Dumped powder, pulled bullet=damp powder?

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mjac

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Two weeks ago Thurs I swabbed storage oil from the barrel of my Knight 50 cal Elite with Lehigh conversion. Popped two caps and loaded with BH 209. Fired one round to check scope. Dead on. Reloaded immediately. MZ season started the following Sat.

Last Thurs afternoon (2 weeks since previous reloading) I DRT'ed a nice TN 6 pt. Temp was in the very low 40's. Since it was getting dark and I had a long drag ahead of me, I did not reload. After finishing with the deer and in a cold garage (temp now near 32), I reloaded for the following Fri hunt. Friday came and went and uneventfully and I put the ML aside. I took a center fire out today because modern gun season began and when I returned from equally uneventful hunt I began to clean the MZ.

Removed the breech plug, noticed powder grains seemingly stuck to the plug around the vent liner. Dumped out the powder (most of it appeared dry) on the ground and pushed the sabot and bullet out from muzzle to breech. There I discovered a dampness around the base of the sabot and powder and in the base cavity the powder was damp and caked in place.

My question is this: Would waiting a few hours (maybe 4) before reloading cause condensation?

I don't think so but I am a loss to figure out where/how the powder got wet. No rain. In retrospect, I wish I would have attempted to fire the load.

TIA
 
Re: Dumped powder, pulled bulled=damp powder?

Yes it is a shame you did not try to shoot that load and see if it would fire accurately.

Whether damp or compressed and just appeared so... hard to say why it would have gotten damp. But some very interesting observations you have.
 
Re: Dumped powder, pulled bulled=damp powder?

I doubt it was actually damp. Probably what cayuga said, it just appeared that way. No reason for it to be damp from what you said.

:huh?:
 
Re: Dumped powder, pulled bulled=damp powder?

Well, when I see moisture at the sabot base and it feels wet, I call it damp.

adjective
adjective: damp; comparative adjective: damper; superlative adjective: dampest

1.
slightly wet.
"her hair was still damp from the shower"
synonyms: moist, moistened, wettish, dampened, dampish; More
humid, steamy, muggy, clammy, sweaty, sticky, dank, moisture-laden, wet, wetted;
rainy, drizzly, showery, misty, foggy, vaporous, dewy
"her hair was damp"
antonyms: dry

noun
noun: damp

1.
moisture diffused through the air or a solid substance or condensed on a surface, typically with detrimental or unpleasant effects.
synonyms: moisture, dampness, humidity, wetness, wet, water, condensation, steam, vapor; More
clamminess, dankness;
rain, dew, drizzle, precipitation, spray;
perspiration, sweat
"the damp in the air"
antonyms: dryness
foul, stifling, or poisonous gas, especially in a mine.
plural noun: damps
archaic
damp air or atmosphere.
plural noun: damps
2.
archaic
a check or discouragement.
"shame gave a damp to her triumph"

verb
verb: damp; 3rd person present: damps; past tense: damped; past participle: damped; gerund or present participle: damping

1.
make (something) slightly wet.
"damp a small area with water"
2.
control or restrain (a feeling or a state of affairs).
"she tried to damp down her feelings of despair"

I don't recall doing before, 1) going a lengthy period of time before reloading after a shot, and 2) not firing off a load at the end of a hunt in an inline. I'll not do 1 or 2 again.
 
Don't surprise me a bit. Hope you caught it before the trapped moisture caused any etching/corrosion/rust?

Some think it is not possible. I know better. If the conditions are just right/wrong, $#!+ Happens!

Did you dump your powder before bringing it inside to clean, or after it was inside for a while?

The fouling can cause moisture to be trapped under it, and stainless steel can/will rust.
 
The thurs night load, loaded at appox 32 degrees, stayed in for about 39~40 hours. The rifle was either in a cold garage, in the field or in a unheated truck cab. The garage temp temp, where the powder was dumped today, however had risen to the mid 60's.

Upon today's cleaning the S000xxx bore was inspected and found to good as new. :D All is well, but I am still mystified by the dampness. :huh?:
 

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