Powder pistol powder left in powder measure to long

How did the inside of your unit get painted?????????????

Huh?????

??? question does'nt make any sense

Powders contain solvents and other chemical modifiers to control burn and function.

The clarity of the hopper will never come back and is not an issue anyway.

The paint thing is a mystery as none of the measures I use or have seen have paint in them.

Due to the acid in the powder, you should never leave powder in any plastic container over night. The reaction you got sounds extreme, but it was bound to happen at some time.

I've kept some W-231 in my Hornady powder measure for many months now... no problem at all aside from a slight discoloration to the clear plastic.

Call Hornady & complain about paint coming off---see if they will do anything
to fix problem.
Good luck

Titegroup ruined my first plastic reservoir after a couple years. Actually started to distort it's shape.
SR 7625 doesn't seem to bother it.
I leave my measure full all the time, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.

Funny, only thing it says in the instructions is not to let it get wet. Must be a mogwai.

Hornady is great on returns, call c/s first and get a return ship label.

my dillon clear powder funnels are yellow tinted. meh. i have left powder in there for a LONG time with no ill effects.

I have kept powder in the LEE disk system Pro plastic powder hopper (n320 & win 231) for over two years. No problem.

Open a can of powder and sniff. That smell is often Acetone and it eats paint like a fat lady eats bon-bons. No "Acid" or other mystery chemicals, just acetone which is often used as a drying agent during production. Some batches have a little more residue than others. Leaving the lid off your powder measure will allow it to evaporate quicker. Other than that, it just goes with the territory.

Open a can of powder and sniff. That smell is often Acetone and it eats paint like a fat lady eats bon-bons.

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Acetone is not the only solvent used.

Some manufacturers use naphtha or ether.

It is used in manufacture to wash the acids out of the nitrocellulose, and later to keep the powder in a semi plastic state for extruding.

quote by rfwobbly- Due to the acid in the powder, you should never leave powder in any plastic container over night. The reaction you got sounds extreme, but it was bound to happen at some time.


I dont know about you but when i buy my powder it comes in a plastic container. I leave w231 in my powder measure at all times and i've never had a problem. I use the Lee turret.

My Hornady powder measure did the same thing.I gave the paint inside the hopper a good coating of spray graphite.End of problem and I think it throws more consistent charges now

I had the same issue in a RCBS uniflow powder measure. I left Bullseye in it for about a week and the powder ate into the plastic where it still resides today. After a call to RCBS they sent me a new one. I would recommend always cleaning out your powder measure when you are done, this prevents forgetting what type of powder you have in your measure as well as damage to it.

The plastic in the powder measure hopper is I believe an acetate and will dissolve or soften with some powders. The plastic powder bottles (which are not clear) are a different type of plastic which is not bothered by powder solvents. The ball powders like 231 don't seem to bother powder hoppers like Bullseye and some others.

45taurus said:

quote by rfwobbly- Due to the acid in the powder, you should never leave powder in any plastic container over night. The reaction you got sounds extreme, but it was bound to happen at some time.


I dont know about you but when i buy my powder it comes in a plastic container. I leave w231 in my powder measure at all times and i've never had a problem. I use the Lee turret.

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Plastic is not all plastics...just as glass is not all glass'....also as metal is not all metals....

call the powder manufacturer and they will be happy to explain why they spent/spend $$$$ in R&D or purchased the R&D already developed to figure out how to store their powders rather than just throw it in a good ole piece of plastic rubbermaid.

There was a recent thread on this same subject where the "most respected" members on this site gave their input...it was an overwhelmingly "pour it from the hopper back into the manufacturer's container after one is finished reloading for the night --but do what you want -- it's your hopper and powder"

This thread is more about what is best and what is advised than "what does everyone else do..".. Some people don't change their oil every 3,000 miles, some don't exercise the required amount for optimal fitness, etc, etc, etc....goes on and on...But make no mistake, for this topic there is no debate on what is ideal or best.

I replaced my Hornady hopper with heavy wall glass...problem solved.

How were you able to get the plastic tube off the measure. I have used every thing short of breaking it and I still have not been able to get it off. always assumed that it is glued

How were you able to get the plastic tube off the measure. I have used every thing short of breaking it and I still have not been able to get it off. always assumed that it is glued

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What brand do you have?
Most have two set screws which go into holes in the plastic reservoir.

lol.... the post a few posts up hit the hammer on the head of the nail. plastics can be made to serve tons of purposes and can be tailor-made to the use that it's intended for.

I live in FL and the only reason I don't leave powder in the hopper is because of humidity. I can't really seal the hopper fully, so I pour it back into it's original container and put the cap on tight.