Use of at least one oil soluble polymer comprising linear polymethylene sequences with an average of 10 to 40 consecutive methylene groups, to improve the water resistance of a particulate explosive composition comprising particulate ammonium nitrate and a fuel oil, and wherein said linear polymethylene sequences with in average 10 to 40 consecutive methylene groups may be present either in the main chain or in the side chains of the oil soluble polymer, wherein a) the oil soluble polymer is an ethylene copolymer and the average length of the polymethylene sequences PS (i) of oil soluble polymers (i) having the polymethylene sequences in the main chain is calculated according to PS i = molar content of ethylene molar content of comonomer ∗ 2 + 1 and the alkyl chains of the comonomer, if present, are not considered in this calculation, or b) the oil soluble and water insoluble polymer is a homo- or copolymer of esters, amides and/or imides of ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids and the average length of the polymethylene sequences PS (ii) of oil soluble polymers having the polymethylene sequences in the side chain is calculated according to the formula: PS ii = m 1 ⋅ ∑ i w 1 i ⋅ n 1 i + m 2 ⋅ ∑ j w 2 j ⋅ n 2 j + ... ... . + m g ⋅ ∑ p w gp ⋅ n gp where m 1 , m 2 , ... m g are the molar fractions of the comonomers in the polymer and the sum of the molar fractions m 1 to m g = 1, w 1i , w 2j , ... w gp are the proportions by weight of the individual chain lengths i, j, .... p of the alkyl radicals of the different comonomers 1 to g, and n 1i , n 2j , ... n gp are the chain lengths of the alkyl radicals i, j, .... p of the comonomers 1 to g, the terminating methyl groups of alkyl residues being included in the counting of methylene groups. a) the oil soluble polymer is an ethylene copolymer and the average length of the polymethylene sequences PS (i) of oil soluble polymers (i) having the polymethylene sequences in the main chain is calculated according to PS i = molar content of ethylene molar content of comonomer ∗ 2 + 1 and the alkyl chains of the comonomer, if present, are not considered in this calculation, or b) the oil soluble and water insoluble polymer is a homo- or copolymer of esters, amides and/or imides of ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids and the average length of the polymethylene sequences PS (ii) of oil soluble polymers having the polymethylene sequences in the side chain is calculated according to the formula: PS ii = m 1 ⋅ ∑ i w 1 i ⋅ n 1 i + m 2 ⋅ ∑ j w 2 j ⋅ n 2 j + ... ... . + m g ⋅ ∑ p w gp ⋅ n gp where m 1 , m 2 , ... m g are the molar fractions of the comonomers in the polymer and the sum of the molar fractions m 1 to m g = 1, w 1i , w 2j , ... w gp are the proportions by weight of the individual chain lengths i, j, .... p of the alkyl radicals of the different comonomers 1 to g, and n 1i , n 2j , ... n gp are the chain lengths of the alkyl radicals i, j, .... p of the comonomers 1 to g, m 1 , m 2 , ... m g are the molar fractions of the comonomers in the polymer and the sum of the molar fractions m 1 to m g = 1, w 1i , w 2j , ... w gp are the proportions by weight of the individual chain lengths i, j, .... p of the alkyl radicals of the different comonomers 1 to g, and n 1i , n 2j , ... n gp are the chain lengths of the alkyl radicals i, j, .... p of the comonomers 1 to g, <EOS>