Doe Dumper

There are so many varibles that go into that equation... the biggest being your local humidity and the second your belief whether the load is good or not. I hardly ever pull or shoot a load out because I honestly believe I know the condition of that load. I also should say I am only dealing with loose T7 - I do not know about the Pyro's. There is a film of something around a T7 powder granuale that helps resist humidity (resists not stops). You can see what I mean if you drop 5/6 grains into a smal bowl with standing water in it. The T7 will drop to the bottom form a reversed cone and stay that way for hours if it does not get agitated. It will keep it's individual granualr shape and the cone will stay intact. If you adgitate it at all it will disolve. if you had the time and or the method to suck the water off or let the water evaporate over a long period of time - when the whole thing dry, completelydry,you can ignite the cone and it will flare as if it were just poured... done that....

Now with all that said - "If in doubt - shoot it or pull it out" automatic rule.

Again I was positive my load in my Remington which has been in for at least 3 weeks now - through hunting in good weather, rainy weather, and the last week snow - was good... but tonight just to prove to myself and I did not want to blow a shot at an elk - I took the gun out in the shop and pushed the load out... just wasted110 grains of T7-2f and an MMP HPH-.458/50 sabot... everything was bone dry - put the powder in a empty tuna can - touched it off with a long nosed lighter...flared right up... BUT - I know the load I put in tonight will go boom in the morning.