To Seal or not to seal primers ?

junglejim23

junglejim23

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Minuteman
Feb 22, 2008
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Santee,California PRK
#1
So I was thinking of sealing my loads and was wondering how you all may do it ? are there any cons to doing so ? just thinking of this stuff for long term storage for a rainy day it will be kept in a ammo can for the most part until use.


thank you all for the info in advance
JJ
 
#2
Re: To Seal or not to seal primers ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Junglejim23</div><div class="ubbcode-body">So I was thinking of sealing my loads and was wondering how you all may do it ? are there any cons to doing so ? just thinking of this stuff for long term storage for a rainy day it will be kept in a ammo can for the most part until use.


thank you all for the info in advance
JJ </div></div>


I don't do it, but lady's clear nail polish seems to work for many, but go lightly. You can buy the stuff from Midway too, if you want to go with a 'proven' product.

Can't hurt if you seal the bullet and primer...again, lightly.

Chris
 
#3
Re: To Seal or not to seal primers ?

Are there adverse effects on accuracy when sealing the bullet? Or are there any complications with cleaning, etc., when nail polish is burned in the chamber?
 
#4
Re: To Seal or not to seal primers ?

" Or are there any complications with cleaning, etc., when nail polish is burned in the chamber?"

Applied correctly, the thickened lacquer called nail polish won't/can't be burned in the chamber nor can it possibly affect accuracy.

Place your finished rounds in a loading block, bullet down. Run a light coat of nail polish (going thick is NOT helpful) around the edge of the seated primers, let it dry fully and go hunting in the rain all you want.

(Well, maybe the accuracy will be a little better if it's green.??
smile.gif
)

Personal opinion, sealing bullets is not helpful. IF the bullet is firmly seated, as most certainly are, the seal at the mouth is sufficent to prevent any moisture entry unless the ammo is sunk to a depth of a couple of feet for a few days anyway.
 
#5
Re: To Seal or not to seal primers ?

I experimented with this back in the 1970s and 80s. I ended up using whatever fingernail polish was on sale where my wife shoped. I have sealed bullets also using the same stuff. I put a small ring around the inside of the case mouth before seating the bullet. Obviously you can't do this with a compressed charge.

Yes, after sitting a while the rounds sealed on both ends will read differently over the chronograph. Not so much the average being different. But the Standard Deviation will grow wider.

All my ammo is stored in sealed ammo cans with desicant packs. I don't seal them any more.
 
#6
Re: To Seal or not to seal primers ?

Agree with Victor, I keep my ammo in an ammo can and store it at "normal" conditions and you should be fine.

Preparing for the coming of the Zombies uh?
 
#7
Re: To Seal or not to seal primers ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DesertHK</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Agree with Victor, I keep my ammo in an ammo can and store it at "normal" conditions and you should be fine.

Preparing for the coming of the Zombies uh? </div></div>


something like that
wink.gif


just trying to C.M.A on all accounts I have a shit ton of ammo cans to put them in but was thinking of what else I could do
 
#12
Re: To Seal or not to seal primers ?

Fellow did a study some 20 years ago on this topic and wrote it up in "Handloader" magazine. For the primer, polyurethane varnish worked the best. Apply as indicated above...use an old fingernail bottle and brush for storage and application. For the bullet end, if you use lead bullets the waxy lube is good enough seal. For jacketed bullet use what the military uses...asphaltic varnish. You can buy it from your local garden shop..."ORTHO" brand pruining sealer. Don't get the spray stuff, use the paint-on canned stuff. Apply inside the case mouth with a Q-Tip and allow to set up a few days, then charge the case with powder and seat the bullet. That forms a "washer" of sealant around the base of the bullet next to the neck of the case as well as around the bullet. It will change the accuracy over a long period of storage. I shot some '54 AP .30-06 loads a few months ago...as loaded averaged 4" groups at 100 yards. Pulled the bullets and reseated them and the groups shrank to 1.5". JMHO
 
#13
Re: To Seal or not to seal primers ?

If your really worried, put your ammo on stripper clips and pack it in a block shape. Now put it in seal-a-meal bags and seal it up. This will buy you a good 20 years over just storing them. Drop the block in an ammo can and you can both grow old together. Seal-a-meals work great for powder and primers to, thats what I use it for.
 
#14
Re: To Seal or not to seal primers ?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dmachine</div><div class="ubbcode-body">If your really worried, put your ammo on stripper clips and pack it in a block shape. Now put it in seal-a-meal bags and seal it up. This will buy you a good 20 years over just storing them. Drop the block in an ammo can and you can both grow old together. Seal-a-meals work great for powder and primers to, thats what I use it for. </div></div>

In the high desert an ammo can with a good gasket will net him the same 20+ years without dessicant packs, vacuum bags or the like.
 
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