Heat, humidity, and reloading

[goon]

How does reloading in hot, humid conditions affect the life or reliability of reloads?
It's been bloody hot here the past few days with humidity to match. I've reloaded some ammo in a non-air-conditioned basement. I'd guess temperature to have been around 90 degrees, and humidity was terrible. I'm planning to shoot this ammo within five months or so anyhow - just building a small stockpile for target practice through this fall. Do I need to be concerned with this at all?

 

[dc.fireman]

My honest experience has been only with rounds which I loaded in my basement in early spring. Many here recommend not letting your ammunition sit out in the direct sun, or in a hot car for long periods of time. I don't recall reading anything about the conditions under which the ammo was loaded.

The last time I went out to test ammo - it was mid 90's, high humidity, my glasses were fogging up, sweat in both eyes a generally unpleasant experience, and my targets showed it - I was all aver the place. I have new reloads, and a new rifle to sight in, but both will have to wait until this heat subsides a little, otherwise, I think think it would generally useless for me to go out and shoot - YMMV.

 

[Geckgo]

I have the same issue. I just set up my reloading press in the outside shed and it's been hot, and while it isn't really "sticky" per se, I know the humidity level is quite high. For this reason I've been keeping my primers and powder in the house climate controlled. My main worry is condensation when making the move to the outside to reload some stuff. I don't plan on storing anything of that sort in the shed, just the brass and whatnot, but it's beginning to concern me that maybe my plan of a reloading area in the shed might be foiled.

On the otherhand, a lot of people here reload in their garages and whatnot. Hopefully the precautions I am taking will be enough.

 

[jcwit]

I doubt heat has that much effect on loaded ammo as long as we aren't looking at decads. Consider how hot it is in the ammo bunkers in Irag or Afagan how ever you spell it.

 

[goon]

I'm not worried about heat per se - I'm just wondering about the air inside the cartridges. It's air that was/is loaded with humidity and now trapped inside a cartridge. I'm thinking that since the ammo will most likely be entirely shot before the end of about October or so, it won't really matter.
Still...

 

[jcwit]

I doubt it'll make one iota's bit of difference.

 

[Bovice]

I reload in my garage in the florida heat and humidity and it doesn't seem to matter at all.

 

[Jasper1573]

Agree with Bovice...I reload outside in my unaircinditiioned shed in AL, and we have plenty of humidity. I have had no issues at all that I can tell. I use a chronograph and see no significant velocity differences between rounds loaded last fall and rounds loaded this past June.

 

[snuffy]

Humidity in the air has been shown to cause NO problems with reloads of any kind. Smokeless powder does not absorb water. Neither does black powder IN IT'S UNBURNED STATE.

The tiny amount of extra humidity included with the powder has no influence on the performance of the shell.

Heat does! If the temperature when firing the shells is high, then the burn rate is faster than if the shells were cooler. Target shooters that must shoot in hot conditions will bring their ammo to the match in a cooler. Then, if the firing line is unshaded, they will bring a sunsheild of some kind to shade the shells as they shoot. The velocity difference can be 100 fps, and a max load worked up at 70 degrees could be well over max at 90 degrees. These shooters know their weapons, and have the scope settings for normal velocities. 100 fps would mess up their zero at long range, and their mill dots would be much different.

 

[Cherokee]

Not a problem.

 

[RTARMS]

I do all my reloads in my garage, where it's usually to miserably hot and humid to even sit there and do it. All my brass, primers, powder, and bullets are out there 24/7 and I never have any problems. I have reloaded and fired thousands of 9mm and a few hundred each of .270win and .300 mag without any misfires or problems of any sort. Heat is not a problem, and as long as your powder isn't wet it will be just fine.

 

[goon]

Thanks.
In all the reloading I've done I've never had problems from this. But I don't think I've ever really reloaded when it was that hot before either.