Recommendations on sealers?

[sgtD]

I am now loading some quantities of brass for some handguns and rifles. I will not likely shoot some of this ammo at any time soon, so I will be storing the ammo for an indefinate period and some is hunting ammo which will likely eventually be used in bad weather so I wish to seal it with some type of primer sealer.

Does anyone here have recommendations on a certain brand or type of sealer? Also, has anyone ever tried sealing the bullet crimp area for waterproofing purposes, and is that something that should be considered if storing ammo in a humid locale for an extended period or if you may possibly be hunting in wet conditions with said ammo? Both sound like a good idea to me. I know that factory ammo is primer sealed and I think that some miltary ammo is sealed at both ends, but I'm not certain.

So, what are your thoughts and recommendations?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Miggy]

sgtD, define"any time soon"

Unless you plan on leaving your ammo next to a swamp, I would not worry about sealing rounds. IMHO you'd be better of by placing your ammo in a waterproof container and adding dissecant to it.

[kitsapcharly]

Wouldn't be such a bad idea to have carry ammo waterproofed.

[coffeecup]

Clear nail polish works OK for those anal enough to use it. If you are worried about your loads just put a couple in a class of water for a few days, then dry them off and see if they shoot.

[DMan]

sgtD, IMHO you'd be better of by placing your ammo in a waterproof container and adding dissecant to it.

X's 2 - thats what I do, and I just shot some off today that I loaded up in 05. (.45 lead SWC). For awhile they were stored in an area that was that was so humid the card board box that the boxes of ammo where in developed mold! Every last one went bang!

[sgtD]

Any time soon, means I may not shoot some of this stuff for years. I have a lot of OLD ammo that needs to be burned up before I even get to the stuff I'm loading now. I'm talking about mostly about .308 and 30-30, which I rarely ever shoot. Maybe 40-60 rnds per year just to check zero or punch holes in paper before hunting season.

Ok, so it seems that the consensus is that it's a waste of time since I don't plan on any major operations in a jungle environment or at sea.

I keep all my ammo stored in mil surp ammo cans with dissicant anyway, but sometimes, like last winter, they end up in a damp basement and I always worry about my ammo since I have a lot of money invested in it. Anyway, I reckon I won't worry to much about it then.

I was just thinking about it and since ammo is expensive, even when you reload, I didn't want to have it get moisture in it, go bad, and be a waste.

Thansk for the insight and advice. Saved me some time and money.

[Ram Rod]

sealing primers and bullets - Primers, powders, bullets and brass - Metallic cartridge reloading - The Handloaders Bench

[sgtD]

Thanks for the link Ramrod. Very informative.

[Miggy]

sealing primers and bullets - Primers, powders, bullets and brass - Metallic cartridge reloading - The Handloaders Bench

One of the posts there says:

Any garden supply store. I went to buy a can last week and couldn't find Ortho, but found another brand and it was the exact same thing. If you ask for tree pruning sealant, they will know what you are wanting.

That stuff is thick. If you use it in your rounds, you risk gumming up the gun. I have used the pruning sealant to waterproof gutters.

[4my son]

Hadn't thought about that, what kind of environment are you looking at to need to go the extra step and apply sealant to your rounds. Does sound like it would cause problems. Curious as to what others say.

[sgtD]

One of the posts there says:



That stuff is thick. If you use it in your rounds, you risk gumming up the gun. I have used the pruning sealant to waterproof gutters.

I agree. I would think that the same enamel that you use to seal the primer would be sufficient to seal the case neck. Especially when the round is crimped to the bullet and already has a pretty tight seal.

The interesting part of the guy's post for me was in regard to moist air being transferred into the case overtime when heating up and cooling. Something I had not thought of. But still, unless you are going deep sea diving with your ammo, I guess sealing it is realistically not necessary.

I do my best to avoid swimming with my firearms these days. If i ever do decide that I need to seal some for extreme conditions, like hunting from a spike camp in the rain for a week, or if I move to New Orleans during hurricanne season, (which aint gonna happen) I'll just use nail polish. Otherwise, I'm not bothering with it for general storage purposes.

[boscobeans]

We used shellac years ago because it dries almost instantly.

Now there are fast drying lacquers like the following:

Cabela's -- George & Roy's Custom Primer Sealant