Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Vihtavuori powder corroding brass cases

If it is a reaction between the bullet coating and the powder it may only affect the powder in direct contact. Might not be nitric acid given off - you'd think that would quickly ruin the rest of the powder at least.

Since it only happened with some of the loads, I think that you can rule out the powder.

As well, if they were stored correctly, then that wasn't the problem either.

Based on where the corrosion is externally, you likely had something on your fingers when handling the cases. It looks like a liquid dripped onto the cases. There's no way of telling, but the spots get smaller, suggesting that whatever it was wore off as you touched successive cases or it stopped dripping.

Trace amounts of whatever you touched transferred themselves to the bullets when you were bullet seating later.

You have to stop eating Louisiana hot sauce when you're reloading!

I did not have the corrosion on the brass as DF pictured Mine had a blue green ooze around the neck and/or primers, .Lost several hundred rounds.

I have several hundred .223 handloads in various other cases and various powders, loaded years ago with no issues. So, in my experience it is powder specific. See above post with links by Gringo.

While talking, with the Lapua rep on the phone couple years ago about this, he mentioned they were currently experimenting with different coating to address temperature sensitivity. I have never had a temp sensitivity issue with any of the four Vit powders i use, but I live in the South.

That's too bad. I really like VV powders. Very clean burning.

Now, you gotta be careful talking trash about us Cajuns. You Canucks need to remember where Cajuns came from originally....



DF

Yeah, you're displaced easterners.

Dirtfarmer;
Top of the morning to you sir, I trust other than the corroded cases that this finds you well.

While I'll have to look at my records sometime to verify just when this happened, I had a 8 lb container of what was sold to me as VV-N160 go bad on me.

To clarify that a tad, it was during a reloading supply shortage and we couldn't get anything through our regular sources up here. Perhaps it was just post 9/11?

Anyway an outfit in Ontario sold bulk powder - Steve Redgwell likely knows them too - it was Higginson Powders and I'd dealt with them lots.

The second order from them, the chap I talked to on the phone commented that, "You should shoot up that N160 pretty fast if you can" and didn't elaborate and I recall at the time thinking that was odd as I had and still have some WWII surplus H4831.

Anyway how I found out the powder was going off was that I couldn't chamber a round into my Ruger No 1 .300 Mag as I was following up on a good mulie buck I'd hit....

While I finally got him - bullet stuck in barrel, then I pulled another bullet with my Leatherman Wave - shoved it into the chamber - all whilst dashing across the sagebrush trying to catch up with a wounded mulie....

When I got home to examine the rounds I saw that several cases had cracked at the shoulder and the powder inside was clumped up into a solid mass. The bullets had green corrosion on the bases and the cases were less green than your's but were very brittle. Some of the cases had broken off at the shoulder while sitting in the plastic 50 count caddy.

Since I'd used it on 3 different cartridges, I ended up pulling about 200 rounds of 6.5x55, .308 Norma and .300 Win Mag and tossing all the cases. The 6.5x55 cases hurt as I'd not been able to find any up here across the medicine line for a year or more.

Again in the recesses of my memory, I believe I corresponded with John Barnsess here and he was able to shed some light on the matter - but I'll have to look and see if I've deleted that or not - sorry.

Somewhere I've got couple cases and if I find them I'll take some photos and post them up.

Lastly the remaining powder in the 8lb canister was warm, not hot - but definitely warm and was clumping so the reaction was somewhat exothermic in nature. There used to be a link I had on my computer here on the dangers of deteriorating powder, but when I tried to find it now I see it's taken down, no doubt from a forum gone the way of the dodo bird.

Hopefully that was useful to you or someone out there this morning sir. All the best to you and yours and good luck on any remaining hunts.

Dwayne

Thanks, Dwayne, for that info.

I, too, have some 60+ year old 4831 that smell good, shoots great.

I'm a long time Vv fan, really like their powder, don't like it doing like this. So, I guess we need to shoot it up, not try to save it...

What ya think, me blaming you guys for our Cajuns...

Want them back...?



DF

Have you thought about contacting VV and asking what they have to say ?

Good idea. Last time I thought about that, couldn't get a US number to call.

Anyone have a clue on calling them?

DF


Edited to add, I did finally find an email to Capstone tech services, no way to attach photos. We'll see what they say, will report.

Capstone owns Berger and is a Nammo Group division, which owns Lapua and Vihtavuori.

you may have seen this:

https://www.vihtavuori.com/resources/contact-form/

I filled out one just like that.

Thanks for the heads up. I will report what they say.

DF

I've got two 2# canisters of yet to be opened VV N-120 from circa 2006 for my 444. This thread isn't boosting my confidence, lol. Damn those impulse buys.

Have a little faith. As long as it was stored properly, you'll be fine

I got an email from Capstone and was able to upload and send them a couple of pictures. We'll see what they say.

DF

Be interesting to hear what they have to say. Keep us posted.

I just got this somewhat rambling response from Capstone. I never use ammonia cleaners and the same hands handled all rounds. Sealer, I'd say the coated, swagged lead bullet sorta seals the case from air, military ammo cans..?? At least they are going to send it to HQ for an eval. Not holding my breath...

Thanks for the pictures Robert. If the powder was ok it could be many things right down to your fingers (salt) . If the brass was cleaned using a liquid brass cleaner the ammonia in the clean can cause this also. However , powder does have moisture in it . This is retained in the cellulose that the chemicals that make up gun powder are attached to. If the bullets or the case neck does not have some kind of "sealer" (like military ammunition does) the powder can dry out. I do not know if this can cause corrosion like this so I will send your email to Vihta Vouri and LAPUA to get an answer there. I know that I have seen this issue in carttridges I have not stored in Military ammunition cans with a good seal on them. Will get back to you when I here from LAPUA and VIHTAVOURI.

We'll see what they say.

DF

Yea, right. So, cases loaded with Vit needs to be handled and stored different from cases loaded with all other powders.

I got the same sort of response; it is not our powder it's something you did.

I have been waiting 2+ years to hear back from them.

Not encouraging.

But, I've handled all my loads and powder the same, only one doing this.

Circumstantial evidence, sure, but pretty strong circumstantial evidence, IMO.

I'm gonna give them time to respond, hopefully it won't be 2+ years.

DF

Same thing happened with a friends 45-70 loads but he was using lever revolution jacketed bullets and a Hodgedon or IMR powder, don't know which. I agree with one of the posters from the above links that it looks like Copper Sulfate and is probably due to moisture and possibly the slightly acidic finger prints from handling the cases and bullets. This is just speculation and it only happened with one batch. But we have our share of hot humid weather here too.

His powder seemed fine.