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Thread: De-frosted my powder mini-fridge: Powder Drying Question

  1. #21
    Boolit Buddy
    7Acres's Avatar
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    Wow! Very good info. Thanks for sharing!

    Quote Originally Posted by dale2242 View Post
    I was gifted approximately 30# of H4831 that had been left in an unheated /uncooled shed.
    The lid of the original cardboard container had broken open.
    I took it home and put in another 50# card board container.
    This container was exactly like the original.
    I loaded this powder and did side by side tests with my original H4831.
    It suffered no ill effects from being exposed to open air for who knows how many years.

  2. #22
    Boolit Buddy
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    That is very reassuring. And my father gave me a big ammo can recently. Great excuse to get it out of the wife's mudroom and use it for primer storage down in the shop! Free up some fridge space for the 8lbs of HS6 arriving tomorrow too. But the more comments I get on here the less I feel any need to store my powder in the fridge either.

    Quote Originally Posted by starnbar View Post
    The powder stored in its' original container at that temperature should outlast the owner. The primers really don't need the cold storage as they are heat tolerant and would suffer more from degradation from constant air circulation. They would be better in a ammo can but it is your house and you are free to take advice or leave it without criticism as that is your prerogative enjoy reloading as I do too.

  3. #23
    Boolit Master
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    As far as drying powder or primers in fridge, a modern refrigerator that is frost free, which most are, will dehydrate any thing. The moisture will accumulate on the evaporator coils and when the defrost timer cycles to do the defrost the moisture will be drained away.

    I was gifted some old 2200 pulled powder that was at least 30 yo. It had clumps of powder in it. Stored in a heavy plastic bag, and heavy card board Bbl. He had bought 30# of it. Stored in non conditioned space. I placed the clumped powder in open pan, in the freezer of my barn Rx refrigerator, for several days. The clumps collapsed when touched. Loaded into .223 at max of 24.5 gn and chronometer showed 3250 fps.

    Used all the powder up about 10# worth. For a few years that powder was discontinued, flash forward till 2 years ago. They’re now making that powder again. Bought some new 2200 and same gn load still gives 3250 fps.

    You can dry things out in a freezer or refrigerator, just remember when you pull it out it will probably be at a temperature below dew point of the surrounding air so it will sweat. You must put it into an air proof container with or with out desiccant pack. And store properly.
    "The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government..... When the people fear their government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people, there is liberty." Thomas Jefferson

  4. #24
    Boolit Buddy
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    That's a really good point. The fridge is pulling moisture out of the air just by its very nature. That's a good reminder. Thanks for sharing!

    Quote Originally Posted by Hossfly View Post
    As far as drying powder or primers in fridge, a modern refrigerator that is frost free, which most are, will dehydrate any thing. The moisture will accumulate on the evaporator coils and when the defrost timer cycles to do the defrost the moisture will be drained away.

    I was gifted some old 2200 pulled powder that was at least 30 yo. It had clumps of powder in it. Stored in a heavy plastic bag, and heavy card board Bbl. He had bought 30# of it. Stored in non conditioned space. I placed the clumped powder in open pan, in the freezer of my barn Rx refrigerator, for several days. The clumps collapsed when touched. Loaded into .223 at max of 24.5 gn and chronometer showed 3250 fps.

    Used all the powder up about 10# worth. For a few years that powder was discontinued, flash forward till 2 years ago. They’re now making that powder again. Bought some new 2200 and same gn load still gives 3250 fps.

    You can dry things out in a freezer or refrigerator, just remember when you pull it out it will probably be at a temperature below dew point of the surrounding air so it will sweat. You must put it into an air proof container with or with out desiccant pack. And store properly.

  5. #25
    Boolit Master
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    After Sandy Hook and the component hoarding I found that I was short on small pistol primers. i found a guy at the gun show that had 2 boxes of Remington SPP on his table. I asked "how much'" he says "$50" for both boxes? he replies for all of them. I give him $50 and he bags up 17 boxes of primers. I get home and notice the boxes are beat up and worn looking so I open a few and see moisture. I go to the internet and ask about primers getting wet. Many places say that 20 -25 years ago the compound changed and water doesn't damage primers anymore. I eventually get to benchrest central and some BR shooter tells of priming 20 cases and loading 10 and putting 10 primed empty cases in a water bucket for a month. At the end of the month he shakes the water out of the cases and sets them on the window sill for a few days in the sun. After a few days they are good and dry he loads the other 10 and goes to the range. he shoots over the chronograph and notices that the wet ones were with in the same ES as the other 10. So i loaded up two food dehydrators with 17000 primers and have not had one show any signs of being less than perfect. gave away a few thousand and have not heard anything back about them, and if they were bad I would have had the phone ringing off the wall.
    Last edited by ebb; 09-08-2021 at 09:12 AM.

  6. #26
    Boolit Master 15meter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 7Acres View Post
    I store all of my powder and primers in ziplock bags with a desiccant pack dropped in before closing the bag. Over the last few years ice has built up in the freezer part and I finally took everything out and defrosted the unit. I want to re-pack everything in vacuum sealed bags before putting it back in the fridge.

    With the ice buildup I had the thought of putting the primers in a toaster oven at very low heat for 5-10 minutes to ensure they are factory dry. This seems like a really bad idea. Lol! Thought I'd post on here to see if people think my primers are likely just fine. Or if this is indeed a bad idea (or possibly an okay idea). Thoughts?
    I'd tell the story of a guy I know who put rifle powder that got wet in a microwave to dry it, but I think he trolls this site occasionally......it didn't end as he thought it would.....

  7. #27
    Boolit Master
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    I've been refrigerating my powders and primers for years, powders in their jugs and primers in their original packaging, inside a ziplock bag (so they can warm up on my bench without drawing moisture). It isn't necessary but it doesn't hurt anything and it meets every recommendation: Cool, Dry, Dark, Stable.
    Warning: I know Judo. If you force me to prove it I'll shoot you.

  8. #28
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    I just use a non working fridge with desiccant bags in it. The seal provides an excellent barrier to moisture even here in very humid SW Florida.

  9. #29
    Boolit Master
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    There was a guy here, Junior I think, that lived in Louisiana. He stored his powder in a refrigerator because of the humidity. When he took out a can it was rolled up in a towel to let it warm up slowly. I tried it with a partial can of Blue Dot, I left it the refrigerator for a year or so with no ill affects. I know a year is not that long but it does seem an option for extreme conditions. I keep most of my things in a nonworking refrigerator.

  10. #30
    Boolit Buddy Wild Bill 7's Avatar
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    A friend of mine’s father passed on and he got a bunch of his fathers ammo. Some of the ammo was in a plastic bag that looked like it was soaking in oil. He doesn’t reload so he gave them to me to recycle. There wasn’t very many cartridges so I wiped off the oil and put one in my revolver. Dang it went off ok so I tried the rest and they fired ok. So they seem to b hard to kill.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check