Humidity Level

[surly]

Just curious if anybody monitors the humidity level where their reloading, ammo, and/or guns are stored.

What's your opinion on what an appropriate humidity level is?

I currently have a dehumidifier in a small room where my equipment is, its keeping the room at about 45%.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Humidity is 'relative' :D :D ...ok sorry, I couldn't resist. :roll: :roll:

I reload in a very humid garage. Around here 70%+ relative humidity is not unusual. I only keep a minimum of powder and primers in there and keep the bulk of my supplies and ammo and all of my guns in the house in the a/c. I do not move the supplies in and out of the garage. Once they are moved to the garage they stay there until they are used up. I have had no problems with reloaded ammo even though it was made in a humid environment. I make sure to have the powder containers open only a brief amount of time. 8) 8)

...Jimbo

 

[Anonymous]

All I have is one of those "home weather stations" on the wall, coincidentally in the room where my guns are stored. I've checked it, and it's reasonably accurate. Shows in the 50-60 % range year round, regardless of outdoor humidity, just luck, I guess.

We run a large floor model dehumidifier in the center of the house on a lot of summer days, actually helps reduce the central air running.

Handguns are in a small no-name safe with no dessicant or anything else. It's not practical to have a rifle size safe because of one rifle, so it is stored under a heavy coat on a closet rod.

 

[Bucks Owin]

A bit of a non issue IMHO....(Unless you reload outside in the pouring rain! :lol: )

I have primers and powder that have been exposed to -40 degrees (outside storage in BC) to +120 degrees (outside storage in PRK) Some of my powder is 30 yrs old.

Both still perform as intended... :wink:

JMHO, but I think as long as any temp/humidty change occurs slowly, there's little to worry about...

(BTW, have subjected my guns to same conditions with nothing but an occasional wipedown with Hoppes #9....So far, so good)

 

[Sugar River]

My loading room has its own a/c and stays @ 77F and about 50-55%.

Pete

 

[WESHOOT2]

I keep my shop 'moist' to preclude static: WARNING - PRIMERS WILL EXPLODE



My tooling rusts, but I accept that.

 

[callshot]

The only thing I worry about is to prime a case only when ready to charge, seat and crimp. Never had any problems.

 

[Mobuck]

My basement has moisture problems due to a poorly finished floor. I try to keep it below 70% and my only problems are mold on leather goods. Unless actually using powder, I keep the canisters in ammo can with dessicant. Primers and ammo is stored similarly.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

The only thing I worry about is to prime a case only when ready to charge, seat and crimp. Never had any problems.

Why worry about primers as they are not even sold in air-tight containers. I believe you could leave primed brass out in the open air. 8) 8)

...Jimbo

 

[Iron Mike Golf]

The only thing I worry about is to prime a case only when ready to charge, seat and crimp. Never had any problems.

Why worry about primers as they are not even sold in air-tight containers. I believe you could leave primed brass out in the open air. 8) 8)

...Jimbo

I leave primed cases out for up to several weeks at a time, though I think I have a goodly bunch of primed .357 from about 4 or 5 months ago. No effect as far as I can tell.

Good point that primers are packaged by the factory in non-airtight containers.

 

[callshot]

In this high altitude desert I don't have trouble with moisture per say, but I like to keep organized to a point and know what is in each load. My reloading room is next to the laundry room. I can now multi task by loading while doing laundry at the same time. :wink: I also wouldn't want to spill a cold drink onto some primed brass. Just my 2 cents worth. Steve

 

[WESHOOT2]

Tarnishing appears on cases left exposed; I keep my cleaned cases in plastic coffeee 'cans'.
I keep new primed cases in their shipping boxes.
I keep bullets (those not in blue bins stacked eighty-deep --okay, 79-- on my main bench) in their shipping boxes.
I keep powder in dedicated powder measures (now down to nine) or their original packaging.
I keep primers in their case boxes, or in the 1K 'sleeve'.


My shop floor is now virtually covered with containers of unsorted brass. Like that "Hoarding" show....

 

[WIL TERRY]

IS the known level of hewmaditty in your loading room of any relevance whatsoever ?? AM I missing something ??? I have lived in places of miserable humidity and now live in a place of very low humidity. I cannot see where it makes one whit of difference at all in any type of ammunition and it's performance.

 

[J Miller]

I believe that humidity does make a big difference in the loading room.
First, excessive humidity can and will cause tools to rust.

Second, excessive humidity will cause the hand loader to sweat and be very uncomfortable. This can cause distraction witch can cause loading errors.

JMHO

Joe

 

[powder smoke]

I believe that humidity does make a big difference in the loading room.
First, excessive humidity can and will cause tools to rust.

Second, excessive humidity will cause the hand loader to sweat and be very uncomfortable. This can cause distraction witch can cause loading errors.

JMHO

Joe

Does the humidity change the load? Wonder if powder assords the humidity and gets heavvier or worse gets more dense in a powder measure which could could make a larger charge? Probably insignificant? Hmmmm! ps

 

[J Miller]

ps,

I believe so. I use a lot of Unique and 231 and in years past when I lived in Phoenix our house had a swamp box cooler and it made the house VERY humid. And miserable.

I noticed that when I bought a fresh can of powder I'd have to increase the setting of my powder measure a tiny bit to get the same weight as I had before.
As the powder sat on my shelf in it's original can ( I always emptied the hopper on the powder measure after each loading session) I'd gradually have to reduce the setting on my powder measure because it would throw progressively heavier charges.
In this case I believe the powder, once the original seal was broken, was absorbing moisture from the humidity in the house.

I never experienced any problems shooting such ammo, but I always kept the charges the same weight.

Joe