Wet shells question

[memtb]

If they "are not" used for defense or trophy hunting.....shoot them. Very likely, they're fine, especially if you can hear the powder moving. Mine are all "compressed loads", so for me that isn't an option.

I just loaded 40 rounds for my hunting rifle yesterday. While many think it unnecessary....I always seal my primers with fingernail polish. At step that I wouldn't take with "plinking" rounds! memtb

 

[sturner]

I would blame it on the beer and start over

 

[Alibiiv]

We are talking about 75 total loaded with Berger's per caliber and they were in there two weeks before I noticed them

In the OP you stated "a couple of days", there's a big difference between a "couple" of days and a couple of weeks! A couple of days, I wouldn't worry too much about the integrity of the rounds, but after a couple of weeks submerged in water I wouldn't be taking them on any hunts of a lifetime in the too near future. My only suggestion would be to try salvaging the bullets and start over again. And.....I'm not a fan of using "pulled" bullets, but these are Bergers and I would use them for targets/plinking only. I read where you stated that the powder can be heard inside of the case when you shake it, but.....there's the question about the integrity of the "primers"?? If the primers were sealed, like the military ammunition, I would say that you are ready to go, but.....I don't think that you sealed the primers, or...did you??? I know that Bergers are not a cheap date, but neither is a ruined hunt or a missed trophy of a lifetime due to bad ammunition worth it either! I'm thinking that a good question to ask oneself is, "Are these bullets worth taking a chance with"?????

 

[CVCOBRA1]

Any questionable ammo would not go in any of my chambers period.....
Not even on the bench with a wooden dowel sitting next to me. Call it a lesson learned and move on. Pull the bullets, save them and the cases and start over.

 

[Ranger1994]

Agree with what the consensus of what's being said. Pull, Dump, fire off primers start over, no need taking unneccessary chances with potentially bad powder and or primers. However I would reuse those bullets for hunting. Unless you're doing some ELR hunting, or ringing steel at 1000, deer won't know the difference. I've pulled my share of Nosler partitions for various reasons, reused, and all I can is venison in freezer tasted no different.

 

[emp1953]

I've had this experience. The rounds I had were in a black range bag. They were in the sun in the truck bed all day and I'm sure got quite warm. then the rains came. I poured out fresh powder in the dark and lit it making note of the color and how fast it burned. I pulled bullets poured out the powder and lit it in the dark. The color was different and it seemed to burn slower. The residue left behind seemed like there was more junk left over then with the fresh powder. I fired the primers of a few of them and they sounded normal. So I pulled them all FL resized, new primers and started over. A fellow shooter who was a physics professor offered this explanation. The rounds got hot in the sun. Then when immersed in the cold rain water they cooled off rapidly. as the air in the cartridge contracted it sucked moisture in around the neck and bullet contact point. I thought that this was a really good seal. He said that he was talking molecules of water but enough to slightly contaminate the powder. He's the one with the PhD and also a shooter. Just food for thought.

 

[Boatninja]

Shoot one and then shoot them all!

Guys
Quick question of the experts

my son loaded some shells (270/7.08) and we went to shoot at range...
they shot great

Put in back of truck and went home.
Got to talking and left in truck bed

It rained and filled the box up with water
Found a couple days later

Took the shells out of wet box dried them and shook and powder is dry as I could hear it inside.

But not sure if I should shoot?

thoughts?

One round stuck in the barrel could be worth more than the ammo. You will be wondering every time you pull the trigger. I wouldn't take the chance.

 

[mightyman]

Thanks so much for all the reply's! took the safe route and am in the process of pulling, bullets and primers and starting from scratch on the bullets
Safe than sorry and lesson learned
Again thanks for all the good consistent advice
MM