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How long can powder stay in a hopper and still be good?


bbbean

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I loaded my last .40 in November or December sometime, and put a cover over the toolhead. I was cleaning my bench today, and discovered that I apparently left the hopper (Dillon 550) 2/3 full of VV N320. My reloading room is a back room at my office, and is generally heated and cooled. On the other hand, I live in a swamp where 40-50% humidity indoors and 70-90% humidity outdoors is typical (today is 39% indoors and 87% outdoors). Is 5 months in a powder hopper in a back room long enough to be suspect of the powder's performance, or should I go ahead and assume that it will perform on a par with freshly opened powder?

Edited by bbbean
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Load a couple and shoot through the chrono to find out. I live in Florida, really in a swamp, and have left powder in the hopper for months on end as well, never had an issue. All seemed to fire ok.

Ps. My reloading shed is neither heated or cooled, just a stick and tin shack on the back of my property.

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I have left powder in a hopper for over two years in an outdoor shed in East Texas and could not detect any difference when I loaded and shot it. Both TG and Clays...

If it is clumped up I might pass.......

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Call up a local reloading buddy and tell him you must dispose of it pronto. Then tell him you will do so in the future whenever you leave powder in the hopper longer than four months. :rolleyes:

As long as it meters, use it for practice ammo. I would just use it period, but I live on the ragged edge. At least when my wife lets me take my pair from the jar atop the refridgerator for a night of ......

...oh never mind.

JZ

Edited by JimmyZip
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I would just use it period, but I live on the ragged edge. At least when my wife lets me take my pair from the jar atop the refridgerator for a night of ......

...oh never mind.

JZ

I'm getting mine for the Nationals :goof:

.....she promised :roflol:

:cheers:

BTW - I agree with loading up a few and running them through the chrono.

Edited by matt2ace
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