Do you test your rounds wet?

[MidwestPX 172]

I was talking shop with some friends who are into long distance precision shooting.  One of them mentioned that he now tests his rounds with some water on the case, simulating rainfall.  He said he does this because at the last LR match he was at, guys were blowing primers in load that were known to be hot but never had an extreme overpressure sign like blowing a primer.  The difference was it was raining slightly at this match.  I tried putting a little water on some of my hotter reloads and the pressure signs were indeed worse though none of the primers blew.  Anyway, this was the first time I'd heard of such a practice.  Anyone else do it?

[JackDaWack 2,895]

I'm curious as to know why the effect is so great. The only thing I can imagine is if moisture made its way onto the rifling and created extra friction.

[GRIZ 3,369]

I never gave it much thought. I shot a lot of wet ammo through M16s, M14s, 1911s, 38s, and M60s in my time and never had any problem. This was ammo that was wet due to rain, river crossing, or both. I also shot 9mm and 12 gauge in heavy rain more than once that were wet. No problem then either. This was all centerfire. Never tried it with rimfire.

[MidwestPX 172]

I'm curious as to know why the effect is so great. The only thing I can imagine is if moisture made its way onto the rifling and created extra friction.

Because liquid doesn't compress, it's taking up chamber space and preventing the brass from expanding as much as it should.

[AverageJoe 95]

Maybe the wet rounds lowers the temp of the cartridge then the blast of the primer spikes the temp on the case?

[Vlad G 345]

Thats probably the same issues you have with oily chambers raising pressures. Using ammo that operates at the ragged edge of the pressure curve if never worth it in my experience, I don't think we need to test our ammo wet, just think of all the possible compounding pressure factors when picking a load.

[alec.mc 180]

Thats probably the same issues you have with oily chambers raising pressures. Using ammo that operates at the ragged edge of the pressure curve if never worth it in my experience, I don't think we need to test our ammo wet, just think of all the possible compounding pressure factors when picking a load.

 

( competition / chronograph story )

 

I've heard that when revolver shooters are worried they might not make power factor for the match at the chronograph stage, they'll put a decent coating of lube inside the cylinder chambers. Increased pressure, increased FPS.. Winning. 

[fatty 241]

Do your reloads get chronographed at matches?

[Krdshrk 3,878]

( competition / chronograph story )

 

I've heard that when revolver shooters are worried they might not make power factor for the match at the chronograph stage, they'll put a decent coating of lube inside the cylinder chambers. Increased pressure, increased FPS.. Winning. 

"I've heard" = Something Alec does on a regular basis

[alec.mc 180]

Do your reloads get chronographed at matches?

 

Required at level 3 matches, optional at level 1 and 2

 

essentially, only for " bigger " matches. 

[Vlad G 345]

Do your reloads get chronographed at matches?

 

At major matches, yes. Factory ammo also gets chronograph, because all ammo used must meet the correct performance envelopes for the game and division.

 

At local matches it is often on the honor system, but people are pretty tuned to what the correct power factor sounds and looks like so you get called out pretty quickly if you try to skate by.

[fatty 241]

Ah good to know.  Thanks Vlad

[302w 83]

I have no experience with competition shooting.

 

How much do people cheat? How common is it to switch your ammo? How violent are low-power accusations?

[alec.mc 180]

I have no experience with competition shooting.

 

How much do people cheat? How common is it to switch your ammo? How violent are low-power accusations?

Usually never is the answer to the above.

 

The shooting community and competition circuit is made up of some of the nicest people around.

[Vlad G 345]

Cheating happens, like with any sport, but people who do that usually get a reputation that straightens up right quick or chases them out of the sport

[Rob0115 1,107]

Because liquid doesn't compress, it's taking up chamber space and preventing the brass from expanding as much as it should.

Fluid doesn't compress is the correct answer.

[Schrödinger's cat 87]

I was curious about this and posted the question on another forum. This is from a highly skilled competition shooter who helps a well known barrel company develop new barrels and is in middle of writing a book. It wouldn't address what Alec wrote about how people will put a good amount of lube around a case specifically to drive the pressures up.

 

The variation would be so miniscule assuming that your chamber is not big enough to wrap a cat around the case body and insert it and the case is not covered with a visible jacket of liquid.

 

 

Most dies will give about 0.002 to 0.004, much less on a truly tight match chamber, and room between the chamber and the case body. Neck areas will allow for up to about 0.003/side for bullet release. With those tolerances there isn't going to be enough water to take up a great deal of that space. While water is non compressible remember that when fired the cases expand and then contract. I feel it would be transitory for several reasons. Consider that given any die and set of brass you may see as much as 0, 0005- 0.0001 variation case to case after sizing. That would induce the alleged wet effect from the get go yet we see no untoward pressure spikes from it.

 

Consider that if you do get a case wet and you do get it chambered wet is the water going to bead up like a bubble? No it's going to smear/distribute across the case. Now look at the environment you are putting the "wet" case in. If it is not the first shot and you are shooting a normal speed for most matches, slowest being a one shot/minute average. those chambers get hot. We have all done a mag dump, or even just fired five shots in ten seconds, and seen how warm the chamber/barrel gets Heat causes evaporation and we have just put a wet case in a miniature steel oven. That water is going to start clearing immediately. Take a case and wet it lightly this afternoon and hit it with the SO's hair dryer for fifteen seconds. How much water do you feel? Now think how hot some chambers get in matches when we are balls to the wall and in Banzai mode. That is a bunch of heat and a whole lot of evaporation potential.

 

IMHO case closed as not even an old wives tale but the start of an urban legend. YMMV

[raz-0 1,259]

Hydraulic pressure will, and has blown up guns. There just isn't a lot of research on where the line is at for what is sufficient to really jack up pressures.

 

A chamber sloppy wet with oil can cause hot loads to pop primers. Submerge a .223 and you can get a column of water in the barrel that will make the gun kaboom.

 

A few drops of water on a case? I'm doubting much will happen unless you are already pushing stuff beyond the ragged edge.