Reloading in AC

[Kenneth66]

My reloading room is in the house that has central air .
With AC set on 70 while reloading and doing so the evening before .
When I carry my rifles out to shoot the next morning they and scope gets heavy condensation on them , evenings much heavier .
I carry a couple of factory rds to blow through the barrels before testing to eliminate any possible condensation in the barrel before firing hand loads .
But what about the ammo ?
Even though it is in an airtight seal in the case , would it condensate in the case ?
thanks , Kenneth

 

[ckaberna]

I have the opposite issue. Where are you located? Humid south I assume? Humidity Had been bad in Georgia lately.

 

[PigButtons]

If the ammo is in a sealed case there should be no condensation inside. The water (condensation) is being converted from the water vapor in the humid air. Once unsealed and exposed to the air, if the ammo is still at the lower temperature, it too will cause condensation to accumulate. If however you wait until the ammo has warmed to the outside temperature before opening the case, condensation will not form.

 

[rwj]

Condensate will not form on inside case surfaces unless the case wall temperature becomes lower than the dew point temperature of the entrapped air. This is more likely to be an issue in winter when the outdoor temperature could be lower than that at which the round was assembled.

 

[ED3]

Condensate will not form on inside case surfaces unless the case wall temperature becomes lower than the dew point temperature of the entrapped air. This is more likely to be an issue in winter when the outdoor temperature could be lower than that at which the round was assembled.

Going from warm to cold, with the object being warmer than the surrounding air will not create a condensation issue. Bringing a cold gun/ ammo/ glasses/ anything - into a warm indoor environment where the dew point is above the temperature of the object will cause condensation.

 

[DirtySteve]

How much air do you think you have inside that case??? Not enough to matter.!
Out side the case you have the entire atmosphere to hold water vapor. There is very little air in a case once you fill it with powder. No moisture available , no condensation inside.

 

[PigButtons]

Maybe we are talking about different things. I thought the OP was talking about a case to carry the ammo to the shooting location. If it is just a loaded cartridge then, pfffffd not ever going to be an issue.

 

[hoz53]

Maybe we are talking about different things. I thought the OP was talking about a case to carry the ammo to the shooting location. If it is just a loaded cartridge then, pfffffd not ever going to be an issue.

I do think he meant inside the cartridge case and I thought like you— don’t worry about it.

 

[Rsadams]

There's a reason why some ammo last and some doesn't , especially rifle ammo and humidity is a reason...

 

[Kenneth66]

I was of the opinion that condensation shouldn't be an issue in the cartridge either .just wanted others opinions , one of those things that make you wonder when you set the rifle in the bag and it is dripping with condensation , have always wondered about the inside of the ammo .
Since I usually use up the ammo in a setting .
Accuracy hasn't been an issue but made me wonder about long term exposures to immediate extreme temperature changes .
Kenneth

 

[johnjohn]

I f you get that much condensation you're running the A/C too cool.

 

[MGYSGT]

The air in the cartridges should be fairly dry. It is the air from inside the house that has been dried by the Air Conditioner.

 

[divingin]

Sealing up a camera case for scuba diving in warm humid tropical locations: many (most?) manufacturers recommend sealing the housing in an air conditioned environment. AC draws a lot of the moisture out of the air, leaving it much drier than, say, sealing the housing on a non-AC boat. As a result you get less fogging (condensation) on the port interior.

I'd expect a similar result reloading.

 

[M-61]

I f you get that much condensation you're running the A/C too cool.

A/C really oversized it'll drop the temperature way too fast for it to dehumidify it. Similar to jojnjohn above.
You didn't say what state your in or even what part of the US (or world) but some really can be very prone to this.
When I hunted, the rifles went in the car the night before. The ammo....well it's 'sealed' and in a sealed box. I'm fairly confident the air space in the loaded brass is whatever humidity level it was when you seated the bullet. But I put the ammo with the rifles the night before anyway.
It's worked for me and I have lived in some horrid conditions

 

[RegionRat]

There is water in every loaded case unless you loaded it in a lab where it was completely removed ahead of time and then loaded in a glove box or dry enclosure. That isn't likely in this forum in this context.

The powders we are using on this forum all have water content. If you desiccate a typical charge you can measure the difference. So both the air and the powder in the case have water in them unless we are in a very rare lab context.

That said, you don't need to worry about it until the discussion turns to maintaining batch controls as related to muzzle velocity.

If you load that ammo in very wet or very dry air, and that powder has time to change from your baseline water content, it will change speed. Both due to the density change, but also due to the change in water content.

Don't loose sleep over it. If you are really trying hard to keep your MV very tight, then try and keep your powder at 50% RH for about a day or two ahead of time and try loading when the humidity is near 50%.

As for being on the edge of the dew point with the gun and the cartridge, if you are being picky about performance you have to test in your conditions. Getting the right trajectory means you have to learn what the affects of the climate will be in your context.

That requires temperature as well as pressure to understand what was due to temp and what was due to the density of the atmosphere. While doing this, it is granted that any thermodynamics that move water inside the cartridge will be taken into account, but very difficult to separate the contribution from just that effect. The best we can do is get muzzle velocity in those conditions and adjust for those changes.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Everything matters, until you pull the trigger in a switch. Then, you can throw out about 99% of it.

 

[J.d. Popkes]

If it’s that hot and humid, ever, I’d be in such a panic attack that doing fun stuff like shooting would be the last thing on my mind. I guess people acclimate? 15% humidity, max, unless it’s raining, or I’m out. What kinda humidity are you dealing with?

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

If it’s that hot and humid, ever, I’d be in such a panic attack that doing fun stuff like shooting would be the last thing on my mind. I guess people acclimate? 15% humidity, max, unless it’s raining, or I’m out. What kinda humidity are you dealing with?

Well, 50% is very dry for this time of year, here. It is like that now, unusually dry right here. Go a few miles, different story. Here, it's to the point where clouds dissipate over our heads due to dry air in a small vicinity. Technically, were not even in a drought, but trust me..its about as bad as I can remember.

 

[01Foreman400]

If it’s that hot and humid, ever, I’d be in such a panic attack that doing fun stuff like shooting would be the last thing on my mind. I guess people acclimate? 15% humidity, max, unless it’s raining, or I’m out. What kinda humidity are you dealing with?

In Georgia 90%-100% everyday for 4+ months. Airs so thick you can cut it with a knife. It’s nasty! Stuff instantly fogs as soon as you walk outside. Great place to be in late spring, summer and early fall.

 

[JimSC]

I think a lot depends on where the thermostat is set. The wife controls the one in our house and since she prefers it a bit on the warm side, around 74 or 75 F. We also live in a area where the temp is in the mid 90's most of the year and used live 2 blocks from the harbor but last year we moved inland into the middle of a swamp. I have never noticed a condensation problem. I do wear a terry cloth sweatband when shooting and keep a bandanna in the back pocket for wiping sweat off my face.