Clumped powder in pulled ammo

Sasquatch

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I inherited a bunch of match-grade ammo from a guy that had been sitting for a while. I thought about shooting it but got warned that reloaders should know better than to shoot other's ammo... makes sense, especially at match-ammo where pressures are often very high.

I started pulling the bullets and in most cases the varget poured right out. In others... it was stuck. Clumped and required several taps on a hard surface to get out. This happened to me once before on some of my own ammo when I pulled some that were defective.

Is this from wet cases- or is it from sitting on a shelf too long and moisture eventually getting in?
 
I have pulled quite a few of my older reloads to repack with different loads and have run into sticky powder quite a bit. I have also run into it with commercial and military rounds that I have pulled for various reasons. I generally just use a long Allen wrench to break up the clump. One little insertion into the case seems to work most of the time. I do not think anything is wrong with the powder. I am fairly sure it is not a sigh that the powder has gotten wet or that it has deteriorated.

Just curious, but what makes the other fellow's reloads match-grade ammo?
 
Are the clumped rounds compressed loads? The rounds I have pulled containing clumped powder were longer, higher weight bullets.
 
Just curious, but what makes the other fellow's reloads match-grade ammo?

It says "Match" on it :)

He was reloading for high power 308, the brass is headstamped "Match" and it came with some M852 ammo as well.
 
Using a case with "Match" stamped on it for a reload does not mean that the reload is match-grade. Did the reloads come with any indication of what bullets, primers, and powder charge were used to build them?
 
Using a case with "Match" stamped on it for a reload does not mean that the reload is match-grade. Did the reloads come with any indication of what bullets, primers, and powder charge were used to build them?

Yup.
It said 43 grains of Hodgeden Tite-eye.
That's good match grade powder right?



;)
 
I'm not sure I understand your question... Are you asking if the powder is spoiled? What was the appearance, smell, texture of the powder?
Why did it stick in the case? Varget likes a full case so it was probably just packed in there.

I agree with your decision to break down the rounds. I'd also caution you to check the brass before re-using. if he was not full-length resizing there's a good chance it won't chamber in your gun as-is. This means you have live primers in rifle cases which need to be re-sized... have fun with that :)
 
Yup.
It said 43 grains of Hodgeden Tite-eye.
That's good match grade powder right?
;)

I do not recall ever hearing of Hodgdon Tite-eye.

Powder used in Match ammo is generally the same as powder used in other loads.

I agree with Catfish that the rounds may not have been full length resized by the person who made them and, therefore, may be difficult to chamber in your rifle. It would be wise to pull the rounds, ditch the powder and primers, and reuse the cases and bullets. I do not like to use combustible components from other peoples' reloads.
 
I do not recall ever hearing of Hodgdon Tite-eye.

Powder used in Match ammo is generally the same as powder used in other loads.

I agree with Catfish that the rounds may not have been full length resized by the person who made them and, therefore, may be difficult to chamber in your rifle. It would be wise to pull the rounds, ditch the powder and primers, and reuse the cases and bullets. I do not like to use combustible components from other peoples' reloads.

Dood,

See the smiley face?


Tite-eye....

its when you mix titegroup and bullseye together for a "custom match" burn rate.
 
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Using a case with "Match" stamped on it for a reload does not mean that the reload is match-grade. Did the reloads come with any indication of what bullets, primers, and powder charge were used to build them?

As I mentioned, it also came with some M852:

"Cartridge, Caliber 7.62mm, NATO, Match, M852 (United States): 168-grain (10.9 g) 7.62×51mm NATO Hollow-Point Boat-Tail cartridge, specifically designed for use in National Match competitions. It was dubbed "Mexican Match" because it was based on the International Match loading used at the Pan-Am Games in Mexico. It used standard brass, primer, and propellant, but used a match-grade bullet. It was later approved by U.S. Army JAG in the 1990s for combat use by snipers. It replaced the M118SB as the standard Match round. The bullet was very accurate at around 300 meters (competition match ranges) but suffered at longer ranges."

Dammit! I threw away some of the 'match' cardboard boxes. Fricking gunbroker has them selling for $7.50. Heck, that stuff I didn't pull because some of it is still NOS.

Regarding the pedantic quest for 'why you say match', I'm not sure of what you're driving at.

Does it matter? Does only match grade ammo clump? It is now all in my bin of pulled bullets, the brass is tossed in the deprime bucket and the powder, both clumped and non is in my composte bin.

If you want his secret match-grade ammo recipes, I probably have them around somewhere.
 
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I'm not sure I understand your question... Are you asking if the powder is spoiled? What was the appearance, smell, texture of the powder?
Why did it stick in the case? Varget likes a full case so it was probably just packed in there.

I agree with your decision to break down the rounds. I'd also caution you to check the brass before re-using. if he was not full-length resizing there's a good chance it won't chamber in your gun as-is. This means you have live primers in rifle cases which need to be re-sized... have fun with that :)

I guess I was asking "is clumping powder normal", with the assumption that it is not. I pull plenty of rounds and only that MATCH GRADE (sorry) old ammo and some 300 BLK crap I made had clumped when I pulled them. Everything else pours right out.

No, I didn't notice any unusual smells, and it wasn't every case- probably about half of them. When the varget did pour out after tapping it, it looked normal. The lube theory is a good one, because a buddy of mine noticed a shoulder divot from too much lube on one of them.

This stuff is at least 10 years old, and being MATCH GRADE (sorry, again) I'm guessing he had little to no crimp on them. Meanwhile milspec ammo usually seals the primer and neck- I assume so it will not get moisture in it. That's the theory I use when I use ammo for spearfishing powerheads- I figure the milspec stuff will take the moisture better.

As far as resizing- a lot of brass I got from him was overworked- I could resize it, but it wouldn't pass a chamber check. I've got small base dies which if it doesn't make it through a normal die, I'll try before tossing them.

I used to be scared of depriming 'live' cases, but even in reloading class, the instructor didn't seem to think it was a big deal. I don't even think about it now, they push right out. cuique suum.
 
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Regarding the pedantic quest for 'why you say match', I'm not sure of what you're driving at.

These were some dude's reloads if I read your original post correctly. I am just curious why you consider his reloads to be Match-Grade since it seemed to make a difference to you that you consider the reloads to be Match-Grade. It should not make any difference. Somebody else's reloads are somebody else's reloads no matter what they are called. I would not shoot them.

Having Match on the brass does not make a reload Match-Grade. Coming with some factory Match ammo does not make the reloads Match-Grade. Being or not being Match-Grade would not be a determining factor when deciding whether I shoot reloads someone else assembled.
 
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