Custom Bullet and Primer Sealer- anyone use it when reloading?

[ShooterInPA1]

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/954...-1-2-oz-liquid

Markron Custom Bullet and Primer Sealer quickly and effectively seals ammunition from moisture. Simply brush on a little sealer around the primer and bullet case joint and wait for the sealer to dry and ammunition is protected from the elements. Muzzleloader hunters and black powder rifle shooters have also discovered that this sealant works great for hunting. When applied to the outside of caps on the nipples of muzzle loading rifles and over primers on inline muzzleloaders hunters and shooter can have the confidence they need when hunting in wet conditions and not have to worry if their rifle will go off when they take the shot of a lifetime.

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Would not use for target rounds of course.

[notenoughguns]

A hefty price to pay for fingernail polish , just saying .

[bamboomaster]

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/954...-1-2-oz-liquid

Would not use for target rounds of course.

I've often wondered about that. Seems like a lot of work for the benefit - especially if you're reloading more than 50 rounds. These days, the cost of ordering that product from Midway plus S/H & NRA contribution round-up could possibly run the total to an equivalent of 300 primers purchased locally...

After I saw this test about the effect of solvents on primers, I figured the concern was overblown, at least for me:

http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot39.htm


Regarding storage and possible moisture issues, I used to put the rounds in a zip-lock bag, put the bags in an ammo can, and toss in a desiccant pack for that extra level of protection. Then store in a cool, dry place.

Have started vacupacking match grade reloads for a bolt gun which I should think will keep them fresh for a very long time. The vacupacks also go into a separate can with the obligatory desiccant.

Magazine-fed rounds go on stripper clips, get vacupacked in groups of 9x10 and go into similar storage until we remove whatever we need for a trip to the range.

This process seems to work for us - so the primer sealant seems like an unnecessary step.

And one more final point: for 2013, I promised myself we would spend more time at the range having fun than we would spend reloading and having fun!

If you're not careful, it's easy to fall into the swirling vortex of increased reloading time and diminished range time.

But life is indeed about choices, eh?

[Delkal]

How long are you planning to store your ammo and where? I've shot some 50 year old ammo and it was 100%. Never had a problem with my reloads either (stored in basement) and some loads are probably >15 years old.

If you want to make some relads to store on your boat or a wet environment with big temperature swings for YEARS a primer sealer might help. If you store it in an air tight ammo box or in a temperature controlled area its probably a waste of time.

I've had unsealed ammo get wet or rained on. Still went bang.

[ShooterInPA1]

How long are you planning to store your ammo and where? I've shot some 50 year old ammo and it was 100%. Never had a problem with my reloads either (stored in basement) and some loads are probably >15 years old.

I store my ammo in the basement in plastic bins with dessicant packs, but the deessicant packs need to be recharged all the time, even in winter when moisture is really not an issue.

I always hear people say how they shoot ammo that was 50 years old, but with the way things are going, I am thinking long term. Maybe this would be a waste of money. Sounds like it if nobody is using it.

[Delkal]

Instead of plastic bins and desiccants you might want to invest in some GI ammo cans. If the seal is still in good condition it is air and water tight and is perfect for long term storage. The trick to storage is to keep the temperature constant. Don't store it in an attic or shed, your basement is perfect (if dry).

Some of the more popular ammo for Garands was Lake city 72. I never heard of a misfire. It was issued for DCM shoots and all went bang. Its hard to find today because everyone shot it all up, not because it went bad. You occasionally see someone with a stash and its still OK 40 years later.

I'm not sure there is any data that sealed primers are better for long term storage. It wasn't around 50 years ago. It makes sense that you want to keep the powder dry, but how important that is with smokeless is debatable.

[dkf]

I have been wanting to try some but never got around to it. Some of factory ammo from S&B and Remington is sealed so I figured I would seal some SD loads.

[Tomcat088]

This is an interesting thread. I had been curious about the sealer myself. I had placed an order for some things a while back, and I decided to give some a try since I was already paying shipping for other stuff. So I do have it in my possession, but haven't yet used it. I'm like many of you in that I store my ammunition in ammo cans with their seals intact, desiccants, etc. It's interesting to me to hear so many people that are at least somewhat opposed. Sure, if you have to pay all that extra, it could cost 300 primers, but if it saves you thousands of primers, plus the powder that is possibly ruined; I'd say it's worth it. What's really interesting to me is that so many people talk about other ammo, and are probably also thinking of military ammo. If you look up the specs on our current military ammo, it's sealed. Check it out, look up XM193 and XM855; they're "water resistant, lacquer sealed". I'm not saying that it's a big deal, I mean lots of others got by back in the day without sealing ammo. I still think it says something if that's part of the specs that our military currently uses.

Personally, I didn't buy this stuff really worried about making long term storage life better, but I had considered it. I honestly bought this stuff for some of my hunting reloads. I've been on some trips that were in some pretty wet conditions. I've been in snow, been out in the rain for days, and in places with streams and other terrain where ammunition could be dropped in it. Obviously, even if it's not sealed, if the ammo doesn't sit in water long, nothing would probably happen. I still just thought it would probably be a good precaution to take. When hunting, it's not like I take and use enough ammo for it to be a huge project to seal off those rounds. For a bolt action rifle used on big game, it can take a while to burn through even 100 rounds. So that was my main concern. I'm curious if any others have used it already. If any others are curious, I'll be happy to tell you my experience with them. Maybe even do a little test with some sealed and not sealed with some paper or indicator inside the case to see how long they can stay submerged with and without being sealed? I wouldn't feel comfortable firing cases that had powder that was possibly wet. The reason being that if some powder did ignite and there was water inside of the brass, the pressures could be really screwed up with an incompressible liquid, and that could be BAD. I'd still gladly do the experiment with some sort of indicator instead of powder, and pull the bullets to see what we got. Let me know, and it can be done.

[Delkal]

That would be an interesting experiment. My guess is that under normal conditions your not going to get any water in the unsealed rounds (just a guess) You should try a worse case scenario. Keep one underwater for an hour, a day, and a week.

You are correct that most modern military ammo is sealed. Some .223's have a red circle around the primer. I don't remember seeing it on the bullet though. WWII and Korea ammo was not sealed (but it did have the primer crimped).

I agree that sealing some hunting rounds is cheap insurance. For some big game you can spend thousands on a trip and a lot of times it is cold and wet. No one will fault you for spending an extra dollar to seal your rounds.

[BaconBocephusBeauregard]

Wouldn't waste my time on it. I've yet to have problems with moisture contamination. Go wreck diving and bring up rounds that have been underwater for nearly a century. Yeah, some have wet powder or cordite but many don't and still go boom. I don't know how more extreme you can get than this but it's far more extreme than any of us will ever store or use our ammo. Save the money.