dried then the environment it is store in,

and then even further when a loaded round is exposed to prolonged periods of time in different RH areas, such as in a dry basement and then left in a vehicle at a match for 2 days, it can change the vel and pressure of the round.

I think these are two different things entirely.

 

[dttheliman]

I never do this , learnt my lesson creating a magnificent blend of titegroup and varget - lucky I figured out that I was real special almost instantly, and some small area of my lawn got a unique fertilizer.

 

[BlueWater]

I never leave powder in the in the measure. Many reasons but the paramount one is not being 100% sure what it is when I get back to it. So for me it’s safety beyond any other reason.

^ This.

I do the same. When approaching the tools and bench for a new reloading session, I always first evaluate the tools and their condition, including emptying out the scale hopper to ensure it's free from any residuals from the last session. Then, I bring out my own supplies ... just the lone caliber's components (cases, powder, primers, bullets) that I'm intending on using. Verify the correct turret's on the press, verify the intended load data (double-checking), then firing away. At the end of the session, I empty out the scale's hopper into the small 1lb jug of powder I'd gotten it from.

It's certainly a safety issue for me, primarily. Secondarily, the last thing I want to do is to degrade the powder over time. At the conclusion of a reloading session, there are no guarantees I'll be back at it, with that same powder. Might be in two days ... might well be weeks.

Better safe than anything, with reloading, particularly when it's all controllable and situations avoidable.

 

[acloco]

Cannot think of any reason to store powder in a powder dispenser.